Account Executive — European Institutions

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. You will manage the full sales cycle from first contact to contract close, while building lasting relationships post-sales, at multiple levels within complex, multi-stakeholder institutions. Note this role requires frequent travel for customer visits and onsites.

Why deepset

deepset is the company behind Haystack, the leading open-source AI framework for building production-ready NLP and LLM applications, and deepset Cloud, our enterprise platform. We help organisations deploy AI at scale, from intelligent document search to complex agentic pipelines with security, reliability, and explainability built in. We are a remote-first, mission-driven company headquartered in Berlin, trusted by enterprises and government bodies globally.

What you will 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.

Requirements

• 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.

Benefits

• 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.
• Dog-friendly Berlin HQ.