Business Unit Executive

About Merlin Group

Merlin Group operates at the intersection of cyber innovation, national security, and technology-driven transformation. With a mission to accelerate the adoption of high-impact technologies across the U.S. public sector and regulated commercial markets, Merlin is uniquely structured around three core tenets – Invest, Enable, and Scale – each designed to address a specific stage of the technology lifecycle. Together, our affiliates – Merlin Ventures, CGC, and Merlin Cyber – form a flywheel that builds enduring capability for customers, partners, and the broader cyber ecosystem, operationalizing technological advancement into mission-ready, enterprise-grade solutions.

At Merlin, we believe our strength lies in our people. Team members are encouraged to be creative, collaborative, and nimble, pursuing paths to deliver the cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions that our customers rely on. From next-generation cyber defense to secure cloud and AI, we are united by one purpose – transforming innovation into mission impact.

The Opportunity

We're seeking an exceptional Business Unit Executive to build, lead, and scale our Network Security Practice from the ground up. This is not a traditional management role – it's an entrepreneurial opportunity to own and operate a business unit within Merlin's cyber practice. You'll have full P&L accountability, the autonomy to build your team, and direct access to company resources to execute your vision. Think of this as running your own public sector-focused network security business, backed by Merlin's platform, partnerships, and support infrastructure.

What You'll Build

• Build a dedicated sales team to drive revenue growth across public sector with an initial focus on federal.
• Develop a comprehensive go-to-market strategy that scales our network security practice.
• Define solution positioning, value propositions, and competitive differentiation.
• Drive revenue generation while building your practice infrastructure.
• Identify and integrate complementary technology partners to grow deal sizes.
• Create customer success frameworks that drive retention and expansion.
• Establish thought leadership and brand recognition in public sector network security.
• Drive cross-practice collaboration to deliver holistic cybersecurity solutions.

Your Responsibilities

Revenue & Growth Ownership

• Manage revenue quota and gross profit targets for the Network Security practice area.
• Drive new customer acquisition and existing account expansion.
• Build and scale sales pipeline to support aggressive growth targets.
• Balance short-term revenue generation with long-term market positioning.

Go-to-Market Strategy

• Develop and execute comprehensive GTM strategies for federal network security.
• Define solution positioning across Civilian, DoW, Intelligence, SLED verticals.
• Build competitive intelligence and differentiation strategies.
• Create compelling value propositions that resonate with public sector buyers.

Team Building & Leadership

• Build a dedicated sales team.
• Foster a customer-centric culture of collaboration and innovation.
• Develop talent through coaching, enablement, and career development.

Solution Innovation

• Drive development of differentiated value-add services (automation, health checks assessments).
• Create solutions that combine multiple OEM technologies that provide "better together" strategies.
• Identify emerging trends and position practice ahead of market shifts.

What Success Looks Like

Quantitative

• Revenue attainment (primary metric)
• Pipeline coverage and conversion rates
• Customer acquisition and retention rates
• Team hiring and development milestones
• Win rates and deal velocity

Qualitative

• Market recognition as a leading network security provider in the public sector space
• High-performing team culture with low attrition
• Innovative value-add approach that differentiates Merlin
• Seamless collaboration with other practices and functions

Qualifications

Required

• 10+ years in public sector cybersecurity market with deep understanding of federal buying patterns, compliance requirements, and procurement cycles.
• Proven revenue generation track record in public sector sales.
• Network security domain expertise with the ability to discuss solutions credibly with CISOs, executives, architects, and technical teams.
• Builder mentality with experience launching territories, practices, or business units from early stages.
• Technical fluency sufficient to collaborate with engineers, understand architecture, and identify solution opportunities (you don't need to configure firewalls, but you need to understand why SDN matters).
• Revenue Attainment with demonstrated ability to deliver results.

Preferred

• Built or scaled a practice area within a software company, SI, or consulting firm.
• Managed sales teams or technical organizations in the public sector cybersecurity ecosystem.
• Possess strong relationships across federal agencies and system integrators.

Critical Competencies

• Business Acumen: You understand how to scale responsibly, balancing rapid growth with disciplined margin and profitability management
• Strategic Thinking: You can develop multi-year strategies while executing tactical wins
• Influencing Without Authority: You can drive outcomes through matrixed resources and collaborative relationships
• Talent Magnet: People want to work for you and with you
• Executive Presence: You can hold your own with executive-level leaders
• Bias to Action: You move fast, make decisions, and iterate based on results
• Collaborative Builder: You win by helping others win—comfortable sharing credit and resources

Technical Baseline

• Comfortable engaging in technical discussions with federal IT leaders about network architecture, zero trust, segmentation, SD-WAN, SASE, and related concepts
  • Understands how network security integrates with broader cybersecurity frameworks (NIST CSF, Zero Trust Architecture, etc.)
• Ability to evaluate emerging technologies and their applicability to public sector use cases

What Makes This Role Unique

Autonomy + Resources

• Flat organization—you report directly to decision-makers
• Minimal bureaucracy and red tape
• Company actively invests in practice development
• Freedom to make decisions and move quickly

Builder's Canvas

• Create something from an early stage with enterprise backing
• Define the culture, processes, and go-to-market approach
• Hire your team based on your vision
• Leave your mark on a growing organization

Innovation Platform

• Labs team available to build proprietary tools and services
• Encouraged to develop AI-driven automation and value-add capabilities
• Support for creating differentiated IP, not just reselling existing product
• Cross-practice collaboration to solve complex federal challenges

Work Environment & Location

• Primary Location: Tysons, VA (several days per week minimum)
• Travel: Expect periodic travel to customer sites, partner meetings, and conferences

Success Attributes

• Commitment to personal and professional integrity and respect for others
• Roll-up-your-sleeves attitude and low-ego approach
• Commitment to teamwork and professional relationship development
• Passion for lifelong learning, growth, and development
• Flexible and nimble; comfortable with ambiguity and rapid change
• Strong communication and functional project management skills
• Desire to innovate, try new things, and creatively explore novel solutions to business challenges
• Professional and respectful approach to the diversity of thought, action, identity, and attributes

Benefits & Perks

We want to empower and inspire employees to be and do their best. Our workdays are dynamic, collegial, and fun. Our office features multiple places to work unconstrained by typical office barriers. Our wellness package provides access to an on-site gym and includes medical, dental, and vision insurance along with options for FSA and EAP. We offer 401(k) with employer match, unlimited PTO, and a culture respectful of the reality that not everything in one's personal life is guaranteed to happen only after hours.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local, or international law.