RVP, Field Engineering, Public Sector

About the role

Cursor is on a mission to automate coding, and this position represents the foundational step in executing that vision by constructing the premier tool for professional programmers through inventive research, deliberate design, and rigorous engineering. The organization operates with an extremely flat structure composed of a small, talent-dense team that values truth-seeking, passion, and creativity above hierarchy. The ideal candidate thrives on spirited debate, welcomes crazy ideas, and is driven by the satisfaction of shipping impactful code. This role is a founding leadership position responsible for establishing the technical pre-sales organization and defining the vertical strategy for Federal, State, Local, and Education (SLED) accounts. You will own the end-to-end development of the Field Engineering team, the technical pre-sales methodology, and the evaluation playbook necessary to introduce Cursor's AI-native development platform into government agencies and public institutions.

Key facts

What you'll do

Lead the design and construction of a Field Engineering team dedicated to Federal and SLED enterprise opportunities within the public sector vertical.

Partner directly with Public Sector Sales leadership and Account Executives to architect, execute, and refine high-quality technical discovery sessions, demonstrations, and proofs of concept.

Establish and document best practices for evaluations, proof-of-concept execution, and technical deal strategy that explicitly account for stringent public sector requirements such as FedRAMP, StateRAMP, and air-gapped or on-premises environments.

Assume the role of primary escalation resource for complex customer evaluations and high-stakes public sector deals that demand deep technical and strategic insight.

Hire, onboard, and mentor top-tier Field Engineering talent, prioritizing candidates with public sector or regulated-environment domain experience, and define clear career paths for the team.

Act as the critical voice of the field within the organization, synthesizing and conveying agency and institutional customer insights back to Product and Engineering teams to influence the public sector roadmap.

Collaborate closely with Legal, Security, and Compliance stakeholders to ensure all technical evaluations meet the rigorous bar required to sell into government environments and maintain regulatory integrity.

Ensure seamless handoffs with post-sales and implementation teams to guarantee successful onboarding, adoption, and ongoing value realization for public sector accounts.

Maintain a deep, current knowledge of Cursor's product roadmap, competitive landscape, and the intricate public sector security and compliance frameworks that govern procurement.

Provide tactical and strategic coaching to the Field Engineering and Sales teams during live customer interactions and negotiations within high-pressure, complex deal environments.

Develop scalable processes and playbooks for technical engagement that balance the need for speed inherent in a startup with the deliberate nature of government procurement cycles.

Champion the establishment of a world-class technical pre-sales function capable of supporting the full lifecycle of government sales, from initial discovery to contract award.

Leverage your expertise to de-risk the adoption of AI-native development tools for large public sector organizations, addressing concerns around security, compliance, and operational viability.

Drive alignment between the commercial agility of Cursor and the stringent operational realities of public sector institutions, ensuring both parties achieve their objectives.

Requirements

You must possess a minimum of 6 years of progressive experience leading Field Engineers, Solutions Architects, or Pre-Sales teams within enterprise software organizations, with substantial exposure to Federal and SLED sales cycles.

You must have direct, hands-on experience navigating the entire public sector technical evaluation landscape, including managing security authorizations, compliance reviews, and procurement-driven proof-of-concept requirements.

You must demonstrate a strong technical foundation and fluency in modern software development workflows, contemporary AI tooling, and their impact on developer productivity.

You must have a proven track record of partnering effectively with Sales leadership to balance commercial objectives with technical integrity and maintain customer trust in high-scrutiny, high-stakes deal environments.

You must be thoroughly comfortable operating within customer-facing, high-pressure deal environments while possessing the resilience to guide teams through complex and ambiguous technical and regulatory challenges.

You must exhibit strong communication skills and executive presence, with the ability to confidently engage agency technical leadership, Chief Technology Officers, and compliance stakeholders.

You must embody a builder mindset, thriving in fast-moving, startup environments and deriving satisfaction from creating structure, process, and strategy where minimal infrastructure previously existed.

You must be willing to travel frequently in support of customer engagements, including potential last-minute travel to meet critical public sector deadlines and support field operations.

Nice to have

Experience working directly with government contractors and understanding the nuances of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).

Prior involvement in establishing security and compliance frameworks such as Zero Trust or DevSecOps within public sector deployments.

Practical notes

This role requires frequent travel to customer sites and may involve last-minute scheduling to address urgent public sector needs.

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship for this position.