Senior Account Manager

Summary

Join Sofar Ocean Technologies as a Navy Senior Account Manager and spearhead the company's growth within the U.S. Navy market. You will be responsible for developing and executing strategic sales plans to acquire new accounts and expand existing ones. This role involves building strong relationships with Navy personnel, decision-makers, and contractors. You will manage the entire sales process, from prospecting to contract implementation, while deeply understanding customer needs and positioning Sofar's unique value proposition. Collaboration with internal teams is crucial to align solutions with market demands. The ideal candidate possesses extensive experience working with the U.S. Navy, understands its organizational structure and mission, and is adept at navigating complex sales cycles.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience working with the U.S. Navy or U.S. DoD
• Savvy in navigating government bureaucracy and in connecting the dots between user, program manager, and funder
• Strong understanding of the U.S. DoD market and its unique challenges and opportunities, including understanding the federal contracting process and timelines
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills
• Self-starter with the ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment, including self-managing a balance between strategic capture and short-term, fast-paced sales cycles
• Curiosity and passion for understanding marine technologies and identifying customer gaps where technologies can be applied
• Willingness to travel as needed to meet customers and attend events
• U.S. Citizen with active SECRET clearance

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a strategic sales plan to: (1) Land new accounts (go to market); (2) grow existing accounts; and (3) partner with prime contractors on larger solutions
• Build and maintain relationships with Navy and DoD users, decision makers, and contracting officers, as well as partners, prime contractors, policymakers, and influencers
• Build and maintain a sales pipeline using a combination of domain expertise, networking, and relentless persistence. Balance short term transactional sales and longer-term strategic contracting opportunities
• Lead the end-to-end sales process, including prospecting, qualification, proposal development (if necessary), negotiation, contract closure, and contract implementation
• Understand customer needs deeply, including developing customer profiles, and position the Spotter’s unique value proposition effectively
• Collaborate with internal teams (Gov BD team, product, marketing, engineering) to align solutions with market demand and customer requirements. Provide market insights and feedback to inform product and go-to-market strategies. Assess competitors. Collaborate on proposal and presentation development and submission

Preferred Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance
• 5+ years of experience in federal hardware or solution sales, preferably in maritime/environmental tech, with demonstrated experience breaking into greenfield accounts
• Located in Norfolk, VA, San Diego, CA, or Honolulu, HI