Business Development Lead – US Defense UAS

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🔥 0 minutes ago

🇺🇸 United States – Remote

💵 $130k - $170k / year

⏰ Full Time

🟠 Senior

💰 Business Development (BDR)

👻 Ghost score 0%

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Shearwater Aerospace

WebsiteLinkedInAll Job Openings

1 - 10 employees

Founded 2018

🎖️ Defense

📦 Logistics

🏭 Manufacturing

Defense • Logistics • Manufacturing

Shearwater Aerospace is an AI-driven aerospace software company that provides Smart Flight™, a dual-use autonomous flight platform for UAVs. The company develops SaaS-style mission planning, in-flight optimization, and weather-aware 4D routing that integrates with common autopilot systems (PX4, Ardupilot) to extend endurance, reduce pilot workload, and enable swarm and compliance-aware operations for commercial and defence customers. Their product focuses on improving range, persistence, regulatory compliance, and operational scalability without requiring hardware changes.

📋 Description

• Build a target map from zero covering organizations, programs, and individuals who plan and fly missions • Reach defense UAS operators through warm introductions, events, ranges, veteran networks, and direct outreach • Own sourcing, contacting, follow-up, scheduling, and travel • Run discovery conversations using the company interview guide • Conduct structured product evaluations by putting SFP in front of operators and observing real mission planning • Represent Shearwater at defense UAS events, ranges, and exercises • Write after-action reports for every conversation and evaluation using operators' own words • Maintain disciplined contact and organization records and track every follow-up • Secure return engagements with operators • Flag recurring pain points, workflow surprises, competing tools, and requested capabilities weekly • Build a market map of 50+ target organizations and 100+ named individuals by day 30 • Complete 30 target-operator conversations, with founders present in at least 15, during the first 90 days • Validate or reject the top three pain hypotheses and secure 10 second conversations or evaluations • Develop operator relationships through evaluation, adoption, and early revenue as commercial ownership transitions

🎯 Requirements

• Credibility with UAS operators through planning or flying real missions, or years selling/supporting a comparable product to operators • Ability to hold a technical conversation about how missions are planned and flown • Existing network in the US defense UAS community • Day-one fluency with UAS acronyms, culture, and contacts • Demonstrated self-directed outreach and experience building a contact list from nothing • Comfortable with rejection, follow-up discipline, and meticulous contact tracking • Willing and able to travel across the US and to Canada • Must be a US Person • Writes clearly and fast • BVLOS operational experience or CONOPS/waiver work preferred • Familiarity with GCS tooling, including Mission Planner, QGC, and UgCS, preferred • Prior customer discovery, capture analysis, field research, or FSR experience preferred • Existing relationships at test ranges or defense services primes' flight test organizations preferred • Prior capture, business development, or defense sales experience is a plus • Active or recently active US security clearance is an asset, not a requirement; the company cannot currently sponsor or maintain one • US military service in a UAS, aviation, or mission-planning role, or reserve affiliation, is not required • Full-time availability; part-time consultants will not fit • References from operators flown with, supported, or sold to

🏖️ Benefits

• Meaningful early-stage equity • Commission on closed business, target 2–5% • Full travel expenses covered • 3–6 month contract-to-hire structure available for candidates who prefer to de-risk mutually