Senior Sales Engineer

Who we are:

Raft (https://TeamRaft.com) is a leading defense technology company dedicated to empowering the U.S. military and government agencies with cutting-edge AI/ML and data solutions. With headquarters in McLean, VA, our mission is to transform complex data into actionable insights, enabling mission-critical decisions on Earth and beyond. Raft builds three flagship products: Raft Data Platform ([R]DP), a robust, edge-ready platform that enables seamless data fusion and analytics from the tactical edge to the enterprise; Raft Application Platform ([R]AP), a secure, scalable DevSecOps Platform for deploying mission-critical applications On-Prem or in the Cloud, compliant with DoD DevSecOps Reference Design; and Raft AI Mission System ([R]AIMS), an innovative lightweight AI platform that fuses data, AI agents, and language models for accelerated military decision-making.

We’re looking for an experienced Senior Sales Engineer to support our business development team and join our passionate team of high-impact problem solvers.

About the role: 

As a Senior Sales Engineer, you will serve as the bridge between our product and sales teams, translating the capabilities of Raft’s products into compelling technical narratives that resonate with defense customers. You will lead dynamic product demonstrations, conduct hands-on technical discovery sessions, align Raft’s capabilities to customer requirements, and partner closely with engineering to ensure our solutions meet real mission needs.

This role sits at the intersection of customer engagement, product expertise, and rapid technical storytelling. Your ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders—from warfighters to program managers to program officers—and your ability to move fast, build tangible demos, and make the product come alive in front of a customer, will be essential in driving Raft’s continued growth across the DoD and Intelligence Community.

What You’ll Do

• Serve as the technical lead on strategic pursuits, translating mission needs into differentiated solutions built on [R]DP, [R]AP, and [R]AIMS
• Own the technical narrative across the full sales cycle, from first customer conversation through proof of value, down-select, and contract award
• Rapidly build and deliver quick, focused demos that extend or build on top of our core products with mission-specific datasets and scenarios, bringing a customer’s specific problem to life in days, not months
• Actively write code across both sides of the house—some days contributing pull requests that ship into the core product, other days writing quick-turn demo code to stand up a customer-specific scenario on a tight timeline
• Deliver live demonstrations and proofs of concept that showcase capability in realistic mission scenarios across cloud, edge, and air-gapped environments
• Craft compelling decks, storyboards, and technical briefings that showcase the unique features and differentiation of Raft’s products to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Conduct technical discovery sessions tailored to customer pain points, surfacing requirements and shaping opportunities earlier in the acquisition lifecycle
• Serve as the voice of the customer back to Product and Engineering, surfacing capability gaps and emerging mission needs that inform the roadmap
• Engage directly with senior customer stakeholders including program managers and program officers, building technical credibility and long-term trusted-advisor relationships
• Represent Raft at industry events, customer site visits, technical exchanges, and industry days, including classified customer engagements

What we are looking for: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related STEM field
• 3+ years of experience in sales engineering, solutions engineering, software engineering, or similar hands-on technical roles
• Proven track record of showing the attitude and drive to translate customer requirements into winning technical solutions
• Hands-on engineering background with the ability to stand up quick demos, write code, integrate APIs, and wire up datasets without waiting on an engineering team
• Experience conducting technical demonstrations customized to customer pain points that clearly demonstrate solution value to DoD and government audiences
• Exceptional presentation and storytelling skills, with the confidence and energy to command a room, engage customers directly, and make complex technology feel tangible
• Strong understanding of data platforms, AI/ML solutions, cloud architectures, and their applications in defense contexts
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams across sales, engineering, and product
• Fast learner, analytical thinker, creative, hands-on, with a high-energy, customer-facing disposition and the drive to be in front of customers
• Willingness to travel up to 30% for client meetings, demos, and industry events

Highly preferred:

• Military background or experience working directly with DoD organizations
• Experience with battle management systems, data fusion platforms, or AI/ML applications in defense
• Understanding of edge computing and tactical deployment considerations
• Familiarity with classification levels and secure information handling
• Certifications relevant to defense technology sales

Clearance Requirements:

• Candidates must be eligible for and willing to be submitted for a U.S. government Top Secret/SCI security clearance upon hire
• Must be a U.S. citizen

Salary Range: $150,000.00 - $250,000.00

• The determination of compensation is predicated upon a candidate’s comprehensive experience, demonstrated skill, and proven abilities

Work Type:

• 100% on-site at Raft’s headquarters in Tysons Corner, VA
• Travel up to 35% (client sites, industry events, conferences)

What we will offer you: 

• Highly competitive salary
• Fully covered healthcare, dental, and vision coverage
• 401(k) and company match
• Take as you need PTO + 11 paid holidays
• Education & training benefits
• Generous Referral Bonuses
• And More!

Our Vision Statement: 

We bridge the gap between humans and data through radical transparency and our obsession with the mission. 

Our Customer Obsession: 

We will approach every deliverable like it's a product. We will adopt a customer-obsessed mentality. As we grow, and our footprint becomes larger, teams and employees will treat each other not only as teammates but customers. We must live the customer-obsessed mindset, always. This will help us scale and it will translate to the interactions that our Rafters have with their clients and other product teams that they integrate with. Our culture will enable our success and set us apart from other companies.

How do we get there? 

Public-sector modernization is critical for us to live in a better world. We, at Raft, want to innovate and solve complex problems. And, if we are successful, our generation and the ones that follow us will live in a delightful, efficient, and accessible world where out-of-box thinking, and collaboration is a norm. 

Raft’s core philosophy is Ubuntu: I Am, Because We are. We support our “nadi” by elevating the other Rafters. We work as a hyper collaborative team where each team member brings a unique perspective, adding value that did not exist before. People make Raft special. We celebrate each other and our cognitive and cultural diversity. We are devoted to our practice of innovation and collaboration.