Vice President of Defense Sales

About the Role

We are seeking a highly accomplished Vice President of Defense Sales to lead new business growth across the U.S. Department of Defense. This role is responsible for driving top‑line revenue by identifying, shaping, and closing mission‑critical opportunities for software, data, and advanced analytics products.

The Vice President will engage directly with senior defense stakeholders, navigate complex procurement pathways, and build presence across key DoD accounts. This is an executive‑level individual contributor role requiring exceptional industry insight, strategic leadership, and a proven record of success in enterprise SaaS sales within the national security community.

• Lead full‑cycle enterprise sales efforts from prospecting and opportunity identification through discovery, customization, white paper development, pricing, contracting, and close.

• Personally source, qualify, and advance new DoD opportunities across priority accounts and mission areas.

• Manage multiple, simultaneous complex sales cycles involving cross‑functional defense, technical, operational, and executive stakeholders.

• Develop and maintain strategic account plans for targeted national security and defense organizations, including PEOs, PMOs, Commands, and headquarters elements.

• Present tailored value propositions and demonstrate Govini’s analytics, SaaS, and AI capabilities to senior government decision‑makers.

• Drive Govini’s visibility across the Federal and DoD landscape through executive‑level engagements, industry events, and targeted relationship development.

• Collaborate with internal product, engineering, and delivery teams to ensure alignment on customer requirements and successful implementation outcomes.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to DoD leaders, articulating mission value, operational impact, and technology differentiation.

• 3+ years of direct experience selling SaaS, data analytics, AI, or similar technologies into the U.S. Department of Defense.

• Demonstrated success owning and closing full‑cycle enterprise deals with DoD customers.

• At least one net‑new DoD SaaS deal ≥ $2M TCV closed within the past years (required).

• Experience at a DoD‑focused SaaS, analytics, or AI organization (e.g., C3 AI, Anduril, Primer, Rebellion Defense, Decision Lens, Shift5, Palantir).

• Proven track record of meeting and exceeding individual quota in a hunter‑focused role.

• Demonstr ability to penetrate greenfield accounts and build relationships from the ground up.

• Active security clearance, or clearly demonstrable eligibility for reinstatement.

• Bachelor’s degree from a Top 40 university; advanced degree (Master’s/MBA) preferred.

• Ability and willingness to work on‑site in Arlington when not traveling for client engagements.

• Former U.S. military service, ideally in acquisition, operations, logistics, maintenance, or related mission areas.

• Familiarity with DoD procurement pathways such as OTAs, FAR‑based contracts, SBIR/STTR programs, and enterprise software acquisition processes.

• Experience working with or selling into PEOs, PMOs, Services, Combatant Commands, and Joint organizations.

• Backgrounds focused primarily on IT services, cloud implementation, infrastructure, or systems integration.

• Channel‑ or partner‑led sales experience without a strong direct selling component.

• Exclusive Fed/Civilian public sector sales experience with no DoD exposure.

• Candidates who have not carried a personal quota or cannot demonstrate quota attainment.