X-BAT Business Development Director, Middle East (R4949)

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Job Description:

At Shield AI, we’re redefining the battlespace with autonomy-enabled airpower. As part of our global expansion, we’re looking for a bold and visionary Director – CCAs, Middle East to lead strategic sales, customer engagement, and capture efforts for our Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) initiatives across the region. This is a high-impact role at the cutting edge of aerospace and defense innovation. You’ll be on the front lines, driving adoption and revenue for Shield AI’s CCA technologies by engaging directly with top-tier defense stakeholders—military customers, industry primes, and government decision-makers. Your mission: position Shield AI as the go-to partner for next-generation air combat solutions in the Middle East.

You’ll bring a rare mix of defense sales expertise, technical credibility, and a deep understanding of air domain CONOPS and acquisition frameworks. From identifying new opportunities to closing complex deals and launching early-stage programs, you’ll own the entire business development lifecycle.

What you'll do:

• Drive Strategic Capture: Identify, shape, and capture high-value opportunities across Middle Eastern next-gen airpower programs relevant to CCAs and autonomy.
• Drive Regional Sales Pipeline: Lead the full business development lifecycle for CCA-focused efforts, from customer engagement through proposal, negotiation, and contract award.
• Engage Key Stakeholders: Build and maintain trusted relationships with Ministries of Defence, defense primes, integrators, and key partners.
• Shape Requirements & CONOPS: Influence customer requirements and future CCA CONOPS to align with Shield AI’s product offerings.
• Support Demonstrations & Campaigns: Lead Shield AI’s positioning and participation in regional flight demos, technical trials, and program pilots.
• Coordinate Cross-Functionally: Collaborate closely with engineering, product, legal, and program teams to align technical solutions with customer needs and delivery requirements.
• Inform Product Direction: Provide field intelligence to guide feature development, integration strategy, and roadmap priorities for Hivemind-enabled CCA solutions.

Required qualifications:

• 15+ years in a relevant air force occupation, bringing significant depth of understanding of relevant CONOPs and platform applications (preference for real-world operational experience flying tactical fighter aircraft with a strong technical background).
• 3–5+ years of experience in defense acquisition, business development, sales, or strategy, ideally with a focus on air platforms or autonomy.
• 5+ years of experience in region either operationally or from a defense business perspective
• Strong track record of capturing and closing defense programs or tech insertions with relevant ministries of Defense or multinational frameworks.
• Understanding of next-gen air combat trends, including CCAs, MUM-T, and AI-enabled CONOPS.
• Ability to credibly represent technically complex products to both strategic and operational-level audiences.
• Familiarity with key regional acquisition pathways.
• Willingness to live in regional (preferably Abu Dhabi) and to travel extensively across the Middle East (30–50%).

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