Federal Growth Lead, Navy

Government technology has failed citizens, public servants, and service members for decades.

Kaizen powers America’s application layer. We replace the legacy systems federal agencies run on with modern software, built with craft. The ticketing platform a resident uses to visit a presidential library. The marketplace DoW uses for counter-drone procurement to protect lives and critical infrastructure. The system a Veteran uses to access benefits. We build systems of record, of national consequence. Our AI-native modules and harness allow us to do so in weeks and months, not years.

This year, our revenue has grown 35x. Next year, our software will serve over 100 million Americans across dozens of federal agencies.

Founded in 2022 and based in New York City and DC, Kaizen has raised $35 million from NEA, a16z, Accel, 776, and Carpenter Capital.

Washington, DC area preferred. Hybrid, with frequent travel to Navy program offices, systems commands, fleet installations, and industry events. Expect 30 to 40% travel, higher during peak seasons.

The Department of the Navy is one of the largest buyers in Kaizen's addressable market, and today nobody at Kaizen owns it. This person will own the full Navy sales cycle and build a repeatable motion across systems commands, program executive offices, and fleet and installation customers, rather than chasing a single flagship win. The work means going deep on Navy buying cycles, finding pathways to enterprise programs at organizations like PEO Digital and NAVWAR, and earning trust with program offices and contracting officers who have been burned by legacy vendors before.

It also means building from zero: there is no existing book of business to inherit, so you will create the multi-year account strategy and then execute it. We need someone who already speaks Navy fluently, not someone learning federal procurement for the first time.

• Own the full Navy sales cycle end to end, from outbound prospecting through demos, proposals, negotiation, and close, against a quota

• Build and execute Kaizen's Navy account strategy, creating a repeatable approach across systems commands, PEOs, and fleet and installation customers

• Navigate Navy procurement pathways, including Navy SBIR/STTR, OTAs, CSOs, GSA MAS, IDIQs, BPAs, and installation-level task orders

• Build direct relationships with program offices such as PEO Digital, NAVWAR, NAVSEA, and NAVAIR, along with fleet leadership and contracting officers

• Lead discovery sessions and product demos tailored to Navy workflows, without SE support

• Partner with Proposals and Design on solicitation responses for Navy opportunities, including positioning, requirements mapping, and project management

• Represent Kaizen at Navy industry days and conferences, and put modern software in front of the Sailors, civilians, and families who keep the fleet running

• 10+ years of experience working in or with the Department of the Navy, including time in a quota-carrying role building a Navy book of business from zero

• A full-cycle enterprise sales track record, including closing complex, multi-stakeholder deals

• A history of carrying a large quota and actually closing against it

• Fluency in Navy procurement vehicles and buying cycles, including SBIR/STTR and OTA pathways

• Comfort demoing software on your own, and proficiency with tools like Salesforce, Outreach, Gong, Linked In, and Zoom Info

• U.S. citizenship, given the security and eligibility requirements tied to Department of War contracts

• Currently hold a US security clearance, Secret or higher.

• Have existing relationships within PEO Digital, NAVWAR, NAVSEA, NAVAIR, NavalX, or ONR

• Have sold base services, quality-of-life, or enterprise…