Head of Government Sales & Defense Contracting

Wild West Systems•Leander, TX

About The Position

About Wild West Systems Wild West Systems is a defense technology startup redefining autonomous edge defense through modular, AI-powered weapon systems-designed, built, and launched in the USA. We're arming the future warfighter with precision, affordability, and swagger. If you're ready to operate where policy, power, and hardware collide, welcome to the frontier. Head of Government Sales & Defense Contracting Why This Role Matters Your job is simple and brutal: get Wild West Systems funded by the U.S. government -early, often, and at scale. You own everything between "this works" and "this is a contract." From first whiteboard briefing to Anduril-scale programs of record. If there's no revenue, it's your problem. If there's no contract vehicle, you create one. If a door is closed, you find another entrance. This is not a sales role. This is warfare inside the acquisition system . What You Own (End-to-End) All government revenue : DoD, SOCOM, services, innovation units, federal agencies. All contracting paths : OTAs, SBIR/STTR, BAAs, CSOs, IDIQs, direct awards, primes. All momentum : white papers, RFIs, demos, pilots, awards, follow-ons. All accountability : pipeline, timing, close probability, and dollars in the bank. No handoffs. No excuses. What You Actually Do Get us our first checks , fast-before perfect product, before perfect process. Shape requirements before they become RFPs. Build trust with PMs, contracting officers, warfighters, and decision-makers. Run live demos, field trials, and rapid evaluations that convert into funding. Decide when to go direct vs. when to partner with primes-and structure those deals. Translate battlefield demand into funded programs. Keep revenue moving even when policy, timelines, or budgets shift. Who You Are You have personally closed defense contracts -not "supported," not "helped." You understand FAR/DFARS well enough to move fast , not hide behind them. You've sold pre-revenue, pre-scale, and pre-program-of-record technologies. You know how Anduril, Palantir, Shield AI, and others actually broke in. You operate comfortably in ambiguity, pressure, and political complexity. You take ownership like an operator, not a consultant. U.S. citizen. ITAR clean. Mission-aligned. What Success Looks Like Early government revenue within months , not years. Multiple parallel paths to funding-no single-thread risk. Clear line of sight from prototype → pilot → program of record. A repeatable contracting playbook the company can scale on. Why This Role Exists Because the tech is real. Because the threat is real. And because the government doesn't buy potential-they buy confidence . Your job is to make that confidence inevitable.

Requirements

You have personally closed defense contracts -not "supported," not "helped."
You understand FAR/DFARS well enough to move fast , not hide behind them.
You've sold pre-revenue, pre-scale, and pre-program-of-record technologies.
You know how Anduril, Palantir, Shield AI, and others actually broke in.
You operate comfortably in ambiguity, pressure, and political complexity.
You take ownership like an operator, not a consultant.
U.S. citizen.
ITAR clean.
Mission-aligned.

Responsibilities

All government revenue : DoD, SOCOM, services, innovation units, federal agencies.
All contracting paths : OTAs, SBIR/STTR, BAAs, CSOs, IDIQs, direct awards, primes.
All momentum : white papers, RFIs, demos, pilots, awards, follow-ons.
All accountability : pipeline, timing, close probability, and dollars in the bank.
Shape requirements before they become RFPs.
Build trust with PMs, contracting officers, warfighters, and decision-makers.
Run live demos, field trials, and rapid evaluations that convert into funding.
Decide when to go direct vs. when to partner with primes-and structure those deals.
Translate battlefield demand into funded programs.
Keep revenue moving even when policy, timelines, or budgets shift.