Director, U.S. Government Business Development, Navy (R3497)
Shield AI
Sales & Business Development
Washington, DC, USA
Posted on Mar 11, 2025
Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent, autonomous systems. Its products include Hivemind Enterprise—EdgeOS, Pilot, Commander, and Forge—as well as V-BAT and Sentient Vision Systems (wide-area motion imaging software). With offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Abu Dhabi (UAE), Kyiv (Ukraine), and Melbourne (Australia), Shield AI’s technology actively supports U.S. and allied operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X and Instagram.
We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Director to lead Shield AI's business development efforts within the U.S. Navy. This role is pivotal in developing and executing capture strategies that align with our mission to expand the reach of our autonomous technologies. The successful candidate will work closely with the Business Development and Strategic Engagement teams to drive growth and achieve measurable results.
What you'll do:
- Capture Strategy Development: Develop and implement comprehensive capture strategies tailored to specific U.S. Navy opportunities, ensuring alignment with Shield AI's 5-year strategic plan.
- Opportunity Identification: Identify and qualify new business opportunities within the U.S. Navy, leveraging market analysis and customer insights.
- Customer Engagement: Establish and maintain strong relationships with key decision-makers, stakeholders, and influencers within the U.S. Navy and associated program offices.
- Proposal Oversight: Lead the proposal development process in collaboration with the BD Operations team, ensuring compliance with customer requirements and alignment with Shield AI's value propositions.
- Competitive Analysis: Conduct in-depth analyses of competitors to understand their strengths and weaknesses, enabling Shield AI to position itself advantageously.
- Risk Management: Identify potential risks associated with capture pursuits and develop mitigation strategies to address them.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with the Strategic Engagement team and Solutions Engineers to secure and manage opportunities across the U.S. Navy.
- Industry Engagement: Represent Shield AI at conferences, trade shows, and strategic events, proactively organizing and facilitating high-level interactions to promote the company's mission and capabilities.
- Stakeholder Communication: Regularly update senior leadership on capture progress, key milestones, and any issues that may impact the pursuit.
Required qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Engineering, or a related field.
- A combined total of over 12 years of experience in military service and sales, with a focus on the U.S. Navy.
- Air aviation background with a deep understanding of the government acquisition sales cycle.
- Proven track record of successfully capturing and winning contracts within U.S. Navy agencies.
- In-depth understanding of defense acquisition processes and the Department of Defense procurement lifecycle.
- Self-motivated and results-oriented, with demonstrated success in meeting and exceeding critical goals and deadlines.
- Experience owning and closing deals, with strong negotiation and contract management skills.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills.
- Ability to lead and motivate cross-functional teams in a high-pressure, deadline-driven environment.
- Willingness and ability to travel frequently for customer engagements at various locations, including internal and external sites and industry trade shows.
- Active or eligibility for a U.S. Department of Defense security clearance.
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience with Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and autonomy software.
- Experience in the U.S. Navy, with established relationships within the service and associated markets.
- Master of Business Administration (MBA) or equivalent graduate degree.
Full-time regular employee offer package:
Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
Temporary employee offer package:
Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)
Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.
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Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.