Strategic Account Executive (Federal)

Company Overview Deepgram is the leading platform underpinning the emerging trillion-dollar Voice AI economy, providing real-time APIs for speech-to-text (STT), text-to-speech (TTS), and building production-grade voice agents at scale. More than 200,000 developers and 1,300+ organizations build voice offerings that are ‘Powered by Deepgram’, including Twilio, Cloudflare, Sierra, Decagon, Vapi, Daily, Cresta, Granola, and Jack in the Box. Deepgram’s voice-native foundation models are accessed through cloud APIs or as self-hosted and on-premises software, with unmatched accuracy, low latency, and cost efficiency. Backed by a recent Series C led by leading global investors and strategic partners, Deepgram has processed over 50,000 years of audio and transcribed more than 1 trillion words. There is no organization in the world that understands voice better than Deepgram. Company Operating Rhythm At Deepgram, we expect an AI-first mindset—AI use and comfort aren’t optional, they’re core to how we operate, innovate, and measure performance. Every team member who works at Deepgram is expected to actively use and experiment with advanced AI tools, and even build your own into your everyday work. We measure how effectively AI is applied to deliver results, and consistent, creative use of the latest AI capabilities is key to success here. Candidates should be comfortable adopting new models and modes quickly, integrating AI into their workflows, and continuously pushing the boundaries of what these technologies can do. Additionally, we move at the pace of AI. Change is rapid, and you can expect your day-to-day work to evolve just as quickly. This may not be the right role if you’re not excited to experiment, adapt, think on your feet, and learn constantly, or if you’re seeking something highly prescriptive with a traditional 9-to-5. Deepgram is the Voice AI platform powering the next generation of government contact centers, benefits and case processing, and real-time speech applications. Federal Civilian agencies — VA, HHS, DHS, SSA, USDA, Treasury, DOJ, GSA, CBP, USCIS, FEMA, TSA, IRS, CMS, and FDA — represent for Deepgram what enterprise Global 2000 accounts represent commercially: the core buying constituency for mission-critical voice AI. We are hiring a Strategic Account Executive, Federal Civilian Agencies to build, grow, and scale Deepgram's civilian agency book of business from the ground up. This is a builder role, directly reporting to the VP of Federal. You will own the strategy and execution for named civilian agency accounts, and you will define what a world-class AI-native federal seller looks like at Deepgram. You will design and drive direct, partner-assisted, and channel-enabled motions, land Deepgram inside real mission programs, and deliver measurable pipeline and closed revenue. You will not run a traditional territory. You will run an AI-first approach: leveraging agents, automation, and data to operate like a seller with a research and BD team behind you. If you are a seller who thrives on whitespace, has a proven record building federal civilian relationships from zero, and genuinely wants to use AI to reinvent how federal selling is done, this role is for you. What you'll do Own the Federal Civilian go-to-market strategy. Build and execute a named-account strategy for target agencies; including agency mission mapping, account plans, and stakeholder engagement across program, technical, and contracting stakeholders. Drive direct, partner-assisted, and channel-enabled motions: Direct: Prospect, qualify, and close opportunities directly with agency program offices and mission owners. Partner-assisted: Co-sell with Deepgram's Federal Partnerships team and named SIs/primes already embedded in an agency's delivery contract. Channel-enabled: Route and manage deals through GSA Schedule resellers to meet agency purchasing requirements. Build a measurable, quota-carrying pipeline. Meet quarterly and annual targets, instrument the pipeline end-to-end in CRM, and own the number. Navigate government contracting mechanics — RFIs, RFPs, sole-source/J&A justifications, GSA Schedule ordering — as a normal part of the sales motion, not an afterthought. Build the win strategy for each opportunity. Work with Sales and Applied Engineering to develop compliant, compelling responses to competitive and sole-source opportunities. Be AI-native in how you work. This is a defining part of the role. Examples: Agents that monitor agency budget, RFP, and award signals ( SAM.gov , USASpending, agency IT modernization roadmaps) and auto-draft account briefs. Automated pipeline hygiene and next-best-action recommendations tied to CRM. AI-generated, agency-specific outreach and proposal content. Data pipelines that join CRM with public procurement data to surface the next opportunity before an RFP drops. Represent Deepgram externally at civilian-agency industry days, conferences (ACT-IAC, AFCEA, GITEC), and customer events. Carry a consistent point of view on where federal voice AI adoption is heading. Partner cross-functionally inside Deepgram. Work closely with Federal Partnerships, Applied Engineering and Legal to remove friction and accelerate civilian-agency revenue. Report on what matters. Own your pipeline dashboard: sourced pipeline, partner-influenced pipeline, closed/won revenue, and forecast accuracy; with crisp, honest narratives each month and quarter. What you bring Must be a U.S. citizen. 5+ years of full-cycle sales experience, with at least 3 years directly selling to Federal Civilian agencies (enterprise SaaS/technology sales strongly preferred). Demonstrated track record of meeting or exceeding quota in complex, multi-stakeholder federal sales cycles. Experience building a federal territory or book of business from early-stage or zero — not inheriting a mature book. Strong command of how civilian agencies buy: program offices, contracting officers, GSA Schedule ordering, BPAs/IDIQs, and how deals actually get funded and staffed. Fluency with the broader federal AI/modernization landscape; EO 14058 customer experience mandates FedRAMP, agentic AI, and CCaaS/contact-center ecosystems. Hands-on AI-native operator. You use AI tools daily, have built automations or workflows that replaced meaningful manual effort, and can show us. Excellent executive presence and comfortable engaging senior government stakeholders and Deepgram's own leadership. Analytical rigor. You instrument your pipeline, tell the truth with data, and translate numbers into decisions. Self-directed, high-ownership, and comfortable operating in a fast-moving, ambiguous environment. It would be great if you also had An active security clearance is a bonus, not a requirement — helpful for select civilian agency components with sensitive programs, though the large majority of Federal Civilian work does not require one. Existing relationships with stakeholders inside at least two target civilian agencies, and/or the reseller ecosystem. Direct experience closing a novel or first-of-kind deal at a civilian agency. Background selling speech/voice AI, contact-center, or developer-first API products. Familiarity with sales methodologies such as Shipley or Solution Selling in government contexts. Experience building internal AI tooling for a sales or revenue workflow.