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Strategic Portfolio Lead

Washington, DC

Scale AI is seeking an accomplished Strategic Portfolio Lead to drive growth of our partnership with the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) across the Autonomy Factory and Data Foundry initiatives. In this role, you will shape and accelerate Scale’s strategic expansion in data labeling, model development, and test & evaluation (T&E), leading a complex portfolio anchored by Scale AI’s multi-year Production OTA with CDAO. As a strategic and growth leader within the Go-To-Market (GTM) organization, you will align internal teams and senior government stakeholders around a unified vision, convert that vision into measurable outcomes, and strengthen Scale AI’s position as a key enabler of mission-ready AI capabilities. This is a quota-carrying role, responsible for sourcing and closing new opportunities to meet annual bookings targets, while collaborating closely with Deployment Strategists driving Service-specific initiatives across the Army, Navy, Air Force, and other mission areas.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Account Leadership – CDAO Autonomy Factory & Data Foundry

  • Own and drive the overall relationship with CDAO’s Autonomy Factory & Data Foundry, one of Scale AI’s most complex and strategically significant government partnerships.
  • Define and execute the strategic direction across data labeling, model development, and T&E initiatives, ensuring alignment with CDAO’s mission priorities.
  • Lead quarterly business reviews to assess progress, address challenges, and reinforce Scale’s value proposition across multiple contracts.
  • Co-develop and validate the “AI Incubator” model with CDAO, creating a repeatable framework for scaling small AI projects into self-funded, mission-critical capabilities.

Growth & Partnership Expansion

  • Identify, qualify, and capture high-impact growth opportunities with new and existing mission partners across the Department of War, emphasizing autonomy, computer vision, and AI-ready data.
  • Own the end-to-end development and execution of Mission Partner Growth Plans, including relationship mapping, engagement cadences, funding strategies, and measurable value creation metrics.
  • Develop and execute renewal and expansion strategies—understanding stakeholder priorities, navigating review processes, and driving mutual close plans that ensure long-term continuity and growth.
  • Track and communicate progress against growth objectives, proactively managing risks and dependencies while driving scope expansion, sustainable funding, and strategic alignment.

Executive Relationship & Stakeholder Engagement

  • Build and foster trusted relationships with senior government officials, military leaders, and technical industry partners to advance Scale AI’s mission and credibility.
  • Serve as a trusted advisor to executive stakeholders across multiple organizations, demonstrating responsiveness, business acumen, and a deep understanding of their mission and operational needs.
  • Represent Scale AI in high-stakes discussions and strategic negotiations, demonstrating thought leadership, adaptability, and a long-term perspective.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Customer Advocacy

  • Drive collaboration across GTM, Delivery & Operations (D&O), Engineering, Product, and Government Relations to define SMART growth objectives, set KPIs, and deliver actionable engagement plans that create measurable mission and business outcomes.
  • Act as the voice of the customer internally—advocating for partner needs, providing feedback to influence product direction, and ensuring delivery excellence.
  • Foster alignment and clarity across internal teams by establishing transparent communication channels, reducing silos, and driving unified execution.
  • Establish a centralized “homeroom” for all CDAO contract materials to enhance internal knowledge management and operational efficiency.

Deployment Strategist Enablement

  • Partner with Deployment Strategists to ensure strategic alignment across service-specific initiatives, providing escalation support and enabling high-quality deal execution.
  • Oversee the creation of sales and customer enablement materials that equip DSs to position Scale AI’s capabilities effectively and consistently.

Thought Leadership & Continuous Learning

  • Stay current on defense, autonomy, and AI industry trends, consistently sharing insights to inform account strategy and strengthen Scale AI’s competitive positioning.
  • Thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment—managing multiple priorities while maintaining strategic focus and execution excellence.

Qualifications & Experience

  • 7+ years in strategic roles involving account growth, cross-functional leadership, or executive stakeholder engagement in AI, defense tech, SaaS, or government
  • Familiarity with basic concepts of Machine Learning & Machine Learning Operations
  • Demonstrated success orchestrating complex multi-party strategies across government and industry
  • Strong experience working alongside sales teams to define winning approaches and support deal execution — without directly owning quotas
  • Excellent communicator with strong executive presence; comfortable leading high-stakes conversations and aligning senior stakeholders
  • Proven ability to drive clarity and progress in ambiguous, high-velocity environments
  • Experience leading cross-functional collaboration and aligning diverse teams around shared goals
  • Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (Computer Science, Engineering, Business, or similar); Master’s preferred
  • PMP, CSM, or similar certifications a plus, but not required

Compensation packages at Scale for eligible roles include base salary, equity, and benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position, determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, interview performance, and relevant education or training. Scale employees in eligible roles are also granted equity based compensation, subject to Board of Director approval. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process, and confirm whether the hired role will be eligible for equity grant. You’ll also receive benefits including, but not limited to: Comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage, retirement benefits, a learning and development stipend, and generous PTO. Additionally, this role may be eligible for additional benefits such as a commuter stipend.

The base salary range for this full-time position in the location of Washington DC is:

$161,460 - $201,825 USD

PLEASE NOTE: Our policy requires a 90-day waiting period before reconsidering candidates for the same role. This allows us to ensure a fair and thorough evaluation of all applicants.

About Us:

At Scale, our mission is to develop reliable AI systems for the world's most important decisions. Our products provide the high-quality data and full-stack technologies that power the world's leading models, and help enterprises and governments build, deploy, and oversee AI applications that deliver real impact. We work closely with industry leaders like Meta, Cisco, DLA Piper, Mayo Clinic, Time Inc., the Government of Qatar, and U.S. government agencies including the Army and Air Force. We are expanding our team to accelerate the development of AI applications.

We believe that everyone should be able to bring their whole selves to work, which is why we are proud to be an inclusive and equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability status, gender identity or Veteran status. 

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and mental disabilities. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation in the application or recruiting process due to a disability, please contact us at accommodations@scale.com. Please see the United States Department of Labor's Know Your Rights poster for additional information.

We comply with the United States Department of Labor's Pay Transparency provision. 

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