Director, Public Sector Renewals

The Vision

At Okta, growth is our mandate, but a secure foundation is the prerequisite. In the Public Sector, this foundation is the bedrock of national security and citizen trust. As we scale, our focus is evolving beyond the "renewal transaction" toward a holistic strategy of Strategic Retention. We aren't just renewing contracts; we are securing the identity infrastructure of the US Federal Government and State & Local (SLED) agencies.

The Role

We are looking for a high-impact sales leader and strategic architect to lead our Public Sector Renewals team. As the Director, you are the steward of Okta’s largest and most complex public-interest partnerships.

In this role, you will lead a team of high-performing, individual contributor Renewals Managers. You will act as their coach, mentor, and lead strategist, navigating the unique procurement, regulatory, and budgetary landscapes of the Public Sector. You will be responsible for turning territory-level data into actionable retention playbooks, ensuring your team acts with precision, integrity, and long-term vision.

Core Responsibilities

1. Strategic Retention & Territory Architecture

• Segment Leadership: Own the retention strategy and execution for Okta’s Public Sector business, covering both US Federal and SLED markets.
• High-Value Deal Strategy: Act as the lead executive and strategic advisor for the segment’s most complex, high-stakes agreements, including those exceeding $5M+ in ARR.
• Predictive Intelligence: Move beyond basic forecasting to develop a deep, programmatic understanding of territory health, identifying risks early and designing "Path to Green" strategies that ensure long-term account stability.
• Retention Architect: Design and implement modern renewal playbooks that account for the unique cycles of public sector procurement, ensuring that our approach is proactive rather than reactive.

2. Leadership & Team Evolution

• The Leader as Coach: Manage and mentor a team of individual contributors, assisting them in navigating high-pressure negotiations and complex customer environments.
• Cultural Architect: Foster a culture of high accountability, integrity, and relentless customer focus. You will be responsible for recruiting, hiring, and developing the next generation of Public Sector renewal talent.
• Field Advocacy: Act as the voice of the Public Sector within the broader Renewals organization, ensuring that global processes are optimized for the nuances of government customers.

3. Diplomatic Power & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Sales Alignment: Partner as a peer to Public Sector Sales Leadership to ensure a unified strategy for account growth and retention.
• Government Affairs & Compliance: Collaborate closely with Government Affairs and Legal teams to stay ahead of regulatory shifts (e.g., FedRAMP) and procurement hurdles that impact our ability to retain and grow.
• Customer Success & Product Feedback: Drive a tight feedback loop with Customer Success and Product teams, ensuring that the "ground-level" reality of our government customers informs our long-term product and service roadmap.

Qualifications

• Experience: 10+ years in Renewals, Sales, or Account Management within the SaaS industry, with a minimum of 3-5 years in a high-performing leadership role.
• Public Sector Mastery: A proven track record of navigating US Federal and SLED procurement cycles, including experience with large-scale, $5M+ license agreements.
• Strategic Translator: The ability to take complex data sets and translate them into simple, winning tactics for the field.
• Negotiation Excellence: Expert-level negotiation skills with the ability to tactfully close high-value deals with a high degree of integrity and independence.
• Diplomatic Influence: Exceptional ability to partner cross-functionally with Sales, Customer Success, Product, and Government Affairs to drive collective outcomes.

Measures of Success

• Net Retention & ARR Growth: Achieve or exceed team goals for renewal rates and total ARR stabilization within the Public Sector.
• Operational Excellence: Maintain a highly accurate and predictable forecast for the segment.
• Talent Development: High engagement and performance scores from your team of Renewals Managers.

Cross-Functional Impact: Successful implementation of new retention playbooks that bridge the gap between Sales and Renewals.

#LI-Hybrd

#P25154_3426080