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Cohere is a leading enterprise AI company building cutting-edge foundation models and end-to-end products for businesses. As a Senior Account Executive focused on SLED (State, Local, and Higher Education) customers in the Western United States, you will own the full sales cycle from lead identification through deal closure.
You will drive net-new customer acquisition within government departments, agencies, and higher education institutions across your territory. Your responsibilities include developing and executing a sales plan for the SLED market, acting as a trusted advisor to prospects by understanding their goals and shaping AI solutions that deliver measurable value, and working closely with channel partners including distributors, VARs, and system integrators to scale growth regionally.
You will leverage senior-level relationships with executives and government decision-makers to drive strategic opportunities and long-term partnerships. Collaboration is key: you'll partner with Sales Development Representatives, Marketing, Product, and Engineering teams to drive top-of-funnel activity and deliver enterprise and public-sector solutions. You'll own the complete sales cycle including discovery, technical and business validation, proof-of-concept, procurement, and deal close within a team-selling environment.
Cohere is remote-friendly with offices in Toronto, London, New York City, San Francisco, Montreal, Paris, Berlin, and Seoul. The role involves 25-35% travel within your territory.
REQUIREMENTS:
- 5+ years of direct public sector sales experience in the SLED market with a proven track record of closing $2M+ annual quotas
- Deep knowledge of SLED procurement cycles and decision-making processes, including experience working with resellers, VARs, and distributors
- Established regional network including state and local departments, agencies, prime contractors, and industry associations
- Experience selling SaaS, AI/ML, or enterprise software solutions to government clients
- High tolerance for ambiguity; ability to be both strategist and hands-on operator capable of building a market from the ground up
- Strong organizational skills managing multiple internal and external stakeholders across fast-moving deals
- Creativity and strong technical acumen to structure unique, mutually beneficial partnerships
- Excellent communication skills; ability to listen deeply, understand senior decision-makers' priorities, and present confidently to technical and non-technical audiences
- Preference given to candidates within California, Texas, Washington, Arizona, and Colorado with willingness to travel 25-35%
About Cohere
AI / Data / Infrastructure — enterprise generative AI models and tooling for businesses.
