Job description
Role Overview
Vice President of Sales - KSA at Cognition, an applied AI lab building end-to-end software agents. This role is based in Saudi Arabia and represents the company's first senior hire to establish operations in the market.
Company Overview
Cognition is an applied AI lab that builds end-to-end software agents. The company created Devin, the first AI software engineer. The founding team includes world-class competitive programmers, former founders, and leaders from Scale AI, Palantir, Cursor, Waymo, Tesla, Lunchclub, Modal, Google DeepMind, and Nuro.
Role Purpose
To launch and scale Cognition's business operations across KSA and the GCC region from the ground up. You will establish the commercial and government partnership strategy, build a cross-functional local team, drive revenue growth, and ensure the company's products are adapted for market fit while representing Cognition within KSA's business and technology ecosystem.
Key Responsibilities
Go-to-Market & Strategy
- Launch and scale Cognition's KSA operations as the first senior hire in market.
- Set country-level strategy and drive Cognition's footprint across the region.
- Partner with global leadership to align product-market fit for the GCC.
- Represent Cognition externally in KSA's business and technology ecosystem.
Sales & Partnerships
- Lead strategic partnerships with KSA and GCC enterprises and government agencies.
- Drive sales cycles end-to-end and close deals directly and via partners with key enterprise customers.
- Own enterprise sales execution and track record of closing complex deals.
Leadership & Team Building
- Build and lead a high-performing local team across sales, customer success, engineering, support, and operations.
- Hire cross-functional teams and build teams from the ground up with world-class talent.
Operations & Performance
- Own country-level P and L, hiring decisions, sales execution, and operational performance.
- Build scalable internal processes for customer onboarding, implementation, and success.
- Manage local P and L and ensure exceptional customer experience.
Product & Customer Feedback
- Provide feedback to Product and Engineering on localization and feature needs.
Qualifications & Experience
- 10+ years of leadership experience in KSA, ideally at fast-growing software or AI companies.
- Proven experience launching and scaling operations in new markets selling disruptive software.
- Deep relationships and understanding of KSA's enterprise and government sectors.
- Strong enterprise sales, partnerships and go-to-market experience with a track record of closing complex deals.
- Experience building cross-functional teams from the ground up.
Skills & Competencies
- Fluency in Arabic and English.
- Strategic thinking combined with hands-on execution.
- Passion for technology, innovation, and shaping the future of work.
Additional Information
Nice to Have
- Experience in AI, developer tools, or enterprise SaaS.
- Background in engineering or product-led companies.
- Exposure to high-growth US or global companies expanding into MENA.
Equal Opportunity
Cognition is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. The company is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities throughout the hiring process.