Federal Growth Lead, Air Force/Space Force

Federal Growth Lead, Air Force/Space Force

New York or Washington, DC (or Remote, US)

Federal Growth Lead, Air Force/Space Force

Location: New York or Washington, DC preferred. Remote anywhere in the U.S. considered.
Travel: About 40% if based in NYC or DC; 50%+ if remote.
Compensation: 200K–250K base + commission + equity

About the Client

A venture-backed software company replacing the legacy systems federal agencies run on with modern, AI-native software. Its systems of record are already live across federal civilian agencies and inside the Department of War, and revenue has grown many times over this year. Backed by top-tier venture investors, with teams in New York and Washington, DC.

About the Role

The company already has a foothold inside the Department of War. The Air Force is the next front: a service with its own acquisition culture, its own program offices, and its own version of legacy-system fatigue.

You will own the full sales cycle across the Department of the Air Force, Air Force and Space Force together. That means opening new relationships inside AFLCMC and its program offices, then carrying them through demos, procurement and close, and building a repeatable motion across major commands and installations rather than chasing a single flagship win. It means knowing how the Air Force actually buys, through OT pathways or traditional program-of-record channels, and earning trust with program offices, contracting officers and installation staff who have watched vendors overpromise before.

Responsibilities

• Own the Air Force and Space Force sales cycle end to end, from outbound prospecting through demos, proposals, negotiation and close.
• Build strategic account plans and turn a standing start into a repeatable motion across AFMC and other major commands and installations.
• Navigate Air Force and Space Force procurement pathways, including OT awards, GSA MAS, IDIQs, BPAs and installation-level task orders.
• Build direct relationships within AFLCMC, installation leadership, and contracting officers across Air Force and Space Force bases.
• Lead discovery sessions and in-person product demos tailored to Air Force and Space Force workflows, without sales engineering support.
• Partner with the proposal, capture and design teams on solicitation responses and pricing.
• Represent the company at Air Force and Space Force industry days and conferences.

Must-Haves

• Deep experience in or with the Air Force or Space Force, whether in uniform, as a civilian, or selling into it.
• A record of building accounts from zero and closing complex, multi-stakeholder deals against a quota. Current relationships and what you have personally built count for more than a years-of-experience number.
• Fluency with Air Force and Space Force major programs, procurement vehicles and buying cycles.
• The appetite to be an individual contributor: prospecting, carrying an ambitious number, and owning the deal from first call to transition into delivery.
• Comfort demoing software on your own, and working fluency with tools like Salesforce.
• U.S. citizenship, given the security and eligibility requirements tied to Department of War contracts.

Nice-to-Haves

• An active U.S. security clearance. TS/SCI preferred.
• Existing relationships within AFMC, SSC or a specific major command.
• Experience with an Air Force or Space Force software factory (for example Kessel Run or Platform One), or selling quality-of-life, base services or enterprise IT modernization programs.

Not a Fit

• You need an account plan that is already built. The Air Force is a standing start and most of the map is unclaimed.
• You are not comfortable being the one who has to earn trust from a program office that has been burned before.
• You would rather sell into a service you already know than open new relationships from scratch.