Account Executive — Aerospace & Mission Systems

Defense Unicorns

1d•$145,000 - $185,000•Remote

About The Position

Defense Unicorns is seeking an Account Executive to lead business development and revenue growth across the aerospace market, including rotary-wing aircraft, fixed-wing aircraft, and space launch systems. This role will work with aircraft manufacturers, aerospace and defense primes, subsystem providers, mission-system integrators, launch providers, Federal Systems Integrators, and government program offices responsible for developing, modernizing, and sustaining complex aerospace platforms. The Account Executive will identify opportunities where Defense Unicorns can help customers modernize how software is built, integrated, secured, deployed, and sustained across aerospace and mission systems. A core focus of this role will be understanding environments where traditional platform development requires highly isolated or platform-specific engineering efforts—including SAP/SAR environments, classified systems, specialized integration laboratories, and programs where software delivery is tightly coupled to an individual platform. The Account Executive will work closely with Solutions Architects and technical teams to help customers identify opportunities to introduce modern cloud-native software practices, DevSecOps, digital engineering, modeling and simulation, and onboard compute architectures that enable mission owners to deploy new capabilities more rapidly. The ideal candidate understands both the aerospace acquisition ecosystem and the technical evolution occurring across modern mission systems: from vertically integrated platform software toward modular, software-defined architectures that allow mission applications and capabilities to be developed, tested, delivered, and updated independently of the underlying platform.

Requirements

Demonstrated success selling complex technology, mission systems, software, or engineering capabilities into aerospace and defense markets.
Experience working with rotary-wing aircraft, fixed-wing aircraft, space systems, launch systems, mission systems, or adjacent aerospace programs.
Strong understanding of the aerospace and defense ecosystem, including OEMs, primes, government program offices, mission-system integrators, subsystem providers, and Federal Systems Integrators.
Familiarity with SAP/SAR programs, classified environments, air-gapped networks, and highly controlled engineering environments.
Familiarity with Open Mission Systems, modular open systems architectures, mission computers, onboard compute, or similar mission-system concepts.
Familiarity with digital engineering, digital twins, modeling and simulation, software-in-the-loop, hardware-in-the-loop, and systems integration laboratories.
Understanding of DevSecOps, software factories, containerization, cloud-native technologies, software supply chains, and modern application deployment.
Ability to understand complex system architectures and engage credibly with aerospace engineers, systems architects, software leaders, and program managers.
Experience developing opportunities early in a program lifecycle before a formal procurement exists.
Ability to navigate complex, multi-year opportunities involving government customers, prime contractors, technology partners, and multiple acquisition stakeholders.
Strong executive communication, relationship management, negotiation, and account-planning skills.
Ability to build new markets and develop strategic opportunities rather than exclusively managing established accounts.

Nice To Haves

This role may be a strong fit for someone who has worked as a Strategic Account Executive, Aerospace Account Executive, Federal Account Executive, Capture Executive, Mission Systems Business Development Executive, or aerospace technology sales leader.
The strongest candidates will combine deep familiarity with the aerospace market with enough technical understanding to recognize how software architecture is changing the design and sustainment of modern aircraft and space systems.
They should be comfortable engaging a chief engineer about platform architecture, a program manager about acquisition and schedule, a software leader about DevSecOps, and an executive about how modular software architectures can change the economics and speed of delivering mission capability.

Responsibilities

Own pipeline creation, account strategy, opportunity development, and revenue across the aerospace market, including rotary-wing, fixed-wing, and space launch programs.
Develop strategic relationships with aerospace primes, aircraft manufacturers, launch providers, mission-system integrators, subsystem vendors, Federal Systems Integrators, and government program offices.
Identify aerospace programs where modern software architectures can reduce platform-specific engineering, accelerate mission capability delivery, and improve software sustainment.
Work with customers to understand how software is currently developed, integrated, tested, accredited, deployed, and maintained across their platforms.
Identify opportunities to reduce duplicated or isolated engineering efforts across aircraft, spacecraft, test environments, integration laboratories, and mission systems.
Understand the unique constraints associated with SAP/SAR, classified, air-gapped, disconnected, and highly controlled engineering environments.
Work closely with Solutions Architects to map Defense Unicorns capabilities into aerospace platform architectures, mission computers, onboard compute environments, ground systems, integration facilities, and software factories.
Develop account and opportunity strategies that connect technical modernization efforts to program priorities, funding, acquisition pathways, and mission outcomes.
Engage early in platform modernization and next-generation aircraft or spacecraft programs where software architecture decisions are still being formed.
Develop opportunities around modular mission-system architectures that allow mission capabilities to evolve independently of the underlying vehicle.
Build relationships across engineering leadership, program management, digital engineering teams, software organizations, acquisition stakeholders, and executive leadership.
Partner with Defense Unicorns Product, Engineering, Solutions Architecture, Marketing, Contracts, and leadership teams to advance strategic aerospace opportunities.
Maintain disciplined opportunity management, including stakeholder mapping, technical fit, decision criteria, funding pathways, competitive positioning, next actions, and forecast.
Represent Defense Unicorns at aerospace industry events, customer engagements, technical demonstrations, program reviews, and partner discussions.
Capture recurring market requirements and customer challenges to help influence Defense Unicorns product strategy and aerospace go-to-market approach.