Vertical Lead, Civic & Government

Civic & Government @ Perplexity

Perplexity is AI for those who demand more. Few missions are as demanding as those of the United States government, where millions of public servants work each day to make our nation safer, stronger, and more prosperous.

We're proud to serve those who serve America through our Civic & Government vertical. Each day, Perplexity for Government helps tens of thousands of users across hundreds of agencies. From caring for our Nation's wounded warriors to engineering the next generation of American civil works, Perplexity has become indispensable public infrastructure for those who require accuracy, agency, and precision to solve society's most pressing challenges. Our products also serve the broader public through features that effortlessly draw upon laws, regulations, procedures, and government publications to make government more accessible to all.

About the Role

Perplexity is seeking a hands-on leader to guide our Civic & Government vertical through the next order of magnitude of growth. We are an entrepreneurial team, and we've built a reputation across government for our agility, technical expertise, and willingness to move mountains to further our users' missions.

As the Vertical Lead, Civic & Government, you will drive mission, vision, and execution to scale the Civic & Government vertical across numerous missions and operating environments. You'll provide strategic leadership, tactical operations management, and a relentless drive to serve those who serve. You'll lean into Perplexity's core strengths in AI orchestration, infrastructure, and accuracy to grow the business and strengthen our alignment with Administration and agency priorities.

Perplexity takes a unique approach to how we serve the public sector. Government agencies are tired of dealing with tech companies who treat their public sector teams as internal D-leagues, counting on size and inertia over competence and innovation. We believe that government deserves better. As the vertical leader, you'll be responsible for maintaining a sterling reputation as a company who brings their very best to the business of government.

You will enjoy support from our CEO, CTO, and senior leadership team. Perplexity is proud to be an American AI company, and our leaders are eager to serve the mission however we can. In return, we expect extraordinary dedication and a can-do attitude. Leaders at Perplexity are doers, not delegators. You should expect to get involved in the gritty details of each workstream, with no detail too small to merit your attention.

Responsibilities

• Execute relentlessly against the charter set forth above, defining and delivering your unique vision for delivering value in the Civic & Government vertical.

• Lead a mission-driven, entrepreneurial team that straddles technology, GTM, policy, and operations to drive both business outcomes and civic impact.

• Attract and recruit high-caliber talent through tactical hiring, while keeping the team scrappy and nimble.

• Keep abreast of new AI technologies and make maximally effective use of them in your own work, setting an example across the team and inspiring others to do the same.

• Help the company source and make high-conviction, opportunistic bets in the Civic & Government space.

• Work with engineering, product, and business partners to ensure the highest caliber across both product and collateral, while also ensuring that Civic & Government investments support the broader business.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience within and/or adjacent to the U.S. federal government, with knowledge of agency structure, procurement, compliance, cybersecurity programs (e.g., FedRAMP, IL categorizations), and other key disciplines for serving government agencies.

• Strong understanding of (and empathy for) the challenges that government agencies face in onboarding emerging technologies to support the mission.

• Unparalleled grit and self-motivation to succeed in an environment where you'll be (1) granted high autonomy and (2) held to correspondingly high expectations by both Perplexity leadership and the thousands of dedicated public servants whom we serve.

• Strong network in relevant communities, along with the ability to foster new relationships with key stakeholders within government and industry partners.

• AI evangelist who uses frontier AI tools in creative, high-taste ways and can inspire others to do the same.

• Strong communication skills and impeccable executive presence to represent Perplexity before sophisticated & discerning audiences.

• An obsession with continual improvement of self and others; never satisfied with the status quo.

• Technical expertise in areas relevant to Perplexity (applications from those with rigorous AI or technology backgrounds are welcome).

• Top Secret clearance welcome but not required.