Commercial Lead

About the Role A fast-moving, pre-seed robotics company building advanced multi-mission ground robots for hazardous and demanding environments — spanning emergency response, industrial operations, and defense — is hiring its first Commercial Lead . This is a foundational go-to-market hire based in Austin, TX (on-site). You'll work directly alongside the CEO to accelerate founder-led sales, own strategic partnerships and pilots, and shape how the company scales across private industry, municipal agencies, and defense. As the company grows, so will your autonomy and scope. What You'll Do Co-own top- and mid-funnel sales motions with the CEO across industrial, municipal, and defense customer segments. Lead discovery, outreach, and field demos with customers including municipal fire & police departments, industrial operators, and defense integrators. Manage early accounts through pilots, deployments, and renewals; convert early wins into multi-site, multi-year agreements. Track all touchpoints, follow-ups, and stakeholder progress in CRM (HubSpot/Notion); build and enrich lead pipelines using tools like Clay, Hunter, and Apollo. Build and manage relationships with distribution partners, municipal agencies, and defense integrators. Conduct market research and customer discovery; develop tailored value propositions based on buyer priorities and technical fit. Identify champions, influencers, and decision-makers within target organizations. Write proposals for RFPs, RFIs, and government grants; engage program managers and end-users to identify needs and inform product direction. Improve GTM workflows: CRM structure, sales playbooks, partner documentation, and pricing models. Collaborate cross-functionally with engineering, product, and ops to translate customer feedback into product priorities. Coordinate logistics for trade shows, pilots, and demo events. Contribute to product-market fit iterations and segment prioritization alongside the CEO. What We're Looking For Required: 5+ years of B2B enterprise sales experience driving go-to-market for complex solutions in robotics, defense, or industrial sectors. Proven track record selling to private industry, municipal agencies, and/or defense programs; comfortable managing long, multi-pilot sales cycles. Experience using HubSpot and Notion to manage CRM touchpoints, standardize workflows, and track stakeholder progress. Experience writing proposals for RFPs, RFIs, and government grants. Experience engaging with program managers and end-users in government/defense sectors to surface needs and shape solutions. Ability to build, manage, and scale partnerships and channel programs (alliances, integrators, strategic partners). Proven ability to build long-term, multi-site, multi-year customer relationships and close multi-stakeholder deals. Strong cross-functional collaboration skills; comfortable translating customer needs into product priorities alongside engineering and product teams. Nice to Have: Familiarity with Salesforce or similar enterprise CRM platforms. Experience with lead enrichment tools such as Clay, Apollo, or Hunter. Background in or exposure to advanced manufacturing, AI/ML-enabled hardware, or unmanned systems. Compensation & Benefits Salary: $90,000 – $140,000 USD per year Visa sponsorship is available for this role. Location This role is on-site in Austin, TX . Candidates should be based in or willing to relocate to the Austin area.