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

Shield AI
Abu Dhabi
Workplace: OnsiteFull timeFunction: Business Development & PartnershipsExperience: 15+ yearsSkills: ["Stakeholder management","Negotiation","Presentation","Communication","Leadership"]

Director-level role leading strategic sales, capture, and regional business development for Shield AI’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft initiatives in the Middle East. You’ll manage end-to-end lifecycle from opportunity identification to contract awards, engage key defense stakeholders, shape CONOPS, coordinate with cross-functional teams, and influence product direction for regional programs.

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FursaFursa
Shield AI
Shield AI
4 months ago

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

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Source: Company careers pageValidated by: Fursa AI
Last checked: 17 hours agoStatus: Live

Job Summary

Director-level role leading strategic sales, capture, and regional business development for Shield AI’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft initiatives in the Middle East. You’ll manage end-to-end lifecycle from opportunity identification to contract awards, engage key defense stakeholders, shape CONOPS, coordinate with cross-functional teams, and influence product direction for regional programs.
Location: Abu Dhabi
Workplace: Onsite
Employment Type: Full time
Job Function: Business Development & Partnerships
Seniority: Director level

Key Responsibilities

  • •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.
Travel: High travel

Key Requirements

  • •15+ years in a relevant air force occupation with deep understanding of CONOPs and platform applications, preferably with operational fighter aircraft experience and strong technical background
  • •3–5+ years of experience in defense acquisition, business development, sales, or strategy, ideally focused on air platforms or autonomy
  • •5+ years of regional experience operationally or from a defense business perspective
  • •Strong track record of capturing and closing defense programs or tech insertions with MoD or multinational frameworks
  • •Understanding of next-gen air combat trends (CCAs, MUM-T, AI-enabled CONOPS) and ability to represent technically complex products to strategic and operational audiences
Experience:15+ yearsDefenseAerospaceMilitary
Skills:Stakeholder managementNegotiationPresentationCommunicationLeadership

Company Brief

Shield AI
Develops AI-powered autonomy and software for military aircraft and drones to enable autonomous ISR and combat missions, integrating perception, navigation, and mission planning for defense customers.
Industry: Defense Technology
Company Size: Large (251 to 1,000 employees)
Growth: Scaleup
Funding: Series E+
Headquarters: San Diego, United States
Founded: 2015
WebsiteLinkedIn