Strategic Account Manager, U.S. Federal

Spire

• $90K — $130K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 8+ years of experience in account management or related customer-facing roles with U.S. Federal Government customers.
  • Proven track record managing strategic relationships in defense and intelligence sectors.
  • Understanding of federal acquisition, contracting vehicles, and procurement practices.
  • Experience with complex customer engagements in technical services and analytics.
  • Ability to work effectively in both classified and unclassified settings.
  • Familiarity with sectors like satellite, geospatial, and national security technology.
  • Experience identifying account growth and upsell opportunities within government programs.

Responsibilities

  • Serve as primary relationship owner for federal government and defense accounts.
  • Build trusted relationships with program managers and senior stakeholders.
  • Understand customer objectives, funding, and program roadmaps.
  • Represent Spire in customer engagement and executive discussions.
  • Develop strategic account plans to drive customer retention and growth.
  • Oversee the commercial health of contracts throughout the customer lifecycle.
  • Identify opportunities for expanding customer adoption of Spire's solutions.

Benefits

  • Generous Time Off Policy
  • Education Assistance Program
  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
  • Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP)
  • Family Leave
  • Fitness Reimbursement
  • Employee Referral Program
  • Healthy snacks & beverages in every office
Full Job Description
We are seeking a Strategic Account Manager to manage and grow some of Spire's most important U.S. Federal Government and defense customer relationships.

This is a senior customer-facing role responsible for the post-award commercial success of key federal accounts. The Strategic Account Manager serves as the primary commercial relationship owner throughout the life of a contract, overseeing customer engagement, contract administration, financial performance, renewals, and account growth activities.

The role spans Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, civilian agency, and defense contractor customers and requires a professional who can build trusted relationships across program offices, acquisition organizations, and mission stakeholders while ensuring Spire delivers a strong customer experience.

The Strategic Account Manager works in close partnership with Delivery Project Managers and engineering teams responsible for technical execution and program delivery. While delivery teams own execution, the Strategic Account Manager owns the commercial relationship, customer engagement strategy, and overall health of the account.

Scope of Responsibility:

Strategic Account Management
  • Serve as the primary commercial relationship owner for an assigned portfolio of U.S. Federal Government, defense, intelligence, and prime contractor accounts.
  • Develop trusted relationships with program managers, contracting officers, CORs, acquisition professionals, and senior mission stakeholders.
  • Maintain deep understanding of customer priorities, mission objectives, funding environments, and program roadmaps.
  • Represent Spire in customer engagements, program reviews, technical exchanges, and executive-level discussions across classified and unclassified environments.
  • Develop and maintain strategic account plans that support customer success, retention, and long-term growth.

Contract & Commercial Management
  • Own the commercial health and performance of assigned contracts throughout the customer lifecycle.
  • Partner with Finance, Contracts, and Program teams to support invoicing, payment milestones, contract modifications, option exercises, and scope changes.
  • Monitor contractual obligations, identify potential risks, and proactively drive resolution to protect customer relationships and program outcomes.
  • Support renewal and recompete strategies by coordinating early engagement and long-term account planning activities.

Customer Growth & Expansion
  • Identify opportunities to expand customer adoption of Spire's data, analytics, and space-based solutions.
  • Develop account growth strategies that align customer mission requirements with Spire capabilities.
  • Collaborate with Business Development and Federal Sales teams to support expansion opportunities within existing accounts.
  • Contribute customer insights, stakeholder intelligence, and strategic guidance during pursuit and proposal activities.

Cross-Functional Leadership
  • Partner closely with Delivery Project Managers, engineering teams, and technical stakeholders to maintain visibility into program status and customer priorities.
  • Advocate for customer needs internally and ensure customer expectations are understood across delivery teams.
  • Coordinate customer communications and engagement strategies throughout the program lifecycle.
  • Escalate commercial or relationship risks when necessary and help drive successful resolution.


Qualifications:

Required
  • 8+ years of experience in account management, program management, customer success, business development, or related customer-facing roles supporting U.S. Federal Government customers.
  • Demonstrated experience managing strategic customer relationships in defense, intelligence, civilian agency, or government technology environments.
  • Working knowledge of federal acquisition processes, contracting vehicles, FAR/DFARS, and government procurement practices.
  • Experience managing complex customer engagements involving technical services, software, data, analytics, or mission-focused solutions.
  • Ability to operate effectively across both classified and unclassified customer environments.
  • Familiarity with satellite, space, geospatial, GEOINT, weather, maritime, aviation, or related national security technology sectors.
  • Experience identifying and closing account expansion, renewal, or upsell opportunities within government programs.
  • Experience working with both government customers and federal systems integrators.

Who Tends to Succeed in This Role

Successful candidates are relationship-driven professionals who combine strong customer engagement skills with commercial discipline and strategic thinking. They are comfortable navigating complex government organizations, managing multiple stakeholders, and balancing customer advocacy with business objectives.

They thrive in collaborative environments, build credibility quickly, and excel at developing long-term partnerships that create value for both customers and the business.

Logistics:
  • Location: Tysons Corner, Virginia
  • Travel: Travel as required for customer meetings, program reviews, classified engagements, industry events, and partner activities.
  • Clearance: Active Secret clearance required. Top Secret or TS/SCI clearance strongly preferred. Candidates must be U.S. citizens and able to maintain clearance eligibility throughout employment.
  • Spire operates a hybrid work model, and this position will require you to work a minimum of three days per week in the office.
  • Access to US export-controlled software and/or technology may be required for this role. If needed, Spire will arrange the necessary licenses-this is not something candidates need to have before applying.

#LI-RK1

Global Perks

🛰 Name Your Satellite Program (NYSP)
Launch Attendance
Generous Time Off Policy
Education Assistance Program
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP)
👣 Family Leave
Fitness Reimbursement
♥ Employee Referral Program
Healthy snacks & beverages in every office

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