Business Development Lead Central Europe
Shield AI is a U.S. defense-technology company developing mission-autonomy software and autonomous aircraft for military and allied operations.
Funding history
Investors
About Shield AI
Founded in 2015, Shield AI builds Hivemind autonomy software and V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft for operations in contested, GPS- and communications-denied environments. Its current site also presents Aechelon synthetic-reality simulation and Vision Systems detection and tracking products.
Skills
Candidate Availability
Required and preferred rules are kept separate and reflect the wording in the original posting.
About the Role
You will lead territory strategy, pipeline development, account growth, and deal execution across Central Europe. You will engage senior defence and government stakeholders, lead proposals and negotiations, manage partnerships and offset strategies, coordinate cross-functional delivery, maintain forecasts and reporting, provide market intelligence, and support post-award account growth.
Requirements
- At least 6 years of business development, capture, sales, strategic engagement, account management, or related customer-facing experience in defence, aerospace, national security, or advanced technology
- Experience in international defence, government, or regulated markets
- Experience shaping and advancing complex opportunities
- Ability to build credibility with military, government, industry, and partner stakeholders
- Understanding of autonomous systems, ISR, mission systems, AI-enabled capabilities, or related defence technologies
- Communication, negotiation, stakeholder management, and cross-functional collaboration skills
- Ability to travel frequently throughout the territory and internationally
- Fluency in English and relevant regional languages
Responsibilities
- Execute go-to-market strategy across assigned markets
- Build a pipeline for autonomy, aircraft, ISR, and mission-system opportunities
- Lead account planning, customer shaping, competitive positioning, proposals, negotiation, and contract close
- Engage military, defence ministry, procurement, sovereign, and industry stakeholders
- Articulate operational outcomes and integration pathways
- Develop regional partnerships, industrial participation structures, and offset strategies
- Coordinate cross-functional capture and delivery activities
- Maintain forecasting, pipeline management, opportunity tracking, and campaign reporting
- Provide market intelligence on competitors, demand, and risks
- Support post-award customer engagement and account expansion