Area Director - Sales

Nominal•Austin, TX

About The Position

Nominal is building the software infrastructure powering the world’s most advanced hardware systems — from spacecraft and autonomous vehicles to next-generation industrial machines. Our platform ingests high-rate telemetry, validates complex autonomy software in real time, and enables engineers to iterate faster without sacrificing safety or precision. We’re a small, fast-moving team of engineers and operators with deep experience from companies like SpaceX, Palantir, Anduril, and Applied Intuition. We’re backed by Sequoia, General Catalyst, Founders Fund, Lux Capital, and Lightspeed Ventures — and we serve a range of top-tier commercial and defense customers, including the U.S. Navy, Air Force, Shield AI, and Anduril. At Nominal, we enable hardware engineers to push the boundaries of technology — with speed, safety, and precision. As an Area Director , you’ll play a critical leadership role in driving Nominal’s go-to-market success. You'll be on the front lines of selling a modern software platform into hardware-centric organizations from aerospace to defense to industrial automation. This is not a traditional SaaS sales role. You’ll own complex, high-value enterprise deals, build deep technical relationships, and guide customers through a sophisticated solution-selling journey. You’ll also help build the foundation of our sales team and culture, contributing to our overall sales strategy and operating model.

Requirements

Enterprise Sales Experience 3+ years of experience in Leadership, particularly in enterprise or strategic sales, ideally closing seven-figure technical deals into industrial, defense, or hardware-centric companies.
Solution Seller You’re a consultative, outcome-oriented seller who thrives in multi-stakeholder environments. You know how to pull together the right internal team to win.
Technical Fluency You’re comfortable speaking to engineers, architects, and IT leaders. Bonus if you’ve sold into environments with complex telemetry, testing workflows, or autonomy software.
Relationship-Driven You build lasting, trust-based relationships. You understand customer org charts, incentive structures, and how to align stakeholders.
Industry Familiarity You’ve sold data, infrastructure, or developer platforms into industrial/manufacturing, aerospace, defense, or heavy industry. You know how these companies operate.
Leadership & Team Player You lead by example and lift up those around you. You’ve mentored other sellers and are excited to help build a high-performance sales org.
Ready to Roll You’re energized by travel, on-site demos, and face-to-face meetings. You’re hands-on and biased toward action.

Nice To Haves

CRM & Sales Stack Fluency: HubSpot, Salesforce, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, ZoomInfo, Common Room, Notion, Slack
Technical Tools Familiarity: AWS, Azure, Databricks, Snowflake, MATLAB, Grafana
Data Proficiency: SQL, Python, Pandas, Timescale, Spark, Kafka, Beam, Flink
Engineering Background: Degree or experience in mechanical engineering or similar field

Responsibilities

Own the Team Build and recruit a high performing team focused on pipeline generation, value driven discovery and closing Guide deals from initial outreach to signed contract, aligning stakeholders at every level.
Build the Relationship Engage with technical buyers, executives, and frontline engineers alike. Host executive dinners, attend key industry events, and stay tapped into your customers' priorities and challenges.
Craft the Strategy Develop strategic account plans that target first-mover programs, then expand across the enterprise. Understand the internal dynamics and identify champions who will advocate for Nominal.
Sell to Outcomes Frame our value in terms of customer outcomes — speed, safety, and deployment scale. You’ll translate complex engineering goals into a compelling software value proposition.
Partner Effectively Leverage the broader Nominal team — from engineering to operations — to support technical discovery, demos, integration scoping, and infosec reviews. Collaborate cross-functionally to deliver tailored collateral and messaging.
Maintain the Forecast Own a robust book of business, tracking long-lead opportunities and delivering accurate, data-driven forecasts that align with company goals.
Build the Team Help define what “great” looks like for our sales function. Mentor early hires, shape sales processes, and build a winning, ownership-oriented culture.