Account Lead

Job description

About the role As an Account Lead at Sight Machine, you will serve as the anchor for our highest-impact manufacturing client engagements. The position reports to the CEO/Co Founder. You own the strategic relationship, the commercial health, and the long-term trajectory of each account in your portfolio. You are the reason a client continues to invest, translating the value of AI-powered manufacturing intelligence into business outcomes that resonate at the C-suite, securing executive alignment, and ensuring Sight Machine delivers on its full promise. Manufacturing executives are being approached by every major technology company right now with an AI story. Most of those stories are early, unproven, or built on someone else’s infrastructure. Sight Machine’s is not. Our platform runs on live production data, across real factories, for some of the world’s most demanding manufacturers. As an Account Lead, your job is to make that case credibly and to build the kind of executive trust that holds when a deployment gets hard, a contract comes up for renewal, or a client’s priorities shift. That requires someone who genuinely understands what AI in manufacturing means, not just what it sells for. You will lead a three-person delivery team alongside a Forward Deployed Strategist (FDS) and Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), serving as the connective thread between Sight Machine leadership, ecosystem partners, and client buying centers. The work your team delivers is substantive: AI models running on live production data, use cases that change how plant managers make decisions, and platform deployments that have to hold up under real operational pressure. You operate primarily at the strategic layer, but you are close enough to the work to challenge a delivery timeline, guide a use case definition, or step into an executive conversation when the stakes are high. If you have a track record of owning complex enterprise accounts, managing executive relationships with authority, and navigating the financial and organizational dynamics of global manufacturing organizations, this role offers something increasingly rare: the chance to sell and deliver AI that is genuinely working, on real factory floors, at real scale. The AI transformation in manufacturing is not a pitch deck. It’s happening, and you’ll be at the front of it. Why Join Sight Machine Our team is a hungry, humble, smart group of outcomes leaders, data scientists, data architects and engineers, software developers, and customer engagement managers who collaborate to solve some of the most complex challenges facing our manufacturing customers. We put a lot of stock in trusting and empowering each other, solving today’s problems while knowing tomorrow will bring a few more, and getting a little better every day. Our Team-Based Delivery Model At Sight Machine, we deploy customer engagements through integrated three-person teams, each bringing complementary expertise to drive transformation. As the Account Lead, you set the strategic frame within which your team operates. You work closely with the FDS to translate business priorities into a delivery roadmap and work backward from key contract, fiscal, and milestone dates to define what success looks like. The FDS depends on you for executive context and commercial clarity; the FDE depends on you and the FDS to shield technical delivery from organizational noise. Your ability to hold the strategic vision, resolve internal resource conflicts, and maintain executive trust is the foundation that makes the entire engagement work. What you will do Executive Relationship Management & Account Strategy: Own the strategic relationship with client executives, buying centers, and senior operational leadership, serving as Sight Machine’s most senior point of accountability for account health and long-term value realization Define what success looks like for each engagement, setting the “report card” with client leadership and working backward from critical business, contract, and fiscal milestones Maintain deep understanding of each client’s organizational structure, decision-making dynamics, funding sources, and fiscal calendar, and continuously look for opportunities to grow the account’s scope and value Commercial Ownership & Contract Stewardship: Own full visibility into contract terms, renewal timelines, milestones, and financial triggers, and keep Sight Machine ahead of key dates internally so nothing catches the team by surprise Manage the complete financial picture of each engagement, including platform pricing, cloud costs, and partner financial incentives (Microsoft, NVIDIA, SIs), and lead or co-lead contract negotiations with detailed business cases that reflect both client and SM interests Understand SM’s SLA obligations and the contractual implications of delivery gaps, and resolve resource conflicts across accounts before they become commercial risks Team & Ecosystem Leadership: Recruit and shape the delivery team for each engagement, exercising meaningful input on the right FDS/FDE pairing, and provide both roles with the strategic context and commercial clarity they need to execute Orchestrate Sight Machine’s partner ecosystem across Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Systems Integrators, anchoring SI engagement at the strategic level, navigating co-selling dynamics, and shielding the FDE from organizational complexity Risk Management, Escalation & Platform Fluency: Serve as the primary owner of major client escalations and proactively identify relationship, delivery, and commercial risks. Keep a continuous read on account health and get ahead of issues before they become crises Maintain sufficient command of the Sight Machine platform to lead executive demos, participate credibly in whiteboard sessions, and communicate platform value and AI/ML capabilities to non-technical stakeholders with authority Use AI tools actively in your own workflow: account research, executive briefing prep, competitive positioning, and communications. We work with clients who are investing in AI transformation, and the best Account Leads model that same orientation in how they work This position requires up to 40% domestic and international travel to client sites, executive briefings, partner summits, and industry events. Travel frequency will vary by account portfolio and engagement phase. Qualifications 7+ years of professional experience with significant time in enterprise account management, management consulting, or customer success within manufacturing, industrial technology, or complex B2B SaaS environments Demonstrated track record of owning executive-level client relationships and driving measurable commercial outcomes, including renewals, expansions, and at-risk account recovery, within global manufacturing organizations Deep understanding of manufacturing enterprise dynamics: org structures, decision-making processes, funding mechanisms, and operational priorities across functions including operations, IT/OT, finance, and procurement Strong commercial acumen, including experience managing contract negotiations, pricing structures, and partner financial relationships Ability to lead, coach, and align cross-functional delivery teams without direct authority, creating clarity and momentum across the FDS and FDE Strong executive communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to distill complex technical and commercial situations into clear narratives for C-suite audiences Experience managing complex multi-party engagements involving Systems Integrators, technology partners, and enterprise procurement stakeholders High emotional intelligence and political acuity, with the ability to navigate ambiguity and maintain relationships under pressure Genuine curiosity about how AI is reshaping manufacturing operations, and a track record of adopting new tools to work more effectively. You don’t need to be an AI engineer, but you should be someone who leans in rather than waits to see how it plays out Also Helpful, But Not Required Prior experience with AI/ML, Industrial IoT, or advanced analytics platforms in a manufacturing context Familiarity with Microsoft Azure ecosystem, Databricks, or similar data and AI infrastructure platforms Experience as a co-sell partner or alliance manager with major cloud providers (Microsoft, AWS, GCP) Background in digital transformation program leadership at enterprise scale MBA or advanced degree in business, engineering, or operations Prior experience in a forward-deployed, embedded, or customer-side consultative role Team Culture Great things happen when people can bring their authentic selves to work. We empower all of our employees to share their perspectives, passions and experiences because collectively we make a better, stronger team. Our team members collaborate closely with peers & cross functional stakeholders throughout the business, our clients on the forefront of digital transformation, and the cutting edge of digital manufacturing thought leadership. We take pride in our self-starter culture where employees are enabled and encouraged to achieve their professional goals through leadership guidance, learning and development. Our philosophy is that careers are continuous journeys, and we dedicate time and offer resources so that employees can reach their full potential. Benefits + Perks We value you at and outside of work and know your loved ones are important. Our benefits are designed to support you and your family’s health through life’s expected and unexpected events. Our Benefits Include: Competitive Salary + Stock Options Health Care Coverage + Life Insurance + Health Savings Account + Flexible Spending Account (includes spouse + children) Flexible Vacation Policy Adaptable Working Schedule and Environment Our Perks Include: Casual Dress Attire Hybrid work flexibility Catered Lunches, Snacks and Beverages Commuter Savings Program Company Outings Designated Volunteering Hours + Group Volunteer Events Sight Machine is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and considers candidates regardless of age, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. Sight Machine also considers qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. About Sight Machine, Inc. Sight Machine strengthens manufacturers by providing the industry’s only standard data model and system-level visualization capabilities. By integrating all crucial data into a single innovative platform, everyone involved in the fabrication process can visualize, contextualize and examine data in one intuitive interface. Sight Machine is committed and mission-driven to improve lives, strengthen communities and make the world cleaner through continuously re-envisioning manufacturing processes - making them more efficient, sustainable and absolute. Founded in Michigan in 2011 and expanded to San Francisco in 2012, Sight Machine blends the spirit of technology innovation and the down to earth style of Detroit manufacturing. Our team includes early leadership from Yahoo, Tesla Motors and Oracle. Together, we share wide industry knowledge and a commitment to advance manufacturing to a more sustainable future. At Sight Machine, you will work with manufacturing leaders in the automotive, medical device, apparel, construction, and pharmaceutical industries. You will have access to, and work with massive amounts of factory floor data to help uncover insights on how customers make products and develop solutions to pressing business problems. The platform solves problems like Extract Transform Load (ETL), information retrieval, data aggregation and analytics, factory automation, distributed computing, and security. We place great value on professional, technical, and personal growth in an inclusive, collaborative environment. The ideal candidate will have a passion for technology and a strong can-do attitude.