Account Executive — European Institutions

About the role

We are looking for a seasoned Account Executive to own and grow deepset's presence within European institutional bodies (Examples: European Commission, European Space Agency, European Defence Agency), EU agencies, and related public-sector entities. You will be the tip of the spear in a high-impact market that is rapidly adopting AI to transform public services, research, and policy. This is a senior, quota-carrying individual contributor role.

What you'll do

• Develop and execute a strategic account plan for a defined set of European Institutions and agency accounts, identifying key use cases, decision-makers, and budget holders.
• Own the end-to-end sales cycle: prospecting, discovery, solution design in collaboration with Value Engineering, negotiation, and contract closure.
• Navigate multi-stakeholder procurement processes typical of EU institutions (e.g., open calls for tender, framework contracts, direct negotiations under specific thresholds).
• Partner with deepset's Marketing teams to build pipeline through targeted outbound campaigns and event participation (e.g., EU AI summits, agency-specific conferences).
• Work closely with Product and Engineering to surface customer requirements and feed market insights back into the roadmap.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date forecasting in the CRM; provide regular updates to leadership on pipeline health and deal progress.
• Represent deepset at key European conferences, procurement forums, and executive briefings.
• Collaborate with Partners to leverage SI and advisory relationships within the public-sector ecosystem.

What you'll need

• Significant enterprise B2B software sales experience, with a demonstrable track record of closing complex, high-value deals (€6-7+ figure ACV).
• Minimum 2 years of direct, quota-carrying experience selling into European institutions (European Commission directorates-general, EU agencies, or comparable intergovernmental bodies such as ESA, EDA, or Europol).
• Deep understanding of EU procurement frameworks, including the Financial Regulation, call-for-tender processes, and framework agreements.
• Ability to engage credibly with technical stakeholders (data scientists, enterprise architects) as well as programme managers, heads of unit, and C-level executives.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills in English; additional fluency in German or French is a strong asset.
• Strong command of value-based selling methodologies (MEDDIC, Challenger, or similar).
• Intentional about working in a fast-paced, early-stage company environment with a high degree of autonomy.

Nice to have

• Experience selling AI, NLP, or data intelligence solutions.
• An established network within EU agency IT or digital transformation units.
• Familiarity with GDPR, data sovereignty, and public-cloud compliance requirements relevant to EU public bodies.
• Knowledge of EU AI Act provisions applicable to high-risk AI systems in the public sector.

What they offer

• Remote-first setup with flexible hours & tech of your choice
• 30 days vacation + extra days for family sick leave
• Competitive salary & stock options for every team member
• Monthly sports allowance
• Annual learning & development budget
• Monthly team socials & in-person meetups