Account Executive, Navy

Scale is building AI for the world's most important decisions. From the front lines of national defense to the core of global enterprise, we provide the data engine and agentic infrastructure that powers the next generation of American and allied interests.

The Role

As an Account Executive (AE) supporting the Navy, you will bridge the gap between cutting-edge AI research and mission-critical production in the Navy domain. You will lead the charge in deploying agentic AI, meaning autonomous, reasoning systems, into operational workflows.

We are looking for an executive account leader who understands that winning at the Navy is not about a successful six-month prototype. It is about getting into program budgets. Scale already has proven programs across the Department of War (DoW) and in Navy-adjacent work. Your mandate is to take what works, bring it to your buying centers, and convert it into funded, multi-year Navy business.

This is an individual contributor role with heavy leadership expectations. You are the CEO of your territory: one accountable owner for the customer and the commercial result.

Responsibilities

• Own the territory and the number. Carry and exceed an annual bookings target tied to your territory. You own the full lifecycle: identifying opportunity, shaping requirements, converting to a funded award, and expanding. You build and maintain a qualified pipeline of at least 3x your target.
• Replicate what is proven. Bring proven Scale offers to new Navy buying centers instead of starting custom pilots. You qualify hard: we pursue work that expands or connects an existing program, or that has a clear funding path.
• Turn proof into programs. Secure executive sponsorship and programmed funding (POM, program-office, and production vehicles) so prototypes survive the valley of death and become deployed capability.
• Tactical execution. You don't just delegate. You personally draft white papers and OTA responses, lead complex proposal development, architect deal structures, and navigate the nuances of defense acquisition.
• Renewal, expansion, and growth. Own the long-term account strategy across the Navy. Defend renewals, maintain executive relationships, identify the next use case, and secure follow-on funding that turns a single deployment into an enterprise standard.
• Partner with delivery. Delivery owns execution; you own the commercial relationship. You stay close to mission outcomes and customer health, and you surface risk early, working with Engagement Managers, Technical PMs, Engineers, Product, and Customer Success.
• Direct agentic solutioning. Work with your Solutions Engineer and operators to co-design agentic AI workflows. You translate a warfighter's mission problem into a specific technical requirement our engineers can build against.
• SI and prime orchestration. With Scale's Partner Managers, negotiate with Tier 1 systems integrators and primes so Scale is the agentic AI engine inside their larger programs. You are the lead negotiator on subcontracting and teaming agreements.
• Team selling. Work with Capture, who shape demand ahead of you, and with peer AEs in adjacent territories. You deconflict before engaging an account a peer owns.

Requirements

• Experience: 7+ years across Navy operations, government acquisitions, complex enterprise IT sales, or defense business development. Time in uniform or as a government civilian in the Navy counts heavily.
• Proven track record: You have closed and implemented multi-year deals and know how to get a line item into the budget.
• Domain expertise: Deep understanding of the Navy's modernization priorities and where AI/ML, computer vision, and autonomy apply.
• Valley of Death navigator: Demonstrated ability to move technology from "cool demo" to "deployed capability" inside a major PEO or program office.
• Strategic network: Existing relationships across Fleets, OPNAV, PAEs and PEOs, NAVWAR, and MCSC plus relationships at the major primes and integrators.
• Clearance: Active TS/SCI is strongly desired; active Secret at a minimum.
• Education: BS/BA required; technical degree or MBA preferred.
• Geography: Washington, DC or San Diego, CA, with the ability to work on-site or with the customer three days a week.
• Travel: Ability to travel at least 30% of the time.

Who You Are

• Mission-driven: You believe whoever wins in AI wins the next century, and you want that to be the United States and its allies.
• Relentless: You thrive in the long game of defense procurement. Bureaucracy doesn't discourage you; you see it as a puzzle to be solved.
• Adaptive: You can operate in the high-velocity environment of a fast-growing company while keeping the polish required in front of a general officer.
• The closer-operator: You have the executive presence to brief a PEO and the stamina to spend 10 hours in a SCIF on a proposal response.
• Radically accountable: You don't wait for a marketing lead or a BD specialist to hand you a deal. You build your own funnel, navigate the "no's," and find the creative path to "yes."
• Technically credible: You aren't a software engineer, but you can explain the difference between RAG and agentic reasoning to a skeptical technical evaluator.