Director, U.S. Government Sales & Business Development — Uncrewed Systems (UAS)

Director, U.S. Government Sales & Business Development — Uncrewed Systems (UAS) 

Location: Los Angeles/Remote Reports to: VP, Global Sales Travel: ~30–50%  to customers, ranges, and industry events. Some CONUS/OCONUS as needed. 

About the Job: 

Own growth with DoD and U.S. Civilian agencies for our small-to-medium UAS portfolio (airframes, payloads, autonomy, C2/MANET, and supporting software). You’ll run the full capture lifecycle—shaping requirements, creating demand, structuring deals, and closing programs—by knowing exactly how the government buys and where to influence. 

What You'll Do: 

• Market shaping & capture 

• Map missions, pain points, and decision chains across DoD (e.g., Army PEO Aviation/UGS, AFLCMC, NAVSEA/PEO USC, SOCOM), DHS (CBP, FEMA, CISA), DOJ, DOI, and state/local public safety. 

• Shape requirements and influence early via user trials, CONOPs development, KPP/KSAs, and experimentation events (e.g., DIU, AFWERX/SOFWERX, RCCTO, JIFX). 

• Build and lead captures across FAR-based and non-FAR pathways (IDIQ/MA-IDIQ, OTA consortia, SBIR/STTR, CSOs, BPAs, GWACs). 

• Identify and drive colors of money and PPBE timelines; target RDT&E → Procurement transitions and Year-End/Unfunded priorities. 

• Sales execution 

• Own a qualified pipeline and accurate forecasts; run pursuits from gate reviews through proposal and BAFO/negotiation. 

• Develop price-to-win, teaming, and channel strategies (primes, SI partners, value-added resellers, and distribution). 

• Lead solution positioning: airframe + payload + comms + software + integration + sustainment. 

• Customer & stakeholder engagement 

• Build executive-level relationships: requirement owners, program managers, test directors, contracting officers, S&T leads, and end-user units. 

• Orchestrate demos, range events, and operational evaluations; convert pilots to multi-year programs. 

• Internal leadership 

• Drive cross-functional capture teams (engineering, product, finance, legal, export/ITAR, and ops). 

• Provide VOC to product for roadmap, interoperability (STANAG, MAVLink, MOSA), and compliance needs (airworthiness, spectrum, cybersecurity). 

Where to Influence: 

• Pre-RFI: mission analysis, concept demos, draft KPPs/CONOPS, pilot funding lines. 

• RFI/RFP shaping: requirements comments, qualification criteria, small-biz strategy, eval weighting. 

• Acquisition path: recommend OTA vs FAR, down-select entry points, subcontract/prime alignment. 

• Budget windows: POM inputs, R-/P-/O&M-line tracking, congressional adds, year-end sweeps. 

• Evaluation: test cards, threshold/objective performance, reliability/maintainability data. 

• Award & scale: options, CLIN structure, fielding/training/sustainment plans. 

Required Qualifications: 

• 8–15+ years in U.S. GovCon sales/capture/BD with a proven record selling UAS or adjacent C5ISR/robotics solutions into DoD and/or DHS/DOJ/DOI. 

• Expert in the government buy cycle, PPBE, and multiple acquisition pathways (FAR/DFARS, IDIQs, OTAs/CSOs, SBIR). 

• Demonstrated wins influencing requirements and moving programs from prototype to production. 

• Strong network with program offices, requirements shops, test centers, and primes/SIs. 

• Proposal leadership (RFI/RFP responses, volumes, orals) and price-to-win experience. 

• Working knowledge of ITAR/EAR, cybersecurity (e.g., NIST/CMMC basics), and export considerations. 

• Bachelor’s degree (technical, business, or related); advanced degree or DAU/NCMA credentials a plus. 

Nice to Have: 

• UAS domain depth (Group 1–3), payloads (EO/IR, EW, LiDAR), MANET/C2, autonomy software, and MOSA integration. 

• Prior military or federal service in relevant mission areas. 

• Active Secret (or ability to obtain/maintain). TS/SCI preferred. 

KPIs 

• Qualified pipeline coverage (≥3–4× quota), win rate on targeted pursuits, TCV/ACV booked, capture cycle time, prototype-to-production conversions, and expansion on existing vehicles (IDIQs/OTAs).