Key Account Director, T1200 (West)

Skydio

3d•$144,000 - $180,000•Remote

About The Position

Skydio is hiring a Key Account Director to lead a regional team of Key Account Leaders selling to public safety agencies with 101 to 550 sworn personnel. This is a first-line leadership role focused on recruiting sellers, coaching them to improve, retaining the team, and delivering the region’s number. The director does not carry individual accounts; they guide deal strategy, join the team in the field on competitive pursuits, and build disciplined territory planning, pipeline management, and forecasting. The role partners with peer directors and teams across Channel, Sales Engineering, Business Development, Marketing, Strategic Relationships, Government Relations, and Mission Success. The director is also expected to model and coach the team’s use of AI tools in day-to-day sales work, while ensuring AI-drafted customer materials are reviewed before use. The role operates in a competitive market, often alongside channel partners, and sets expectations for how the team competes and works. The position is remote in the Western and Central U.S., and requires at least 50% travel and residence in the region. Skydio offers regular full-time employees competitive base salary, stock options, comprehensive benefits, and potentially relocation assistance for eligible roles. The annual base salary range is $144,000–$180,000 plus commission. Compensation may vary based on skills, experience, and location. Benefits are subject to applicable laws, company policies, and eligibility criteria.

Requirements

At least 3 years leading quota-carrying sellers as a first-line manager, with year-by-year team attainment figures, including any missed year and what changed afterward.
At least 4 years of total experience in enterprise software, hardware, or SaaS sales, including personal success closing complex, multi-stakeholder deals.
Demonstrated seller-recruiting success, including a real network, a clear view of what good looks like, a structured process, and the ability to close candidates.
An articulable coaching approach, with specific examples of employees who measurably improved under the candidate’s leadership.
Strong voluntary retention history, a record of developing people into larger roles, and the judgment to act promptly when someone is not suited to the role.
Experience selling to or leading teams serving SLED customers, with working knowledge of procurement vehicles, budgets, and grant cycles.
Fluency in selling with and through channel partners.
Daily, systematic use of AI tools in the candidate’s own work, plus at least one workflow, analysis, or tool built or changed in the last two years that measurably improved the candidate’s or team’s work; candidates will be asked to demonstrate it.
Executive presence with customer leaders and the candidate’s team, and high personal integrity under quota pressure.
Ability to travel at least 50% of the time and be based in the region.

Nice To Haves

Experience in public safety, particularly law enforcement, fire, or emergency management.
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, including the ability to explain a non-sales subject such as an agency budget, airspace waiver, or aircraft autonomy in plain language, and an ability to learn quickly.
Familiarity with MEDDPICC, Salesforce, Clari, BGov, GovWin, Slack, and Google Workspace.
Background in UAVs, robotics, or emerging technology, and comfort working in a fast-moving environment.

Responsibilities

Own regional hiring: build a continuous talent pipeline, run a fast and rigorous selection process, and personally close candidates.
Hire against the team’s standards, using evidence such as attainment history, deal mechanics, and improvements candidates have made to their work.
Run a structured hiring process with consistent questions, a live working session, independent scoring, and evidence-based debriefs.
Onboard and ramp new Key Account Leaders, establishing and holding them accountable to a path from their first day to their first award.
Conduct one-on-ones and deal reviews that develop sellers’ judgment, not merely inspect pipeline.
Join demos, customer meetings, and executive conversations, then provide specific, actionable feedback.
Coach sellers on proof-of-value strategy, early requirements shaping, Skydio differentiation, displacement plays, and defending accounts under competitive pressure.
Build MEDDPICC rigor, channel fluency, and honest forecasting into team practices.
Develop shared AI workflows for customer research, call preparation, RFP responses, and pipeline analysis; ensure AI-drafted material is reviewed before it reaches customers.
Retain and develop the team through clear expectations, development paths, recognition, early career conversations, and timely action on disengagement or performance concerns.
Own territory and quota design so assignments are achievable, equitable, and worth staying for.
Serve as a trusted escalation point and clear obstacles for the team.
Own the region’s performance, including pipeline coverage, forecast accuracy, quarterly linearity, and analysis.
Partner with Channel on partner strategy, joint planning, and deal structures.
Act as executive sponsor on the team’s largest and most competitive pursuits without taking ownership of the deal.
Represent regional customer insights, competitive intelligence, and product gaps to Marketing and Product.
Model the standards of integrity, teamwork, conversational skill, curiosity, and effective use of tools expected across the region.