Shield AI is seeking a Business Development Lead to drive Shield AI growth for primarily our V-BAT ISR UAS & Hivemind Mission Autonomy capability in the UK, focused on defence and government customers operating in time-sensitive and non-standard acquisition environments.
The role is responsible for identifying, shaping, and closing complex opportunities—including urgent operational requirements—while building trusted relationships across specialist end-user communities and programme offices. The successful candidate will also recognize opportunities for Shield AI's Hivemind mission autonomy platform and partner with.
Sales Leadership, Product, Engineering, and Strategic Engagement teams to align customer needs with autonomous ISR and mission autonomy capabilities.
What You'll Do:
- Own and drive the full sales lifecycle for V-BAT ISR opportunities across assigned accounts and territories, from pipeline generation through close — with particular focus on accelerated and non-standard acquisition pathways
- Identify, qualify, and prosecute urgent operational requirement (UOR) opportunities by leveraging deep knowledge of how end-user communities generate, validate, and fund time-critical capability needs
- Develop and execute territory and capture strategies for priority pursuits, aligning with Shield AI's long-term strategic plan and the evolving ISR and mission autonomy requirements of UK and allied special operations forces
- Build and maintain trusted relationships with key decision-makers, capability sponsors, programme offices, and influencers across the special mission and broader defence community
- Identify and shape requirements at source — engaging with users, capability development functions, and acquisition intermediaries to position V-BAT before formal requirements are crystallised
- Recognise and surface Hivemind mission autonomy opportunities that emerge through V-BAT customer engagement, and partner with the wider Shield AI BD team to progress them appropriately
- Lead proposal development in partnership with BD Operations and cross-functional teams, ensuring alignment with customer requirements and value propositions
- Conduct competitive analysis and position Shield AI's capability set effectively in complex, multi-stakeholder environments including those with restricted visibility
- Partner with Product, Engineering, and Solutions teams to translate operational customer needs into compelling technical and mission-relevant solutions — spanning both V-BAT and Hivemind where relevant
- Manage deal progression with rigour — qualification, deal strategy, forecasting accuracy, and CRM hygiene
- Represent Shield AI at relevant industry events, exercises, and customer engagements to expand market presence and pipeline
- Communicate clearly with internal stakeholders and leadership on pipeline status, risks, and key milestones
Measures of Success (First 6–12 Months)
- Credible pipeline generation within the special mission and UOR-adjacent customer set, anchored on V-BAT ISR
- Successful identification and shaping of at least one urgent or accelerated acquisition opportunity
- Improved deal velocity and win rates through disciplined qualification and customer positioning
- Identification of at least one Hivemind-relevant opportunity through V-BAT customer engagement
- Establishment of trusted relationships with key customer stakeholders, capability development functions, and strategic partners
- Consistent, accurate forecasting and high-quality CRM and pipeline hygiene
- Meaningful contribution to Shield AI revenue growth across the UK and European region
Required qualifications:
- Substantive operational background in the UK special operations, special mission, or high-readiness environment with experience in roles that bridged operational requirement and capability development
- Direct familiarity with how ISR capabilities are identified, trialled, acquired, and sustained in non-standard or time-sensitive procurement environments
- Demonstrated experience in capability development, capability acquisition, or working closely with the functions that sponsor and manage them — programme sponsors, requirements owners, or acquisition support roles
- Proven track record of transitioning from military service into a commercial role selling defence capability back into the special operations or broader MoD customer base
- Deep understanding of UK defence acquisition processes, including formal procurement and accelerated or urgent pathways
- Strong experience developing and executing capture strategies for complex, relationship-driven opportunities
- Technical aptitude and ability to engage credibly with Engineering, Product, and Operational stakeholders on UAS ISR performance, integration, and broader autonomous systems
- Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills — particularly in environments where discretion and relationship trust are paramount
- Self-motivated, results-oriented, and capable of operating with a high degree of autonomy in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment
- Active SC clearance as a minimum; DV-cleared candidates or those with eligibility strongly preferred
Preferred qualifications:
- Prior commercial experience selling UAS, ISR, or autonomous systems — including AI-enabled mission systems — into UK defence or allied special operations customers
- Established relationships within the special operations or special mission community in a commercial capacity
- Familiarity with mission autonomy concepts and how AI-enabled systems are being considered within special operations and broader defence capability planning
- Experience engaging with Large Systems Integrators (LSIs) and strategic partners relevant to the UK UAS and autonomous systems market
- Familiarity with the broader UAS regulatory and airspace integration landscape in the UK and Europe
- Ability to travel as required for customer engagements and industry events
- Degree-level education or equivalent professional development
Skills Required
- Operational background in UK special operations, special mission, or high-readiness environment
- Direct familiarity with how ISR capabilities are identified, trialled, acquired, and sustained in non-standard or time-sensitive procurement environments
- Experience in capability development, capability acquisition, or working closely with programme sponsors, requirements owners, or acquisition support roles
- Proven track record transitioning from military service into a commercial role selling defence capability into the MoD or special operations customer base
- Deep understanding of UK defence acquisition processes, including formal procurement and accelerated/urgent pathways
- Strong experience developing and executing capture strategies for complex, relationship-driven opportunities
- Technical aptitude to engage credibly with Engineering, Product, and Operational stakeholders on UAS ISR performance, integration, and autonomous systems
- Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills, including discretion and relationship trust
- Self-motivated, results-oriented, capable of operating with high autonomy in a fast-paced environment
- Active SC security clearance (minimum)
- DV clearance or eligibility (preferred)
- Prior commercial experience selling UAS, ISR, or autonomous/AI-enabled mission systems into UK defence or allied special operations customers
- Established commercial relationships within the special operations or special mission community
- Familiarity with UK/European UAS regulatory and airspace integration landscape
- Experience engaging with Large Systems Integrators (LSIs) and strategic partners
- Ability to travel as required for customer engagements and industry events
- Degree-level education or equivalent professional development
What the Team is Saying
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Company materials describe excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage alongside a mental‑health EAP. Site perks such as an onsite gym in DC and a gym discount in San Diego support a health‑focused offering.
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Retirement Support — Careers materials highlight a 401(k) with company match as part of the standard package. A Total Rewards overview emphasizes retirement features within a broader, transparent compensation view.
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Career-Linked Recognition & Rewards — Compensation for in‑demand technical and senior go‑to‑market roles is described as competitive, with visible engineering ranges and top‑end packages. This points to meaningful upside tied to role, level, and scarce skills.
Shield AI Insights
What We Do
At Shield AI, you won't wait years to see your work reach the field. You'll build hardware and software that operates in the real world right now, in the hands of the people who depend on it. Hivemind, our AI pilot, has been flying since 2018. It has flown more than 30 platforms, including an F-16, and it now sits under a U.S. Air Force production contract for Collaborative Combat Aircraft. When you write code or shape a system here, you contribute to technology with a proven flight record and a clear production future. V-BAT flies intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions with an operational record that stretches from Ukraine to the Indo-Pacific. It delivers eyes where they matter most, in the most demanding conditions on earth. The teams behind it watch their work get tested where the stakes are real. X-BAT takes its first flight this year. It's an AI-piloted fighter that needs no runway, built to operate where traditional aircraft can't. Join now and you help shape a program at its earliest, most formative stage. That's the kind of ground-floor work that defines a career. Do the most impactful work of your life, on problems that matter. Autonomy at this level asks a lot of you. You'll take on problems in perception, planning, and control that few teams anywhere are equipped to solve. You'll work across disciplines, from aerospace and robotics to machine learning and systems engineering, alongside people who hold themselves to an exacting standard and expect the same from you. Our mission is clear: protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. That purpose runs through every decision, every design review, and every deployment. It's why the work here carries a weight you can feel. Ready to join our mission? Explore our open roles and find where you fit.
Why Work With Us
Founded in 2015 by a former Navy SEAL, Shield AI builds AI pilots and uncrewed aircraft. Veterans aren't an afterthought here, they're at every level. It's why the work carries weight: AI pilots and uncrewed aircraft flying real missions, from Ukraine to the Indo-Pacific, protecting service members and civilians.
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