VP Public Sector at 1Kosmos – Lead Federal IAM Sales in Columbus
Career & Market Insight
This VP, Public Sector role at 1Kosmos represents a high-upside, high-accountability position at a Series B cybersecurity startup. It's a true "builder" role — you're not inheriting a mature team but constructing the entire public sector sales function from scratch, which is both a career accelerator and a significant execution risk.
Compensation context: While no salary is disclosed, VP of Sales roles in cybersecurity startups at Series B stage typically range from $200K–$300K+ OTE (base + commission), with meaningful equity. The government cybersecurity market is red-hot, and IAM/passwordless specialists command premium compensation. Equity in a growth-stage company like 1Kosmos could be very valuable if the company reaches Series C or beyond.
Skills developed:
- Federal go-to-market strategy and government procurement expertise (FAR, contracting vehicles)
- Executive-level sales leadership and team building
- IAM/identity verification — one of the fastest-growing cybersecurity subsectors
- Channel and systems integrator partnership management
Green flags: Reporting directly to the CRO gives strong executive visibility. The passwordless/identity space has strong tailwinds from federal mandates (Executive Order 14028, Zero Trust). Series B suggests proven product-market fit with growth runway.
Red flags: Expect a demanding pace typical of startups. The dual mandate of building a team and personally closing deals is high-pressure. Success metrics are ambitious and immediately tied to revenue.
1Kosmos is driving the future of identity security, empowering organizations to eliminate passwords and establish trust throughout the identity lifecycle. Our advanced identity verification and authentication solutions are trusted by leading organizations worldwide. Join us as we create a passwordless world and redefine digital identity assurance.
Your Title: Vice President, Public Sector
Your Location: Washington, DC Area — Remote
You Report to: Chief Revenue Officer
As we continue to scale, we are seeking an exceptional VP, Public Sector to build and lead our US public sector sales organization.
The Opportunity
The VP, Public Sector will lead 1Kosmos' growth across Federal Defense, Federal Civilian, and broader public sector markets.
This is a hands-on leadership role combining responsibility for building and managing a high-performing sales organization with direct ownership of strategic public sector accounts. The successful candidate will recruit and develop a team, establish a scalable go-to-market strategy, build executive relationships, generate pipeline, and personally lead and close strategic opportunities.
We are looking for a proven sales leader with deep government market experience, a track record of delivering revenue growth, and the ability to build an organization while remaining actively engaged in winning business.
What You'll Do:
Build and Lead the Sales Organization
- Recruit, develop, and lead a high-performing team of public sector enterprise sales professionals.
- Establish territories, account coverage, performance expectations, and sales processes to drive predictable growth.
- Build a culture of accountability, collaboration, and execution while coaching and developing sales talent.
Drive Revenue and Execute Go-to-Market Strategy
- Own public sector revenue performance, including team bookings and personally generated and closed business.
- Maintain direct responsibility for a portfolio of strategic accounts, personally developing relationships, building pipeline, and leading complex sales opportunities through close.
- Develop and execute a public sector go-to-market strategy targeting priority Federal Defense, Federal Civilian, and government organizations.
- Leverage 1Kosmos' security authorizations, certifications, and compliance credentials to differentiate our solutions and accelerate adoption.
- Establish and expand strategic relationships with government decision-makers, systems integrators, resellers, and channel partners.
- Drive disciplined pipeline management, forecasting, account planning, and sales execution across the organization.
Provide Market and Strategic Leadership
- Serve as the executive voice for public sector market dynamics, competitive positioning, and growth opportunities.
- Partner with marketing, product, solutions engineering, and executive leadership to align resources and investments with government market requirements.
- Represent 1Kosmos with key customers, partners, and industry organizations.
What You Bring:
- 10+ years of progressive sales leadership experience in public sector technology or cybersecurity markets.
- Proven success building and leading Federal sales teams while personally selling and closing complex enterprise deals.
- Established relationships and credibility within Federal Defense and/or Federal Civilian markets.
- Experience selling cybersecurity, identity and access management (IAM), identity verification, authentication, or related enterprise technologies.
- Deep understanding of government procurement processes, contracting vehicles, and the government systems integrator and channel ecosystem.
- Demonstrated ability to develop and execute successful direct and partner-led go-to-market strategies.
- Strong recruiting, coaching, forecasting, and sales execution capabilities.
- Entrepreneurial mindset, executive presence, and a highly accountable, results-oriented approach.
What Success Looks Like:
- Build a high-performing public sector sales organization with the talent and structure to scale.
- Establish a repeatable go-to-market strategy and strong pipeline coverage across Federal Defense and Civilian markets.
- Personally develop strategic accounts, generate new business, and consistently achieve individual sales objectives.
- Build meaningful relationships with government agencies and strategic channel partners.
- Consistently achieve and exceed overall public sector revenue and bookings targets.
Why Join 1Kosmos?
Join a growing cybersecurity company at an exciting stage of its evolution. This is an opportunity to build an organization, influence corporate strategy, establish a meaningful market presence, and directly contribute to solving some of the most important identity security challenges facing government and enterprise organizations today.
What We Offer:
- Opportunity to build and lead a critical function at a high-growth Series B startup
- Competitive salary and equity package
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- Unlimited PTO Policy
- Collaborative, fast-paced culture where your impact is immediate and visible
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this VP, Public Sector role fully remote or does it require on-site presence?
What kind of experience is required to qualify for this role?
Does this role include equity compensation?
Will I be managing a team or also selling directly?
What market does 1Kosmos focus on within the public sector?
