Vice President, Federal and Public Sector

Washington DC

Forward Networks is transforming how the world’s most complex networks are managed and secured. Founded in 2013 by four Stanford Ph.D.s, we built the industry’s first network digital twin — a mathematically precise model of the production network that gives IT teams unmatched visibility, verification, and agility across every major cloud and vendor environment.

Our customers include global leaders such as Goldman Sachs, PayPal, S&P Global, IBM, and Dell, as well as fast-growing enterprises and government agencies. According to IDC, Forward Networks customers realize an average of $14.2 million in annual benefits through improved efficiency and security.

Backed by world-class investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Goldman Sachs, MSD Partners, and Threshold Ventures, Forward Networks offers a people-centric, innovative culture where brilliant minds are shaping the future of network reliability, security, and AI-ready operations.

Forward Networks is looking for a Federal Sales Leader who has proven success scaling Federal sales organizations, ideally in cybersecurity, networking, cloud, or infrastructure software.

Do you want to create a category and help build a special company?

  • Do you want to sell a platform that solves real networking problems?
  • Do sensible quotas and no cap on earnings pique your interest?
  • Join a company that has been in market 6+ years and has some of the top F500/Global 2000 and Federal agencies already buying and referenceable.
  • If you have 15+ years of wildly successful experience selling to the Federal Government, have become a leader, and enjoy the journey of building an early-stage company...you may be the one!
  • We are building a special team and hope you consider us if you want to have the experience of changing the networking world as we know it.

Responsibilities:

  • Define and deliver a clear Federal go-to-market (GTM) strategy aligned with company growth objectives within the first 90 days.
  • Increase pipeline velocity and the customer base across Civilian, DoD, and Intelligence Community sectors.
  • Secure 8–16 new strategic Federal logos annually while expanding the footprint within the top 10 existing accounts.
  • Develop and grow strategic partnerships with FSIs and channel partners to drive repeatable, scalable deal flow.
  • Drive consistent sales execution across the territory using proven methodologies and best practices.
  • Lead, support, and develop a high-performing, customer-centric team of Regional Sales Directors.
  • Provide hands-on coaching in sales strategy, pipeline development, and opportunity management.
  • Maintain a deep understanding of the competitive landscape and positioning within the Federal space.

Requirements & Background:

  • 15+ years of enterprise sales experience, with a strong track record of success in Federal markets (Civilian, DoD, and IC).
  • Proven experience managing large, complex Federal deals ($5M–$20M+) and navigating long procurement cycles.
  • Deep understanding of Federal procurement processes, compliance, and contract vehicles (e.g., GSA, SEWP, IDIQs, OTAs).
  • Strong relationships with executive and technical stakeholders across Civilian agencies, DoD, and the Intelligence Community.
  • Consistent overachievement of individual and team sales targets.
  • Excellent communication, negotiation, and executive presentation skills.
  • Absolute attention to detail.
  • Located in the WDC metropolitan area.

Leadership & Management

  • Demonstrated ability to build, scale, and mentor high-performing Federal sales teams, including direct sales, SEs, and channel/alliances.
  • Skilled at hiring and retaining top Federal sales talent while fostering a high-performance culture.
  • Experience working cross-functionally in matrixed organizations, aligning closely with marketing, product, legal, and finance.
  • Strong forecasting skills and ability to drive predictable, scalable revenue growth.

Go-to-Market & Growth

  • Proven ability to design and execute a Federal GTM strategy across Civilian, DoD, and IC sectors, prioritizing based on budget and mission trends.
  • Experience developing and expanding partnerships with FSIs, OEMs, and VARs to increase contract accessibility and reach.
  • Strong capability to drive account expansion within existing customers while consistently landing new strategic accounts.
  • Ability to provide market and customer feedback to influence product roadmap and strategy.

Skills & Attributes

  • Strong executive presence and ability to sell value at the C-level and influence mission owners and stakeholders.
  • Expert in negotiating and closing complex enterprise agreements.
  • Data-driven approach with a strong grasp of sales KPIs, pipeline metrics, and ARR growth levers.
  • Entrepreneurial mindset — thrives in high-growth, fast-paced, and evolving environments

Security Clearance

  • Active Top Secret clearance required at a minimum.
  • TS/SCI clearance strongly preferred due to engagement with the DoD and  Intelligence Community.
  • Must be willing and eligible to maintain or upgrade clearance as needed.

The expected On-Target Cash Earnings for this role is between 400,000-500,000 per year. Within this range, individual pay is determined by several factors including but not limited to, job-related skills, work experience, and relevant education/training.

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at Forward Networks? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Forward Networks’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.