Federal Key Account Executive

Collaboration.Ai•Minneapolis, MN

11h•Hybrid

About The Position

Collaboration.Ai is seeking a proactive, mission-driven Federal Key Account Executive to drive growth within the U.S. Department of Defense/War, military services, and federal civilian agencies. This role involves building a pipeline and managing a portfolio of strategic federal and government accounts, identifying new opportunities, and expanding the adoption of the company's innovation platforms. The company is headquartered in the Twin Cities, MN, but remote candidates are also welcome. The role benefits from the ability to leverage AI tools for research, proposal development, customer communication, and overall efficiency in managing complex federal opportunities.

Requirements

5 or more years of B2G (business-to-government) account management, capture, or federal sales experience, with a clear track record of meeting or exceeding revenue targets in the federal/defense market.
Demonstrated experience selling SaaS or technology platforms into the U.S. Department of Defense/War, military services, or federal civilian agencies.
Working knowledge of the federal procurement process, fiscal year cycles, color of money, and common contract vehicles.
Experience navigating relationships with prime contractors, systems integrators, and federal program offices.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with proven ability to present and influence credibly at executive and senior government levels.
Strong project and pipeline management discipline, including accurate forecasting and CRM hygiene.
Experience using AI tools to accelerate research, sharpen communication, draft proposal content, and increase overall efficiency in a SaaS or federal sales environment.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic, early-stage environment with minimal supervision.
U.S. citizenship required.
Willingness to travel occasionally for company and customer engagements.

Nice To Haves

Active or recent U.S. government security clearance (Secret or higher).
Prior U.S. military service or experience working inside a DoW or federal civilian agency.
Experience with innovation, collaboration, knowledge management, or open-innovation platforms.
Previous experience in a startup, scale-up, or other agile environment.
Established network within the defense innovation ecosystem (DIU, AFWERX, SOFWERX, etc.).
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.

Responsibilities

Build and execute the territory plan, including outbound prospecting into innovation units and mission sponsors.
Qualify opportunities against the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), maintain 3x pipeline coverage, and collaborate with marketing on events and Account-Based Marketing (ABM).
Lead capture planning and contract vehicle strategy (SBIR/STTR, CSO, OTA, BOA, direct award).
Assemble and direct deal teams, leveraging Product & Engineering for demos and Managed Services for delivery credibility.
Develop proposals and RFP responses, and negotiate and close deals with Contracting Officers.
Deliver a handoff memo within 10 business days, accepted by the Account Manager, Program Manager, and Customer Success Manager.
Maintain CRM hygiene weekly and submit a weighted forecast monthly.
Gather market intelligence and refer named-account opportunities to the Account Manager.
Identify, qualify, and capture new opportunities through proactive prospecting, attendance at industry days, and engagement with defense innovation organizations.
Build and maintain executive relationships with Program Managers, Contracting Officers, Chiefs of Staff, Innovation Leads, and other decision-makers.
Lead a consultative sales process to translate mission challenges into measurable platform outcomes.
Establish revenue and margin goals for each account and execute an Annual Account Growth Plan aligned with federal fiscal year planning.
Partner with prime contractors, systems integrators, and channel partners to expand reach.
Develop and maintain a qualified pipeline of federal opportunities, tracked diligently in the company CRM.
Shape opportunities in coordination with DoW spending cycles and customer requirements.
Provide internal business recommendations on contract vehicle onboarding and positioning.
Lead or support capture activities including opportunity qualification, win strategy, competitive analysis, teaming decisions, and pricing-to-win.
Contribute to proposal development, including writing and reviewing technical, management, and past-performance content.
Stay informed on FAR, DFARS, OTAs, and other federal procurement trends.
Serve as the executive sponsor for assigned federal accounts, ensuring customers realize measurable mission value.
Partner closely with Mission Success and Customer Success teams to ensure smooth onboarding, strong adoption, and renewal-ready accounts.
Conduct executive briefings, QBRs, and program reviews with senior government and industry stakeholders.
Educate customers on the full Collaboration.Ai product suite, new releases, and federal-specific capabilities.
Capture and route customer feedback to product, engineering, and operations teams.
Provide strategic advice on optimizing innovation and collaboration processes for defense and federal missions.
Analyze customer needs, mission priorities, and stakeholder dynamics to recommend tailored approaches.
Translate customer goals into actionable use cases and measurable success criteria.
Maintain a working understanding of the defense innovation ecosystem, key competitors, and emerging mission needs.
Partner with sales leadership, marketing, product, mission success, and customer success teams.
Coordinate with external partners, primes, and government stakeholders.
Identify opportunities to improve internal processes related to federal pursuits, capture, and account management.