Customer Success Manager, Public Sector & Defence

Who are we?
Cohere is the leading security-first enterprise AI company. We build cutting-edge foundation AI models and end-to-end products that are designed to solve real-world business problems.
We’re training and deploying frontier models for enterprises who are building AI systems. We believe that our work is instrumental to the widespread adoption of AI and we are looking for folks that want to be part of that.
We obsess over what we build. Each one of us is responsible for contributing to increasing the capabilities of our models and the value they drive for our customers. Cohere is a team of researchers, engineers, designers, and more, who are all passionate about their craft.
We are a global technology company headquartered in Toronto with key offices in London, New York City, San Francisco, Montreal, Paris, Berlin and Seoul. Join us!

Why This Role?
We're seeking an exceptional Customer Success Manager with deep expertise in the Canadian public sector and defence landscape to lead our most strategic government accounts. This role requires an individual who understands both the transformative potential of frontier AI and the unique requirements of government and defence organizations.
You will be the trusted advisor and strategic partner for Canadian federal departments, provincial agencies, Crown corporations, defence organizations, and healthcare systems as they navigate the complex journey of AI adoption. You'll guide organizations through the implementation of frontier AI in secure, highly regulated environments—ensuring solutions deliver a measurable impact while meeting stringent security, privacy, compliance, and ethical requirements.
In this role, you'll collaborate with our Strategic Customer team, Applied ML (AML) Engineering, Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE), Platform, Product, and Go-to-Market teams, serving as the voice of the customer internally and the face of Cohere externally for our most sensitive and high-impact government engagements. You'll have the unique opportunity to shape how Canada's most important institutions leverage AI to serve the public good.
Location: Ottawa (proximity to government customers) Security Clearance: Active Top Secret clearance is mandatory for this role

What You'll Do
Strategic Customer Partnership:
Own the success, adoption, and growth of Cohere's Canadian public sector and defence customers, ensuring they realize maximum value from our AI solutions

Build deep, trusted relationships with senior government stakeholders, including Deputy Ministers, CIOs, ADMs, digital transformation leads, and departmental executives

Develop comprehensive success plans tailored to each organization's mission, digital strategy, budget cycles, and unique constraints

Serve as the primary point of contact and executive sponsor for your accounts, managing escalations and ensuring customer satisfaction

Define and track success metrics aligned with public sector priorities: citizen satisfaction, service delivery improvements, cost savings, operational efficiency, accessibility outcomes

AI Adoption & Implementation Leadership:
Guide customers through the full lifecycle of AI adoption—from use case identification and pilot design through production deployment and scaling

Lead secure AI implementation projects in complex government environments, including air-gapped systems, Protected B/C environments, and on-premises deployments

Navigate the unique challenges of public sector AI adoption: legacy system integration, data sensitivity, lengthy approval processes, and risk-averse organizational cultures

Create and execute change management strategies to drive user adoption and value realization across diverse government workforces

Conduct regular executive business reviews with senior stakeholders, demonstrating ROI, impact, and strategic value

Drive contract renewals and account growth by consistently delivering value and building trusted relationships

Compliance &