Strategic Account Executive

We keep this role open year-round because we’re excited to meet exceptional talent. If you don’t see an immediate opening, your application will be considered for upcoming opportunities.

ABOUT WIND RIVERX 

Wind RiverX (WRX) is a mission-driven software company focused on delivering advanced, secure, and resilient solutions that support U.S. defense and national security missions. As a wholly-owned FOCI mitigated subsidiary of Wind River, a global leader in intelligent systems software with over four decades of proven success in aerospace and defense, WRX builds upon a trusted legacy of innovation, reliability, and mission assurance.

Wind River’s software has powered some of the world’s most critical systems — from the Mars rovers and commercial aircraft to advanced military platforms and autonomous defense technologies. Building on this heritage, WRX extends that technical excellence to accelerate innovation at the edge, combining agility, security, and modern software practices tailored to the unique needs of defense customers.

At WRX, we partner closely with government, defense, and industry leaders to provide secure and reliable systems to the most critical missions, enhance interoperability, and strengthen digital resilience.

Our team brings deep expertise in systems integration, open architecture, customer needs, and software-defined solutions that empower our warfighters and critical partners across air, land, sea, and cyber domains.

We are a fast-growing organization that values collaboration, integrity, and technical mastery. Our culture is rooted in innovation and purpose — we move quickly, think boldly, and take pride in delivering solutions that matter. If you believe you would be an asset to a high-powered team with an energetic culture where you will contribute to reducing the definition of impossible, we would like to talk to you. 

Strategic Account Executive 

Account Executive (AE) is the accountable sales leader, owning and driving business bookings (& revenue) growth, developing customer relationships (Executive to Engineer) and ensuring delivery success across a portfolio of aerospace, defense, and government (ADG) accounts. 

This role requires disciplined execution of sales fundamentals, deep customer engagement, and close coordination with internal (Product, Engineering, Marketing, Services) and external partner teams to close business, drive adoption, and expand account value over time. 

Responsibilities: 

1. Customer Account Ownership 

• Serve as the primary owner and trusted advisor for a portfolio of named aerospace, defense, and (ADG) accounts (B2B and B2G). 

• Develop and maintain comprehensive account plans for ‘key’ customer accounts that comprise ~80% of your target.  Include stakeholder partnership mapping, procurement timing, mission priorities, and partnership strategies.  

• Track program lifecycles, key performance and acquisition milestones, and technology refresh opportunities. 

2. Customer Engagement & Relationship Management 

• Build deep relationships with decision-makers, engineering leads, procurement officers, and partner ecosystem stakeholders. 

• Expand relationships to include executive-level account leaders, utilizing WR leadership as needed. 

• Drive multi-level engagement across customer organizations (project, program, business unit), from operational users to program executives. 

• Host regular joint Account Business Reviews (Quarterly, Semi-Annual or Annual) and regular account program status reviews with Wind River internal teams and external customers. 

• Engage with the customer’s customer (eg. DOD customer for an SI) to build relationships there that can help influence the named customer.  

3. Sales Execution & Growth 

• Execute a repeatable sales process aligned with Wind River’s value-based selling methodology. 

• Identify, qualify, and close opportunities by aligning Wind River solutions with mission outcomes and technical requirements. 

• Use “MEDDICC” analyses to increase “Probability of Win” (Pwin) for major pursuits (>$250K).    

• MEDDICC = Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, ID Pain point(s), Champion, Competition 

• Collaborate with technical pre-sales, marketing, and capture teams to develop winning strategies and proposals. 

• Execute campaign and product alignment strategies (e.g., VxW, HVP, WRL, eLxr, WRCP, Conductor, and Studio) for your account portfolio. 

• Coordinate mutual “close plans” with various customer leads to assure deal execution and timing.  

4. Solution Delivery Oversight 

• Serve as the customer’s advocate post-sale, working with PS to ensure on-time delivery of products and services, customer satisfaction, and issue resolution. 

• Act as a liaison between the customer and Wind River delivery and support teams (e.g., Product, Services, Engineering, Marketing) to ensure the alignment of milestones and success metrics. 

• Track deployment health and usage of Wind River technology to identify renewal upselling opportunities to ensure a higher probability of software renewals prior to expiration. 

5. Portfolio Management 

• Manage a balanced portfolio of new products and services sales pursuits, software renewals, and customer success initiatives across your assigned accounts. 

• Monitor and report on account performance metrics, delivery risk, and growth opportunities. 

• Create and share Win Reports and Loss Analysis for key opportunities and renewals.  

• Partner with internal teams to resolve delivery or support issues, early, that impact customer satisfaction. 

• Communicate with WR product organization about specific feature requests and customer needs.

6. Pipeline Development, Forecasting and Reporting 

• Maintain a qualified pipeline of opportunities to support current and future bookings targets. 

• 3X for out quarters on New Product (Software) 

• 2.5X for out quarters on New Services 

• Drive account-specific prospecting strategies in collaboration with Business Development, SDR team and Marketing. 

• Advance/update a minimum of 2 opportunities per week through the sales funnel. 

• Deliver accurate weekly forecasts, opportunity close plans, and risk assessments to sales leadership. 

• Forecasting accuracy (+/- 5%) 

• Maintain CRM hygiene – (1) Accurate opportunity detail and progression; (2) Timely Updates; (3) Complete Activity Logging -- Forecast accuracy.  

7. Account Strategy & Planning 

• Develop and maintain comprehensive and actionable account plans; update quarterly. 

• Monitor account health, program alignment, and contract renewal timelines. 

• Identify and mitigate risks that could impact bookings or customer satisfaction. 

• Review plans periodically with Sales Leadership 

Required Qualifications 

• US Citizenship (mandatory) 

• 10+ years of selling embedded and/or enterprise software into Defense, Government and Large Enterprises (preferably, in US federal or aerospace sectors) 

• Proven track record managing complex accounts and delivering revenue growth in regulated markets 

• Strong understanding of embedded systems, real-time OS, secure cloud platforms, or mission-critical software 

• Excellent communication, relationship-building, and cross-functional coordination skills 

• Familiarity with federal acquisition processes (FAR, DFARS, SBIR, OTA) and customer agencies such as DoW, FAA, NASA, DHS, and the Intelligence Community 

SECURITY CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS 

Successful candidates must engage in a security clearance process in regard to their citizenship in order to perform fundamental job duties, as per applicable law. In particular, candidates with certain citizenship may not be able to perform such fundamental job duties. Currently, this includes citizens of the following countries: Belarus; Burma; China; Cuba; Iran; North Korea; Syria; Venezuela; Afghanistan; Cambodia; Central African Republic; Cyprus; Democratic Republic of Congo; Ethiopia; Eritrea; Haiti; Iraq; Lebanon; Libya; Russia; Somalia; South Sudan; Sudan; Zimbabwe. The security clearance process may take a significant amount of time to complete, and any offer of employment will be contingent on the candidate's legal ability to perform the fundamental job duties. Wind River is committed to meeting its obligations to candidates under applicable human rights law and privacy law in this regard. 

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Aptiv is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.