Venture Capital & Private Equity, National Security, Healthcare, Technology

Senior Account Executive (Defense Agencies & Fourth Estate)

Mclean, VAOnsiteFull TimeSeniorPosted 2 months agoVisa sponsorship available

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Required skills

new business development
federal sales cycles
quota
contract award
pipeline creation
qualification
capture support
proposal coordination
negotiation
Department of Defense

Nice to have

active-duty military service
federal civilian experience
software sales
AI-enabled enterprise software
Active Secret clearance
TS/SCI clearance

Role summary

Red Cell Federal is seeking a Senior Account Executive to drive new business development within U.S. Department of Defense agencies and Combatant Commands. This role requires a proven track record in selling enterprise software and services to the public sector, with a focus on net-new business and closing seven-figure opportunities. You will own the full sales lifecycle, from opportunity identification through contract award, leveraging deep knowledge of federal acquisition pathways, budgeting, and procurement processes. The ideal candidate is a disciplined hunter who can build trusted relationships with senior government stakeholders, shape opportunities, and consistently exceed quota in complex federal sales cycles. Prior military or federal civilian experience is preferred.

About Us

Red Cell Partners is an incubation firm building and investing in rapidly scalable technology-led companies that are bringing revolutionary advancements to market in three distinct practice areas: healthcare, cyber, and national security. United by a shared sense of duty and deep belief in the power of innovation, Red Cell is developing powerful tools and solutions to address our Nation’s most pressing problems.

About Us

Red Cell Federal builds a new category of national security company – one that creates AI-powered, mission-ready capabilities for the U.S. government. Aligning technological innovation with real-world mission demand. RC Federal is designed to scale into an enduring platform, translating complex government needs into repeatable, high-impact solutions.

The Role:

Location: Preference for the DMV area

Red Cell Federal is seeking a driven Account Executive with a proven track record of selling enterprise software and services to the public sector. Reporting directly to the CRO, you will own new business development across the military services and Combatant Commands, from the earliest customer engagement through signed contract and award.

This role is built for a disciplined hunter who thrives in complex federal sales cycles, consistently outperforms quota, and knows the job is not finished until the contract is signed.

What You'll Do

Own the full sales lifecycle from opportunity identification through contract award, with responsibility for pipeline creation, qualification, capture support, proposal coordination, negotiation, and close.

Develop and execute strategic account plans across assigned Department of Defense and Combatant Command.

Build trusted relationships with mission owners, program managers, acquisition professionals, contracting officers, and senior government stakeholders to understand operational challenges and align Red Cell Federal capabilities to mission needs.

Create and shape opportunities before formal requirements exist by engaging customers early, identifying mission gaps, influencing acquisition strategies, and helping define solution approaches.

Identify and pursue new business opportunities that result in measurable revenue growth, including expansion into new organizations, programs, and mission areas.

Lead customer engagement efforts across all stages of the federal acquisition process, including OTAs, Commercial Solutions Openings (CSOs), SBIR/STTR opportunities, IDIQs, GWACs, consortiums, and traditional FAR-based procurements.

Collaborate closely with product, engineering, growth, capture, proposal, and leadership teams to develop compelling solutions that address customer requirements and mission objectives.

Maintain a deep understanding of federal budgets, program funding, acquisition timelines, and procurement pathways to accelerate customer adoption and contract awards.

Drive executive-level engagements, product demonstrations, capability briefings, and strategic workshops with government stakeholders.

Develop and manage a qualified pipeline that consistently exceeds quota and supports long-term growth objectives.

Capture customer feedback, operational needs, and market intelligence to inform product strategy, solution development, and future growth opportunities.

Track competitive activity, emerging requirements, contract vehicle developments, and acquisition trends across assigned accounts.

Provide accurate forecasting, opportunity management, and pipeline reporting within CRM and business operating processes.

Represent Red Cell Federal at industry events, government forums, conferences, and customer engagements to expand brand awareness and generate new opportunities.

Partner with portfolio companies and internal stakeholders to identify opportunities where multiple capabilities can be combined to solve complex government challenges.

What Success Looks Like

You stay close to the customer and are prepared to travel on short notice when the mission requires it.

Consistently achieve or exceed revenue and bookings targets.

You establish Red Cell Federal as a trusted partner across priority government accounts.

Create a predictable pipeline of qualified opportunities and follow-on growth.

You accelerate the transition of innovative technologies into funded government programs.

Expand Red Cell Federal’s footprint across priority defense and federal organizations.

You build durable customer relationships that generate repeatable, scalable growth.

Qualifications:

8+ years of experience selling technology into the U.S. Department of Defense, with a clear emphasis on net-new business rather than account management or program support.

Demonstrated success selling enterprise SaaS solutions.

Deep experience selling into both the military services and Combatant Commands, including a practical understanding of how a service acquisition organization differs from a COCOM J-code customer.

Verifiable first-dollar-in wins, including personally sourcing and closing seven-figure or larger opportunities where your company previously had no footprint.

Fluency across federal acquisition pathways, including OTAs, consortium awards, Commercial Solutions Openings, SBIR Phase III, GWACs, IDIQs, and teaming strategies, with sound judgment about which pathway can move fastest.

Working knowledge of color of money and POM timing, with the ability to help customers identify viable funding paths.

Ability to obtain a Secret security clearance.

Willingness to travel up to 50%.

Preferred Qualifications:

Prior active-duty military service or federal civilian experience.

Experience selling software rather than services, particularly AI-enabled enterprise software.

Active Secret or TS/SCI clearance.

Compensation: $175,000 base salary. This role also includes an uncapped commission plan. This represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience, skills, and other factors.

Our Red Cell Partners Benefits (may differ for each incubation):

For full-time roles

Career track opportunity with potential for rapid advancement with strong performance as the firm grows

100% employer paid, comprehensive health care including medical, dental, and vision for you and your family.

Paid maternity and paternity for 14 weeks at employees' normal pay.

Unlimited PTO, with management approval.

Opportunities for professional development and continued learning.

Optional 401K, FSA, and equity incentives available.

Mental health benefits are available through Tara Mind.

Cost effective GLP-1 solutions available through Crux.

We’re an Equal Opportunity Employer: You’ll receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or on the basis of disability.

Applicant Data Disclosure

By submitting an application, you acknowledge that Red Cell Partners, LLC ("Red Cell") uses third-party service providers to facilitate its recruitment and hiring processes. These providers include applicant tracking systems, candidate verification platforms, and fraud detection tools (collectively, "Hiring Platforms"). Your application materials, including your résumé, cover letter, work samples, responses to application questions, and any other information you submit, may be transmitted to and processed by these Hiring Platforms for the following purposes:

Managing and administering your application throughout the hiring process;

Verifying the accuracy and authenticity of application materials, including by cross-referencing information you provide against publicly available sources and proprietary databases;

Identifying indicators of potentially fraudulent, fabricated, or materially misleading application content, including but not limited to discrepancies between submitted materials and publicly available professional profiles, geographic anomalies, and fabricated work histories.

Applications that are flagged through this process as containing indicators of fraud or material misrepresentation may be declined from further consideration. If you have questions about the status of your application or the evaluation process, please contact talent@redcellpartners.com.

Red Cell requires its Hiring Platform providers to process your information solely for the purposes described above and in accordance with applicable law. Your information will be retained only for as long as necessary to fulfill these purposes and any applicable legal obligations, after which it will be deleted in accordance with Red Cell's data retention policies.

For more information about how your data is used, please refer to our Privacy Policy and Applicant Privacy Notice.

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