[Hiring] Growth Lead @Thread AI

Role Description

You will develop an Air Force portfolio for Lemma, Thread AI’s AI workflow orchestration platform. Your focus will be mission planning and enterprise AI workflows where teams need to connect existing data and software to make operational decisions.

• You will own a focused portfolio within the Air Force, with the initial accounts and mission areas agreed with Thread’s federal leadership before you start.
• You will develop adjacent opportunities as you identify where Lemma can help.
• You will carry a bookings target for your portfolio. This is an individual contributor role: you own daily pursuits through award, coordinating technical and commercial contributors.
• Contract delivery owns execution after award; you retain the commercial relationship and expansion responsibility.
• Develop Air Force sponsors and buyers around a defined software use case. Connect an operational or research evaluation to the organization that can fund ongoing use.
• Build pipeline from a focused account list. Qualify the need, funding, buying path and next customer decision.
• Shape opportunities early, choose acquisition and teaming paths, and connect evaluations to follow-on buyers and budgets.
• Own capture plans and proposals. Write the commercial case and coordinate technical, pricing and legal contributions.
• Lead discovery and initial Lemma demonstrations. Plan deeper evaluations with technical support and agree on success criteria and delivery capacity.
• Lead negotiations and close funded awards within your delegated authority. Develop expansion opportunities from evidence of customer results.
• Maintain an accurate forecast and hand delivery a clear record of scope, assumptions and customer commitments.

Qualifications

• Five or more years owning growth, business development or sales to US defense customers, with responsibility for a revenue target.
• Funded software or technology awards you personally helped originate and win.
• Deep knowledge and current customer relationships within at least one relevant part of the Air Force.
• Working knowledge of Air Force software acquisition and budgeting.
• Evidence that you built pipeline and independently led pursuits through capture, proposals and award.
• Clear writing and product judgment.
• Relevant backgrounds include defense-software Growth or BD and strategic federal sales.
• Military, government and technical program experience is welcome alongside the commercial experience above.
• Previous people management is not required.

Requirements

• Experience winning awards through an OTA, CSO, SBIR Phase II or III, or BAA.
• Air Force operational, intelligence, enterprise IT or acquisition experience paired with commercial software wins.
• Experience selling AI/data, cyber, mission systems or readiness software to Air Force customers.
• Experience as an early seller at a software startup, building a territory before a mature sales process existed.
• A record of moving a prototype or research effort into funded operational use and expanding into adjacent accounts.

Benefits

• The annual base pay range is $180,000-$250,000.
• Total on-target earnings are $280,000-$400,000, including base and variable pay, plus equity.
• An active U.S. Secret security clearance or higher is preferred, but not required.
• Applicant must be a U.S. citizen or national or U.S. lawful, permanent resident.
• This is a full-time, remote position based in the United States. Washington, DC area preferred.
• Travel: Up to 50%.