Head of Commercial

About AI71

AI71 is a leading company specializing in artificial intelligence. Our mission is to empower developers, enterprises, and governments by delivering innovative, secure, and enterprise-grade AI solutions tailored for knowledge workers and sector-specific challenges. We focus on bridging advanced AI technologies with real-world applications, driven by a dedication to research and ethical responsibility that fosters transformative progress and community empowerment.

Role Overview

As AI71 expands regionally, the commercial function plays a pivotal role in converting platform capabilities into revenue, particularly within highly regulated and sovereign markets. The Head of Commercial will have full ownership of sales, go-to-market strategies, partnerships, and customer success initiatives for the Ask platform. Starting with a small customer success-focused team, you will build a comprehensive commercial operation including the operating model, pipeline management, and motivation systems that are currently absent.

This position does not prioritize rapid growth, given the frontier nature of agentic AI. The challenge lies in selecting the right clients in an optimal sequence, converting each into references that generate compound value. Collaborating closely with Product and Deployment teams, you will balance client acquisition with organizational capacity and product development cycles.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the commercial strategy for Ask, targeting regulated-enterprise and sovereign sectors across core markets like UAE and Morocco and expansion areas.
• Translate the technical capabilities of Ask into practical offerings, pricing models, and market approaches suitable for government and regulated buyers.
• Partner with Product to select prime accounts that enhance the product and act as references, pacing client onboarding to align with organizational readiness.
• Provide detailed market and client insights to influence product roadmap and packaging priorities.
• Manage the entire sales pipeline from lead sourcing to deal closure with reliable forecasts.
• Negotiate complex, high-value contracts such as License Agreements, Service Level Agreements, Data Processing Agreements, and others through extensive multi-stakeholder processes in government and regulated environments.
• Develop commercial terms addressing agentic AI risks including data controls, autonomy limits, usage scope, and liability in coordination with Legal to mitigate risks and maintain deal momentum.
• Oversee post-sale engagement with key high-value clients to ensure retention, executive-level relationships, and reference development, while driving additional use case growth alongside Delivery teams.
• Establish and nurture a focused ecosystem of technology partners, channels, system integrators, and local representatives, ensuring partnerships generate substantive pipeline opportunities.
• Create the foundational commercial operating model including pipeline stages, qualification criteria, forecasting routines, CRM standards, and bid management processes.
• Design incentive and compensation structures such as quotas, targets, and bonuses tailored to few, significant, long-cycle deals, collaborating with Business Operations and Finance.
• Regularly report commercial status—pipeline, conversion, revenue, major deals—to executive leadership and board members.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Over 12 years of experience in commercial strategy, deal structuring, or business development with at least 4 years of proven leadership managing commercial teams.
• Deep familiarity with selling to regulated and sovereign clients such as financial institutions, defense, and government entities, including navigating RFP/RFQ procedures, vendor qualifications, and security and regulatory compliance.
• Proficiency in Arabic, French, and English and adeptness in engaging executive stakeholders across UAE, Morocco, and the broader region.
• Track record of negotiating complex enterprise or government contracts through to signature.
• Experience in designing commercial operating frameworks and incentive models from the ground up is highly desirable.

Preferred Skills and Knowledge

• Insight into the agentic AI market landscape, buyer maturity levels, and emerging commercial frameworks.
• Experience commercializing agentic or usage-based software products.
• Strong commercial judgement emphasizing selectivity and qualification to target impactful deals that the organization can support and use as references.
• Exceptional negotiation skills for complex terms, capable of balancing firmness with flexibility to secure agreements without concessions that weaken position.
• Ability to build trust with both technical and executive stakeholders, understanding decision-making dynamics in MENA government and regulated sectors.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a demonstrated ability to build and implement commercial functions independently.
• Strategic clarity to translate complex pipelines into accurate, trustworthy forecasts for leadership and board-level communications.

Why Join AI71?

• Engage in mission-driven work utilizing advanced AI to tackle real-world challenges in critical sectors alongside a passionate, talented team.
• Access unparalleled opportunities for innovation with a company that has exclusive resources and world-leading AI models.
• Benefit from competitive salary, employee benefits, and significant prospects for career advancement as a core team member.
• Enjoy a modern, flexible workplace equipped with cutting-edge tools and technologies to maximize productivity.