Customer Success Manager, Public Sector & Defence

Why This Role?

We're seeking an exceptional Customer Success Manager with deep expertise in the Canadian public sector and defence landscape to lead our most strategic government accounts. This role requires an individual who understands both the transformative potential of frontier AI and the unique requirements of government and defence organizations.

You will be the trusted advisor and strategic partner for Canadian federal departments, provincial agencies, Crown corporations, defence organizations, and healthcare systems as they navigate the complex journey of AI adoption. You'll guide organizations through the implementation of frontier AI in secure, highly regulated environments—ensuring solutions deliver a measurable impact while meeting stringent security, privacy, compliance, and ethical requirements.

In this role, you'll collaborate with our Strategic Customer team, Applied ML (AML) Engineering, Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE), Platform, Product, and Go-to-Market teams, serving as the voice of the customer internally and the face of Cohere externally for our most sensitive and high-impact government engagements. You'll have the unique opportunity to shape how Canada's most important institutions leverage AI to serve the public good.

Location: Ottawa (proximity to government customers)
Security Clearance: Active Top Secret clearance is mandatory for this role

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Sales to support expansion opportunities, renewals, and new customer acquisition

• Coordinate with Solutions Architects and Forward Deployed Engineers on technical implementation and optimization

• Work with Legal, Security, and Compliance teams to navigate complex procurement, contracting, and regulatory requirements

• Collaborate with Marketing on thought leadership content, case studies, and public sector community building

What Makes This Role Unique

This is a rare opportunity to shape how Canada's most important institutions leverage AI to serve the public good. You'll work with organizations responsible for national security, healthcare delivery, social services, and democratic institutions—helping them navigate the profound opportunities and responsibilities that come with deploying frontier AI technology.

You'll need to balance competing demands: innovation velocity with government due diligence, technical possibilities with policy constraints, commercial success with public sector values, and breakthrough capabilities with ethical considerations. It requires patience, strategic thinking, in-depth sector knowledge, security awareness, and a genuine passion for achieving public service outcomes.

If you're energized by complex challenges, have deep public sector expertise, understand the gravity of working with classified systems, and want to have an outsized impact on Canada's digital future while working with cutting-edge AI technology, this role is for you.

Required Experience

• 8+ years of experience in customer success, account management, strategic consulting, or technology delivery roles within enterprise or government contexts

• At least 3-5 years working directly with the Canadian government, defence, or healthcare organizations in a technology, digital transformation, or consulting capacity

• Proven track record of managing complex, strategic accounts with multiple stakeholders, long sales cycles, and multi-year implementation timelines

• Experience leading AI/ML, cloud, or enterprise software implementations in secure or highly regulated environments

• Deep understanding of how government organizations evaluate, procure, implement, and govern technology solutions

Nice to Have

• Bilingual (English/French) proficiency—a strong asset for working across the federal government

• 3+ years specifically managing GenAI, LLM, or conversational AI implementations

• Experience with specific Canadian public sector digital transformation initiatives: Canada.ca modernization, healthcare AI projects, Canadian Digital Service programs, or provincial digital government initiatives

• Direct experience working with Canadian defence, intelligence, public safety, or national security organizations

• Professional certifications: CSM, PMP, ITIL, or Canadian government-specific security training

• Experience with government collaboration platforms: GCdocs, GCworkspace, Protected collaboration tools

• Background in management consulting, systems integration, or digital transformation consulting for public sector clients

• Experience with any modern programming language (C++, C#, JavaScript, Python, etc.)

Full-Time Employees at Cohere enjoy these Perks

• A weekly lunch stipend of $75/£75 or equivalent in your local currency for lunch.

• Full health and dental benefits, including a separate budget for mental health.

• RRSP matching, 401K, Pension Scheme.

• 100% Parental Leave top-up for up to 6 months, for either parent.

Annual enrichment benefits

Arts & culture, fitness/wellness, quality time, and a workspace improvement credit.

Education & learning stipend for conferences, courses, and coaching.

• 6 weeks of paid vacation (30 working days!)

• Budget for traveling to other offices if you are remote, plus an annual company offsite.