Enterprise Account Executive - Public Sector

Posted Yesterday
Be an Early Applicant
3 Locations
In-Office or Remote
320K-400K Annually
Senior level
Artificial Intelligence • Cloud • Information Technology • Software • Big Data Analytics
The Role
Sell Kong's API and AI Gateway solutions to U.S. Federal agencies. Manage full sales cycle, build executive relationships, work with partners and internal teams, develop capture strategies, maintain Salesforce pipeline, and represent Kong at government and industry events to drive DoD, IC, and Civilian agency adoption and growth.
Summary Generated by Built In

Are you ready to unlock intelligence?

If you don’t think you meet all of the criteria below but are still interested in the job, please apply. Nobody checks every box - we’re looking for candidates that are particularly strong in a few areas, and have some interest and capabilities in others.

We are seeking an experienced and mission-driven Federal Account Executive to join our growing U.S. Public Sector team. In this role, you will be a key driver of Kong’s Federal growth strategy — responsible for landing new agencies, expanding existing relationships, and helping government customers securely modernize their mission systems with Kong’s API and AI Gateway solutions.


This position is ideal for a sales professional with deep experience in the U.S. Federal market who thrives in complex, dynamic environments and understands the unique challenges of the Department of Defense (DoD), Intelligence Community, and Civilian agencies. You will play a critical role in aligning Kong’s technology with Federal digital modernization, Zero Trust, and multi-cloud initiatives.

At Kong, we offer UNCAPPED COMMISSIONS with MASSIVE UPSIDE, competitive benefits, and equity in a company with huge growth potential.

 

What You’ll Be Doing:

  • Drive Federal expansion: Develop and execute a Federal go-to-market strategy that targets key DoD, IC, and Civilian agencies to drive new revenue and sustainable account growth.

  • Own the full sales cycle: Manage all stages of the sales process — from opportunity identification and outreach through capture, negotiation, and close — while consistently meeting or exceeding Federal revenue targets.

  • Engage with ecosystem partners: Work closely with systems integrators, resellers, and contract vehicle partners to accelerate deal velocity and ensure compliance with Federal acquisition processes.

  • Build trusted relationships: Establish and maintain strong executive and program-level relationships with mission owners, technical leads, and contracting officers across accounts.

  • Collaborate internally: Partner with Product, Federal Solutions Engineering, Customer Success, Marketing, and Legal to deliver seamless customer experiences and ensure alignment to mission needs.

  • Strategic account planning: Research target agencies, identify mission priorities and funding streams, and build comprehensive capture strategies that position Kong as a modernization partner.

  • Pipeline management: Maintain disciplined pipeline development and forecasting in Salesforce, providing accurate visibility to leadership.

  • Stay informed on policy and technology: Track Federal IT initiatives to align Kong’s value proposition with agency priorities.

  • Represent Kong Federal: Act as a brand ambassador at industry and government events to expand awareness and foster new relationships.

     

What You’ll Bring:

  • 7+ years of enterprise sales experience within the U.S. Federal market (DoD, IC, or Civilian), with a track record of exceeding targets and closing complex, multi-stakeholder software or cloud deals.

  • Proficiency in Federal acquisition and procurement processes, including experience with IDIQs, GWACs, OTAs, and partner-led contract vehicles.

  • Strong consultative sales skills, with the ability to understand mission challenges and map Kong’s solutions to deliver measurable outcomes.

  • Experience selling to senior executives, including CIOs, CTOs, and Program Managers, with an ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments.

  • Excellent communication and negotiation skills, capable of managing high-value opportunities and fostering long-term customer trust.

  • Experience working with CRM tools (Salesforce preferred) for pipeline development and forecasting.

  • Knowledge of open source, API, infrastructure, or cybersecurity technologies is highly advantageous.

 

Self-starter with a Federal growth mindset, able to operate independently while collaborating across teams to drive success.

 

#LI-BT1

About Kong:

Kong Inc., a leading developer of API and AI connectivity technologies, is building the infrastructure that powers the agentic era. Trusted by the Fortune 500 and startups alike, Kong's unified API and AI platform, Kong Konnect, enables organizations to secure, manage, accelerate, govern, and monetize the flow of intelligence across APIs and AI models. For more information, visit www.konghq.com.

Skills Required

  • 7+ years of enterprise sales experience within the U.S. Federal market (DoD, IC, or Civilian).
  • Proficiency in Federal acquisition and procurement processes including IDIQs, GWACs, OTAs, and partner-led contract vehicles.
  • Strong consultative sales skills with ability to map solutions to mission outcomes.
  • Experience selling to senior executives (CIOs, CTOs, Program Managers) and navigating complex stakeholder environments.
  • Excellent communication and negotiation skills for managing high-value opportunities.
  • Experience working with CRM tools (Salesforce preferred).
  • Knowledge of open source, API, infrastructure, or cybersecurity technologies.
  • Self-starter with the ability to operate independently and collaborate across teams to drive Federal growth.

Kong Compensation & Benefits Highlights

The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Kong and has not been reviewed or approved by Kong.

  • Fair & Transparent Compensation Pay is considered competitive for many roles, particularly in senior and technical positions, with bonuses and overtime enhancing earnings for some. Compensation is generally described as strong across a range of functions.
  • Leave & Time Off Breadth Policies such as flexible time off, company Unplug Days, U‑First Fridays, and a paid sabbatical create multiple avenues for rest and personal development. These offerings support work‑life balance for a distributed workforce.
  • Equity Value & Accessibility Stock options and an employee stock purchase plan enable broad participation in company equity. Equity is positioned as a meaningful component of total rewards alongside cash compensation.

Kong Insights

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The Company
HQ: San Francisco, CA
800 Employees
Year Founded: 2017

What We Do

Kong Inc., a leading developer of cloud API technologies, is on a mission to enable companies around the world to become “API-first” and securely accelerate AI adoption. Kong helps organizations globally — from startups to Fortune 500 enterprises — unleash developer productivity, build securely and accelerate time to market.

Why Work With Us

It starts with how we show up for each other. We’ve created a workplace that’s intentionally flexible, deeply inclusive, and built for meaningful collaboration — whether virtual or in person. We trust our teams to own their work, and we give them the support, tools, and freedom to grow.

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