Sales Manager, USA

Cactus Communications Services Pte. Ltd.•Woodbridge Township, NJ

3d•Remote

About The Position

CACTUS is a remote-first organization and we embrace an accelerate from anywhere culture. You may be required to travel to our Mumbai office based on business requirements or for company/team events. We are seeking a commercially driven and mission-aligned Sales Manager to spearhead our growth across the U.S. academic ecosystem. In this role, you will build and scale a pipeline of research universities, liberal arts colleges, hospitals, national laboratories, federal research agencies, and private foundations who are actively exploring or deploying AI-powered solutions and expert services to support researcher outcomes. You will act as a trusted strategic advisor to academic leaders from Research Vice Provosts and Department Chairs, Chief Research Officers, and Grants Administrators helping them understand how our AI solutions and expert professional services can accelerate research outcomes, drive operational efficiency, and strengthen institutional competitiveness. This is a high-impact, entrepreneurial role with significant scope to shape the go-to-market strategy for the academic sector across the United States.

Requirements

5+ years of B2B sales experience with a consistent track record of meeting/exceeding quota in the U.S. market
Proven success selling into U.S. higher education, research institutions, or federal research ecosystems
Ability to engage credibly on AI/technology topics with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
Experience managing long, complex sales cycles involving multi-stakeholder decisions and procurement processes
Strong commercial acumen with expertise in structuring creative deals (multi-year, consortium, grant-funded, pilots)
Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence C-suite, faculty, and IT leadership
Self-starter comfortable working autonomously in remote, cross-functional environments
Legal authorization to work in the country where this role is advertised

Nice To Haves

Experience with federal funding programs (NSF, NIH, DOE, DARPA), academic networks/consortia, or selling services alongside software

Responsibilities

Develop and execute territory sales plans targeting U.S. universities, research institutes, national laboratories, and research funding organizations
Build and manage a qualified sales pipeline through outbound prospecting, conference networking, and inbound lead management
Implement account-based strategies for priority institutions by mapping stakeholders and aligning solutions to research priorities, grant cycles, and academic calendars
Maintain accurate pipeline tracking and revenue forecasting in CRM (e.g., MS Dynamics); enforce strong pipeline hygiene and deal qualification practices
Establish and grow relationships with key stakeholders, including VPRs, CIOs, IT Directors, Faculty Leads, Sponsored Research Officers, and Budget Administrators
Lead consultative discovery discussions to assess AI adoption goals, infrastructure needs, data governance, and compliance requirements
Deliver customized presentations and product demonstrations aligned to research, STEM, and federally funded environments
Navigate complex procurement processes, including RFPs, purchasing cooperatives, and state-level requirements
Develop expertise in the U.S. academic funding ecosystem, including NSF, NIH, DOE, DARPA, ARPA-H, DOD, and major private foundations
Stay current on regulatory frameworks such as OSTP public access policies, responsible AI standards, and FERPA/HIPAA requirements
Position solutions within major federal AI initiatives (e.g., NSF AI Research Institutes, NIH Bridge2AI)
Build partnerships with technology transfer offices, research computing centers, and academic consortia (e.g., Internet2, EDUCAUSE, AAU)
Drive sales of professional services, including AI implementation, data strategy, model customization, and training programs
Partner with Solutions Engineering and Delivery teams to scope and price complex, SOW-based engagements
Identify and execute upsell and cross-sell opportunities to expand annual contract value and deepen adoption across institutions
Structure commercial models suited to academia, including multi-year SaaS agreements, grant-funded pilots, and consortium pricing
Collaborate with Marketing on demand generation campaigns, conference participation, and thought leadership initiatives
Provide market feedback to product and services teams to inform roadmap development and compliance alignment
Partner with Legal, Finance, and Compliance to structure contracts, including data use agreements, BAAs, and sponsored research agreements