Business Development Lead, US Defense UAS

Shearwater Aerospace

5d • $130,000 - $170,000 • Remote

About The Position

This is a hands-on, field-based business development role focused on establishing a systematic presence with defense UAV operators. The primary goal is to get the product, Smart Flight™, in front of operators, understand their mission planning and flying processes, and feed this ground truth back into product development. The role involves building a market map from scratch, reaching operators through respected channels, and owning the full engagement loop from sourcing to scheduling and travel. It also includes running discovery conversations and product evaluations, representing the company at defense UAS events, and capturing learning through detailed after-action reports. The role is structured in phases, starting with field discovery and potentially transitioning to commercial ownership as demand grows.

Requirements

• Credibility with UAS operators, either through personal experience planning or flying real missions (military or civil), or through years of selling/supporting comparable products to this audience.
• Ability to hold technical conversations about mission planning and flight operations.
• An existing network within the US defense UAS community that can be leveraged from week one.
• Day-one fluency in defense UAS terminology, culture, and key contacts.
• Demonstrated self-directed outreach skills, including building contact lists from scratch and working them.
• Comfort with rejection, discipline in follow-up, and meticulous contact tracking.
• Willingness and ability to travel across the US and to Canada.
• Must be a US Person.
• Clear and fast writing skills for documenting product input.
• Full-time commitment (contract-to-hire is acceptable).

Nice To Haves

• BVLOS operational experience or CONOPS/waiver work.
• Familiarity with Ground Control Station (GCS) tooling like Mission Planner, QGC, UgCS, and their associated planning workflows.
• Prior experience in customer discovery, capture analysis, field research, or as a Field Service Representative (FSR).
• Existing relationships at test ranges or with defense services primes' flight test organizations.
• Prior capture, business development, or defense sales experience.
• An active or recently active US security clearance.
• US military service in a UAS, aviation, or mission-planning role, or a reserve affiliation.

Responsibilities

• Build the target market map from scratch, identifying organizations, programs, and individuals involved in planning and flying defense UAS missions.
• Reach operators through established community channels, including warm introductions, events, ranges, veteran networks, and direct outreach.
• Own the end-to-end engagement process: sourcing, contacting, following up, scheduling, and traveling for meetings.
• Run discovery conversations using a provided interview guide to understand current workflows, tools, pain points, and costs.
• Conduct structured product evaluations, observing operators as they plan real missions with the product and capturing their feedback.
• Represent Shearwater Aerospace at defense UAS events, ranges, and exercises.
• Write concise after-action reports for every conversation and evaluation, documenting operator feedback and insights.
• Maintain detailed contact and organization records, tracking every interaction and follow-up.
• Identify and flag weekly patterns in operator feedback, including repeated pains, workflow surprises, competing tools, and requested capabilities.
• Secure return engagements from operators, indicating successful product engagement.

Benefits

• USD $130,000–$170,000 base salary depending on network depth and proven selling record.
• Meaningful early-stage equity.
• Commission on closed business (target 2–5%).
• Full travel expenses covered.
• A 3–6 month contract-to-hire structure is available.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed