Business Development Director – Middle East (X‑BAT)

About the role

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.

Key responsibilities

• Identify, shape, and capture high‑value opportunities across Middle Eastern next‑gen airpower programs relevant to CCAs and autonomy.
• Lead the full business development lifecycle for CCA‑focused efforts, from customer engagement through proposal, negotiation, and contract award.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with Ministries of Defence, defense primes, integrators, and key partners.
• Influence customer requirements and future CCA CONOPS to align with Shield AI’s product offerings.
• Lead Shield AI’s positioning and participation in regional flight demos, technical trials, and program pilots.
• Collaborate closely with engineering, product, legal, and program teams to align technical solutions with customer needs.
• Provide field intelligence to guide feature development, integration strategy, and roadmap priorities for Hivemind‑enabled CCA solutions.

Required profile

• 15+ years in a relevant air‑force occupation, preferably with operational fighter aircraft experience.
• 3–5+ years in defense acquisition, business development, sales, or strategy focused on air platforms or autonomy.
• 5+ years of experience in the Middle East, either operationally or from a defense‑business perspective.
• Proven track record of capturing and closing defense programs or technology insertions with ministries of defence or multinational frameworks.
• Deep understanding of next‑gen air combat trends, including CCAs, MUM‑T, and AI‑enabled CONOPS.
• Willingness to reside in Abu Dhabi and travel extensively across the Middle East (30–50%).