Director, SLED & Adjacent Markets

Base salary: $180,000 to $230,000, plus commission and performance-based equity.

Agile Six is a federal digital services company, primarily serving the VA and HHS. We build and ship working software with small, empowered teams, under fixed-price terms, with AI embedded in how we work. Our leadership came out of government. We have sat on the other side of the table as contracting officers, program managers, and policy advisors. We have watched how procurement decisions actually get made, what incentives drive behavior on both sides, and where the system consistently produces outcomes nobody wants. That experience is the foundation of how we operate. We approach every engagement through an economics-first lens: what does it return, to whom, and does the structure reward the right behavior?

That question led us to build differently. Smaller teams. Tighter accountability. An ownership model, through an equal-share ESOP, where the people delivering the work share in what they create. We operate from a simple belief: we build better by putting people first. Our values of Purpose, Wholeness, Trust, Self-Management, and Inclusion are not aspirational. They are how we evaluate every decision, from which contracts to pursue to how we structure compensation. We believe the government deserves honest brokers: partners willing to help define what success actually looks like, not just execute against metrics that may not measure anything meaningful. We help our government partners think about contracts as investments and outcomes as the only measure that matters. We are not a staffing company, a consulting firm, or a movement. We are a company that has placed real bets on a different model and can point to the results. We are not driven by growth for growth's sake. We focus on building meaningful, value-driven relationships and we are willing to walk away from work that does not fit.

The Role

This role is a market-opener. SLED is a real opportunity for Agile Six, but it requires dedicated focus to unlock. The procurement landscape is different from federal, the SDVOSB designation does not travel, and the relationships have to be built from scratch. We are looking for someone who knows that terrain and is energized by the prospect of building a new practice within a company that already knows how to deliver.

You will be the first dedicated SLED-focused BD presence at Agile Six, which means you will have real influence over how we enter these markets, which opportunities we pursue, and how we position our capabilities against a different competitive set. This is a builder role, and we expect it to reshape itself as we learn together what actually works in this market. The growth path is real, but it runs through the intelligence you bring back from the field, not a playbook we hand you on day one.

If you have built a practice from scratch before and know the difference between a target list and a real market entry strategy, we want to talk.

We care about what you bring in, but we care as much about what you walk away from. Bringing us revenue we cannot deliver well, or that does not align with how we operate, is worse than bringing us nothing. The judgment about which opportunities fit is part of the job, not an afterthought.

What This Role Actually Is

This is not a standard Director position at Agile Six. We are asking you to build a new book of business in a market where we have limited or no presence. You will operate with more autonomy than a typical hire and more accountability than a typical role. You will have direct access to company ownership, a seat in the strategic conversation, and an equity stake tied to what you build. In return, we expect real traction within the first year. If it is not working, we will say so. If it is working, the upside is real.

How BD Works at Agile Six

This is not a quota-driven, individual commission role. We are building a market development team that develops markets together, shares intelligence, and wins work we can actually deliver well. You will own your pipeline, but you will operate as part of a team. Senior leadership is active in relationship development and closing. Your job includes building presence, cultivating relationships, developing pipelines, and bringing the right people into the right conversations at the right time. Some days you will close deals yourself. Some days you will set the table for someone else. The measure is what the team produces together, not just what any individual brings in.

Delivery-informed BD is core to how we operate across every market we serve. You are not working in parallel to delivery. You are working from it. Our active teams are the source of truth for where the real opportunities are, what is actually working, and what we should avoid. If you are used to selling ahead of delivery, this will feel different. If you are used to working alongside delivery to shape better outcomes, this will feel like leverage.

Responsibilities:

• Shape the Practice: As the first dedicated SLED BD presence at Agile Six, you will have real influence over how we enter these markets, including positioning, capture approach, and teaming strategy for a market where our federal playbook won't translate directly.
• Market Entry Strategy: Develop and execute a market entry strategy for SLED, identifying the highest-probability entry points given Agile Six's existing capabilities and past performance in digital services and applied AI.
• Customer and Partner Development: Build relationships with state and local program offices, procurement officials, and channel partners that lead to real opportunity shaping. Identify teaming partners, resellers, and cooperative purchasing relationships that can accelerate market entry.
• Delivery-Informed BD: Work directly with delivery leadership to ensure BD strategy is grounded in what we can actually execute. In a market where we are building presence from scratch, overpromising is the fastest way to undermine the practice before it starts.
• Opportunity Vetting: Build and qualify a pipeline of SLED opportunities focused on digital modernization, health and human services technology, and grants management. Not every open door is worth walking through.
• Market and Competitive Intelligence: Stay ahead of SLED procurement vehicles, cooperative purchasing agreements, state-specific IT contract structures, and competitive positioning. Bring intelligence that shapes how we enter and where we prioritize.
• Proposal and Solution Support: Develop Agile Six's positioning and capability narrative for SLED audiences, translating federal past performance into language that resonates with state and local buyers. Support SOQs, capability statements, and executive briefings.
• Pipeline Management: Own and manage the SLED BD pipeline with discipline and transparency using Groundwork, our internal CRM.
• AI-Informed Market Positioning: Represent Agile Six's applied AI capabilities credibly in conversations with state and local government stakeholders. Use AI tools actively in your own BD practice including research, pipeline analysis, and competitive intelligence.

What Success Looks Like in the First 12 Months:

grounded in real procurement intelligence and teaming relationships, not just a capability statement and a target list. You will have qualified a pipeline of SLED opportunities we can realistically compete for, with enough coverage to sustain the practice through its early phase. You will have identified the cooperative purchasing vehicles, state-level contracts, and channel partnerships most relevant to our capabilities. You will have shaped how Agile Six thinks about SLED as a practice, including what we should pursue, what we should avoid, and what we need to learn. And you will have started to reshape this role in ways that reflect your own intelligence about this market.

We will know within the first six to nine months whether this is working. If it is not, we will have an honest conversation and we will act on what we see. That honesty works in both directions. If you are not getting what you need from us, we expect you to tell us.

Qualifications and Expectations: 

• 5+ years in business development, sales, or growth within state, local, or education technology markets.
• Understanding of SLED procurement mechanics including cooperative purchasing, RFP processes, state IT governance structures, and how buying decisions actually get made.
• Track record of building pipelines from scratch in a new market or geography, not just inheriting an existing book of business.
• Ability to translate technical and delivery capability into compelling narratives for non-federal government buyers.
• Comfort in a small company environment where you will be setting direction, not following a playbook.
• Collaborative working style across delivery, strategy, and executive leadership in a small distributed team.
• Demonstrated ability to use AI-enabled tools in your own BD practice with sound judgment about where human context still matters.

Strongly Preferred Qualifications: 

• Experience in SLED health and human services IT, grants management systems, or digital services modernization.
• Familiarity with federal to state technology transfer opportunities, particularly in health IT where HHS-funded programs create state-level demand.
• Strong written communication including SOQs, capability statements, and executive briefings.
• Prior experience at a GovTech firm, digital services company, or consulting firm with a dedicated SLED practice.
• Understanding of how applied AI is being adopted in state and local government contexts.
• Authentic, values-driven approach with the ability to represent Agile Six's core values in a range of stakeholder settings.

Compensation and Ownership: 

Base salary: $180,000 to $230,000, plus commission and performance-based equity.

This role is compensated differently than most positions at Agile Six, and for good reason. We are asking you to build something. The upside should reflect that.

You will have a direct equity conversation with company ownership as part of the offer process. Equity vests on performance, not tenure. Bring in meaningful, aligned revenue and you participate in the long-term value you helped create. Produce nothing and the equity does not vest. The structure is that direct.

If your background is exceptional, we are open to discussing compensation structure from the start. For strong performers, we also revisit as results come in. Few firms in this space will have either conversation. We will.

Sixer Benefits

Our benefits are designed to reinforce our core values of Wholeness, Self Management and Inclusion. The following benefits are available to all employees. We respect that only you know what balance means for your life and season. While we offer support from coaches, we expect you to own your wholeness, show up for work whole, and go home to your family the same. You will be seen, heard and valued. We expect you to offer the same for your colleagues, be kind (not controlling), be caring (not directive) and ready to participate in a state of flow. We mean it when we say “We build better by putting people first”.

All Sixers Enjoy:

• Self-managed work/life balance and flexibility
• Competitive and equitable salary 
• Employee Stock Ownership (ESOP) for all employees!
• Annual performance bonuses tied to team and individual objectives (details shared during the hiring process)
• 401(k) matching
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Employer paid short and long term disability insurance
• Employer paid life insurance
• Self-managed and generous paid time off
• Paid federal holidays and two floating holidays
• Paid parental leave
• Self-managed professional development spending
• Self-managed wellness days

Hiring practices

Agile Six is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any factor protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.

Note: We participate in E-Verify. Upon hire, we will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. Unfortunately, we are unable to sponsor visas at this time.

If you need assistance or reasonable accommodation in applying for any of these positions, please reach out to careers@agile6.com. We want to ensure you have the ability to apply for any position at Agile Six.

Please read and respond to the application questions carefully. Interviews are conducted on a rolling basis until the position has been filled.