Director Business Development, Defense and Commercial Products - ASG

Ahtna•Greenacres, FL

12d•Remote

About The Position

The Director of Business Development, Defense and Commercial Products leads the launch and growth of a new Ahtna products division supplying winches, vehicle recovery equipment, and related vehicle accessories to defense, commercial and industrial, and automotive aftermarket customers. The role leads the division’s go-to-market strategy and revenue results, translating an established base of warm customer and supplier relationships into a functioning, revenue-generating product business. This is a builder’s role. The Director stands up the commercial foundation of a new division, including pricing architecture, channel programs, supplier agreements, distribution, and brand, while actively selling into a named pipeline of existing accounts across international defense builders, U.S. primes and government channels, upfitters, and commercial customers. The Director sequences market entry across defense, commercial and industrial, and automotive aftermarket phases, and positions the division to scale through warehouse distribution, program groups, retail, ecommerce, and direct-to-consumer channels. This role operates within a developing structure with significant autonomy, partnering closely with executive leadership, business development, operations, shared services, and Ahtna’s advisory board to convert relationships and sourcing advantages into a durable, disciplined, and compliant product line.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Supply Chain, Engineering, or a related field.
Equivalent combination of education and progressively responsible experience in product sales, channel management, or product-line leadership on a one-to-one basis.
Eight (8) years of experience in product sales, channel and distribution management, or product-line business development, including revenue ownership.
Demonstrated experience launching, growing, or managing a product line across multiple channels (direct, OEM and upfitter, distribution, retail, and ecommerce).
Direct experience selling to military, defense, government, or industrial customers.
Working knowledge of multi-tier pricing architecture, MAP and channel programs, and distributor and dealer onboarding.
Experience managing overseas and domestic sourcing, supplier agreements, and landed-cost models.
Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining effective business relationships with executive leaders, customers, distributors, suppliers, and strategic partners.
U.S. Citizen.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience in the winch, vehicle recovery, or vehicle accessory product categories.
Established relationships with defense builders and primes, upfitters, warehouse distributors, program groups, or major retail and ecommerce accounts.
Experience with automotive aftermarket structure, including ACES/PIES product data standards.
Familiarity with federal procurement and product-origin compliance (FAR, Trade Agreements Act, Berry Amendment, CMMC 2.0).
Experience within Alaska Native Corporations, 8(a) program structures, or similar organizations.
Experience standing up distribution (3PL or standalone), branded ecommerce, and trade show programs.
Knowledge and experience with Alaska Native cultures.

Responsibilities

Drive division revenue and product-line growth in support of the President’s P&L objectives; develop and execute the go-to-market strategy across defense and government, commercial and industrial, and automotive aftermarket segments.
Convert the division’s base of existing customer and supplier relationships into booked revenue, prioritizing near-term accounts while developing mid- and longer-horizon business in parallel.
Lead sales into international defense builders, U.S. defense primes, government supply channels, upfitters and OEMs, and commercial fleets.
Track and report division revenue, product-line performance, and channel status to executive leadership on a regular cadence.
Manage the product platform across electric, hydraulic, and portable winches, recovery gear, vehicle protection and mounting products, and lift products; guide line extensions as the roadmap matures.
Formalize supplier agreements, quality and testing standards, and landed-cost models with established overseas and domestic manufacturers.
Coordinate procurement, inventory planning, freight and customs, and landed-cost tracking as order volume builds.
Support the roadmap toward U.S. final assembly and testing capability, including its role in unlocking origin-restricted federal contracts.
Design and enforce distinct multi-tier pricing structures for military and government, commercial and OEM, and automotive aftermarket business, protecting margin at every distribution tier.
Establish and enforce a Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) policy and program terms that prevent channel conflict and keep every channel level whole.
Develop routes to market across warehouse distribution, program groups, retail and big box, ecommerce, and direct-to-consumer channels.
Ensure ERP and order systems and product data management (ACES/PIES) support multi-tier pricing and channel requirements prior to aftermarket entry.
Build and maintain relationships with distributors, program groups, retailers, upfitters, primes, and government customers.
Leverage Ahtna’s advisory board and Alaska Native Corporation status to open and advance defense and government opportunities.
Represent the division at industry and defense trade events and communicate company capabilities effectively to external stakeholders.
Lead brand development and onboarding materials in coordination with leadership and Legal, including trademark screening and heritage-consultation steps where applicable.
Operate federal origin and content rules (program-specific domestic-content requirements) as a filter on which contracts to pursue and when; coordinate origin and threshold determinations with Ahtna Legal before submission.
Ensure the division’s systems, personnel, and data flows are brought within Ahtna’s CMMC 2.0 program before defense contract data flows.
Partner with executive leadership, business development, operations, and shared services to align growth with delivery, sourcing, and financial capability.
Recommend product-line investment, stocking, and pricing decisions in support of the President’s budget and P&L objectives, and contribute to strategic planning and annual operating plan development.
As the division scales, the role is expected to build and lead a sales, product, and operations team, including manufacturer-representative networks, per executive direction.