Federal Growth Lead, Combatant Commands
Location: New York or Washington, DC preferred. Remote anywhere in the U.S. considered.
Travel: About 40% if based in NYC or DC; 50%+ if remote. Includes CONUS and OCONUS travel.
Compensation: 200K–250K base + commission + equity
About the Client
A venture-backed software company replacing the legacy systems federal agencies run on with modern, AI-native software. Its systems of record are already live across federal civilian agencies and inside the Department of War, and revenue has grown many times over this year. Backed by top-tier venture investors, with teams in New York and Washington, DC.
About the Role
The combatant commands run differently from any single service: joint staffs, compressed decision cycles when something urgent comes up, and buying authorities built for speed rather than the standard program-of-record path. The company is built for that kind of speed, and already supports mission-critical work inside the Department of War.
You will own the full sales cycle across the unified combatant commands, from opening relationships inside commands through demos, procurement and close. There is no prescribed sub-territory: you start where your relationships are and build a portfolio across commands from there.
Responsibilities
- Own the combatant command sales cycle end to end, from outbound prospecting through demos, proposals, negotiation and close.
- Build strategic account plans and a repeatable approach across the commands.
- Navigate the rapid acquisition pathways used across the COCOMs, including OTAs, urgent operational needs processes and component-command task orders.
- Build direct relationships with staff leadership and the program offices supporting COCOM missions.
- Lead discovery sessions and product demos, often for coalition and multinational stakeholders, without sales engineering support.
- Travel to command headquarters (Tampa, Colorado Springs, Honolulu, Stuttgart and others), conferences and partner-nation engagements.
- Partner with the proposal, capture and design teams on solicitation responses and pricing.
Must-Haves
- Deep experience in or with the combatant commands, whether on a joint staff, as a civilian, or selling into them.
- A record of building accounts from zero and closing complex, multi-stakeholder deals against a quota. Current relationships and what you have personally built count for more than a years-of-experience number.
- Fluency with COCOM procurement requirements, rapid acquisition authorities and buying cycles.
- The appetite to be an individual contributor: prospecting, carrying an ambitious number, and owning the deal from first call to transition into delivery.
- Comfort demoing software on your own, and working fluency with CRM tools like Salesforce.
- U.S. citizenship, given the security and eligibility requirements tied to Department of War contracts.
Nice-to-Haves
- An active U.S. security clearance. TS/SCI preferred.
- Prior experience working in a COCOM.
- Strong existing relationships within a specific combatant command, preferably SOCOM, INDOPACOM or EUCOM.
- Experience in coalition or multinational environments, or with OTA consortia such as NSTXL or Tradewinds.
Not a Fit
- You need a mature, well-worn procurement pathway to move. COCOM buying for a new entrant is still being built, and every command runs a little differently.
- You are not comfortable with long stretches of relationship-building punctuated by short, urgent windows to act.
- You would rather sell into one command you already know than build a portfolio across several.
- Extensive CONUS and OCONUS travel is not something you want.
Represented by Sitreps. The company's name is shared on the first call. Contact wyatt@sitreps.com.
