Sales Manager, USA

CACTUS is a remote-first organization and we embrace an accelerate from anywhere culture. You may be required to travel to our Mumbai office based on business requirements or for company/team events.

We are seeking a commercially driven and mission-aligned Sales Manager to spearhead our growth across the U.S. academic ecosystem. In this role, you will build and scale a pipeline of research universities, liberal arts colleges, hospitals, national laboratories, federal research agencies, and private foundations who are actively exploring or deploying AI-powered solutions and expert services to support researcher outcomes. 

You will act as a trusted strategic advisor to academic leaders from Research Vice Provosts and Department Chairs, Chief Research Officers, and Grants Administrators helping them understand how our AI solutions and expert professional services can accelerate research outcomes, drive operational efficiency, and strengthen institutional competitiveness. 

This is a high-impact, entrepreneurial role with significant scope to shape the go-to-market strategy for the academic sector across the United States. 

• Develop and execute territory sales plans targeting U.S. universities, research institutes, national laboratories, and research funding organizations 

• Build and manage a qualified sales pipeline through outbound prospecting, conference networking, and inbound lead management 

• Implement account-based strategies for priority institutions by mapping stakeholders and aligning solutions to research priorities, grant cycles, and academic calendars 

• Maintain accurate pipeline tracking and revenue forecasting in CRM (e.g., MS Dynamics); enforce strong pipeline hygiene and deal qualification practices 

• Establish and grow relationships with key stakeholders, including VPRs, CIOs, IT Directors, Faculty Leads, Sponsored Research Officers, and Budget Administrators 

• Lead consultative discovery discussions to assess AI adoption goals, infrastructure needs, data governance, and compliance requirements 

• Deliver customized presentations and product demonstrations aligned to research, STEM, and federally funded environments 

• Navigate complex procurement processes, including RFPs, purchasing cooperatives, and state-level requirements 

• Develop expertise in the U.S. academic funding ecosystem, including NSF, NIH, DOE, DARPA, ARPA-H, DOD, and major private foundations 

• Stay current on regulatory frameworks such as OSTP public access policies, responsible AI standards, and FERPA/HIPAA requirements 

• Position solutions within major federal AI initiatives (e.g., NSF AI Research Institutes, NIH Bridge2AI) 

• Build partnerships with technology transfer offices, research computing centers, and academic consortia (e.g., Internet2, EDUCAUSE, AAU) 

• Drive sales of professional services, including AI implementation, data strategy, model customization, and training programs 

• Partner with Solutions Engineering and Delivery teams to scope and price complex, SOW-based engagements 

• Identify and execute upsell and cross-sell opportunities to expand annual contract value and deepen adoption across institutions 

• Structure commercial models suited to academia, including multi-year SaaS agreements, grant-funded pilots, and consortium pricing 

• Collaborate with Marketing on demand generation campaigns, conference participation, and thought leadership initiatives 

• Provide market feedback to product and services teams to inform roadmap development and compliance alignment