Industry Practice Lead - Aerospace

Luminary Cloud•San Mateo, CA

About The Position

Own Luminary's aerospace vertical end-to-end as a consultative, outcome-based sale: client development, engagement scoping, deal closure, account expansion. Engage at CEO, CTO, and Chief Engineer level across aerospace primes, commercial aviation companies, space launch and satellite companies, and federal agencies like the FAA and NASA. Sell outcomes, not tools: structure and scope $1M-$10M+ Physics AI programs that transform how customers solve mission-critical design, manufacturing, operational, and sustainment problems. Develop the engagement thesis for each target account: what problem, what outcome, what value, what proof point, what expansion path. Work hand-in-hand with Lead Delivery Engineers to ensure value delivery and translate engagement learnings into repeatable practice IP. Build and maintain executive relationships across NASA leadership, FAA, aerospace research labs, and C-suite at primes and aerospace tech. Shape Luminary's aerospace market strategy: which programs, which buyers, which procurement vehicles, in what order. Inform product roadmap based on client needs, competitive dynamics, and procurement realities. Build the aerospace practice: engagement frameworks, case studies, reference architectures, pricing models, team composition templates. Reports to Head of Sales. Sits on the leadership team and partners directly with the CEO on aerospace accounts, strategy, and roadmap.

Requirements

10+ years in aerospace, aviation, or space technology, including experience leading complex technical engagements with C-suite and senior industry stakeholders
A consultative seller who leads with business outcomes and the transformation our technology delivers, not product features or tools; a top-tier strategy or management consulting background is a strong plus but not required (MBB not necessary) — this is an engineering-led consultative sale
Track record of personally developing and leading $5M+ client relationships with aerospace, aviation, or space industry executives
Skilled at structuring ambiguous problems: decomposing a client's operational challenge into a scoped engagement with clear deliverables, timelines, and value metrics
Comfortable as the senior person in the room with chief engineers, program executives, and aerospace company CEOs
Have built or significantly grown a practice, business line, or sector offering, not just delivered within one
Understand aerospace procurement and programs: commercial aircraft and engine programs, FAA/EASA certification, NASA acquisition, SBIR/STTR, IDIQ, FAR
Comfortable selling a capability into white space where requirements don't yet exist, not responding to defined RFPs
Can operate at both the strategic layer (which programs, which customers, what sequence) and the execution layer (scoping calls, pricing, SOW drafting, delivery oversight)
U.S. person status for ITAR/EAR-controlled programs, with ability to obtain a security clearance for classified space programs

Nice To Haves

Existing relationships with NASA centers (JPL, Marshall, Glenn), FAA, commercial aviation OEMs, or space launch and satellite program managers
Experience bringing AI/ML, simulation, or digital engineering capabilities into aerospace contexts
Prior experience at an aerospace OEM, airline, or space agency in a senior engineering or program leadership role
Background in engineering, CFD, computational physics, simulation, or modeling & simulation for aerospace applications

Responsibilities

Own Luminary's aerospace vertical end-to-end as a consultative, outcome-based sale: client development, engagement scoping, deal closure, account expansion
Engage at CEO, CTO, and Chief Engineer level across aerospace primes, commercial aviation companies, space launch and satellite companies, and federal agencies like the FAA and NASA
Sell outcomes, not tools: structure and scope $1M-$10M+ Physics AI programs that transform how customers solve mission-critical design, manufacturing, operational, and sustainment problems
Develop the engagement thesis for each target account: what problem, what outcome, what value, what proof point, what expansion path
Work hand-in-hand with Lead Delivery Engineers to ensure value delivery and translate engagement learnings into repeatable practice IP
Build and maintain executive relationships across NASA leadership, FAA, aerospace research labs, and C-suite at primes and aerospace tech
Shape Luminary's aerospace market strategy: which programs, which buyers, which procurement vehicles, in what order
Inform product roadmap based on client needs, competitive dynamics, and procurement realities
Build the aerospace practice: engagement frameworks, case studies, reference architectures, pricing models, team composition templates