Key Account Director, Small City (East)

Skydio•San Mateo, CA

4d•$144,000 - $200,000•Remote

About The Position

Skydio is a U.S. drone company focused on autonomous flight, combining artificial intelligence with hardware and software to serve customers including utilities, first responders, and the military. The Key Account Director, Small City leads a regional team of Key Account Leaders selling to public safety agencies with 1 to 40 sworn personnel. This is a first-line leadership role focused on recruiting, coaching, and retaining sellers. The Director does not carry individual accounts; the team’s performance is the Director’s responsibility. The role includes developing deal strategy, joining competitive customer pursuits, and building reliable territory, pipeline, and forecast practices. The position leads a high-volume sales segment and uses funnel metrics such as conversion rates, cycle time, stage velocity, and activity quality to guide coaching and intervention. The Director also identifies agencies with potential to move into larger sales motions and coordinates account transitions with Mid-City and T1200 teams. The role works closely with peer Directors and teams across Channel, Sales Engineering, Business Development, Marketing, Strategic Relationships, Government Relations, and Mission Success. The Director sets standards for integrity, teamwork, customer conversations, and practical use of AI tools. The role partners with channel organizations in a competitive market and guides the team in selling against incumbent platforms and well-funded challengers. It is remote and covers the Eastern U.S. territory listed in the posting, with at least 50% travel required. The role is regular, full-time, with an annual base salary range of $144,000–$200,000 plus commission. Eligible employees receive equity in the form of stock options and comprehensive benefits. Relocation assistance may be available for eligible roles.

Requirements

At least 2 years leading quota-carrying sellers as a first-line manager, with year-by-year team attainment details, including any missed year and resulting changes.
At least 4 years of total experience in enterprise software, hardware, or SaaS sales, including personal success closing complex, multi-stakeholder deals.
Demonstrated success recruiting sellers, including a real network, a clear point of view on candidate quality, a structured process, and the ability to close candidates.
An articulable coaching approach with specific examples of people who measurably improved under the candidate’s leadership.
Strong voluntary retention history, a record of developing people into larger roles, and judgment to act quickly when a person is not right for a role.
Experience selling to or leading teams selling to SLED customers, with working knowledge of procurement vehicles, budgets, and grant cycles.
Fluency selling with and through channel partners.
Daily, systematic use of AI tools and at least one workflow, analysis, or tool built or changed in the last two years that measurably improved individual or team performance; candidates must be able to demonstrate it.
Executive presence with customer leaders and the team, and high personal integrity under quota pressure.
Ability to travel at least 50% of the time and be based in the East Region.
Personal success in a high-velocity, high-volume selling environment.
Data-fluent coaching ability, including managing a funnel by metrics and identifying the specific lever behind a representative’s results.
Experience building or maintaining a repeatable sales process that scales with volume and headcount.

Nice To Haves

Experience in public safety, specifically law enforcement, fire, or emergency management, and experience standing up or scaling a high-volume segment.
Experience building a team from a small base rather than inheriting a mature team.
Having built an AI tool, analysis, or workflow used by others, and being able to explain what the first version got wrong.
Demonstrated curiosity and ability to explain how systems outside sales work, such as an agency budget, airspace waiver, or aircraft autonomy, in plain language.
Familiarity with MEDDPICC, Salesforce, Clari, BGov, GovWin, Slack, and Google Workspace.
UAV, robotics, or emerging technology background, and comfort working in a fast-moving environment.

Responsibilities

Own hiring for the region by building a continuous talent pipeline, conducting a fast and rigorous hiring process, and closing selected candidates.
Set hiring standards and evaluate candidates using evidence of attainment, deal execution, work improvements, and structured interview assessments.
Onboard and ramp new Key Account Leaders, with a clear path from their first day to their first award and accountability for ramp progress.
Run one-on-ones and deal reviews that develop seller judgment and provide specific feedback on pipeline and opportunities.
Join customer demonstrations, meetings, and executive conversations, then provide actionable debriefs.
Coach sellers on POV strategy, early requirements shaping, Skydio differentiation, competitive displacement, and defending accounts.
Build MEDDPICC rigor, channel fluency, and forecast honesty into team practices.
Develop shared AI workflows for customer research, call preparation, RFP responses, and pipeline analysis; ensure AI-drafted customer materials are reviewed before use.
Retain and develop team members through clear expectations, development paths, recognition, career conversations, and early intervention when disengagement arises.
Own territory and quota design so assignments are achievable, equitable, and supportive of retention.
Serve as an escalation path for the team and help remove obstacles.
Own regional performance, including pipeline coverage, forecast accuracy, quarter linearity, and related analysis.
Partner with Channel on partner strategy, joint planning, and deal structures.
Act as executive sponsor on major and competitive pursuits without taking ownership of the deal away from the seller.
Represent regional customer insights, competitive intelligence, and product gaps to Marketing and Product.
Coordinate with Channel on partner reach, direct-sales decisions, and alignment between the two approaches.
Partner with Mid-City and T1200 leaders on account routing, shared credit, and customer transitions.
Use funnel data to identify intervention points and coach performance in a high-volume sales environment.