X-BAT Business Development Director Middle East
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 strategic sales, customer engagement, and capture efforts for collaborative combat aircraft initiatives across the Middle East. You will identify opportunities, develop proposals, negotiate contracts, engage defense stakeholders, shape requirements and CONOPS, lead demonstrations, and provide field intelligence that informs product direction.
Requirements
- 15 or more years in a relevant air force occupation
- 3 or more years of experience in defense acquisition, business development, sales, or strategy
- 5 or more years of regional operational or defense business experience
- Track record of capturing and closing defense programs or technology insertions
- Understanding of collaborative combat aircraft, MUM-T, and AI-enabled CONOPS
- Ability to represent technically complex products to strategic and operational audiences
- Familiarity with regional acquisition pathways
- Willingness to live in the region and travel extensively across the Middle East
Responsibilities
- Identify, shape, and capture high-value next-generation airpower opportunities
- Lead the business development lifecycle from customer engagement through contract award
- Build and maintain relationships with defense ministries, primes, integrators, and partners
- Influence customer requirements and collaborative combat aircraft CONOPS
- Lead regional flight demonstrations, technical trials, and program pilots
- Coordinate technical solutions with engineering, product, legal, and program functions
- Provide field intelligence to inform feature development, integration strategy, and roadmap priorities