Be an Early Applicant
Our mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems.
The Role
Lead Shield AI's Middle East go-to-market (excluding KSA), meet annual order targets, build and manage regional BD team, drive end-to-end capture and sales, engage senior military and government stakeholders, shape strategy and partnerships, work cross-functionally on proposals, demos, compliance, and operations, and travel frequently (~25%).
Summary Generated by Built In
Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software and V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
Shield AI’s International Business & Strategy team is hiring a Middle East regional Director to accelerate growth and support the adoption of its autonomy ecosystem: X-BAT, V-BAT, ViDAR, and Hivemind across the region.
The Director of Business Development will lead Shield AI’s Middle East growth strategy, building out a team that is responsible for significant annual orders targets. The Director must have deep defense, national security, or aerospace experience in the region (strong preference for Arabic language fluency), established government relationships, and a track record of closing complex defense programs (ideally across both hardware and software).
You will operate with significant autonomy and ownership, shaping region wide and country-level strategies, leading major pursuits, and building long-term defense partnerships. You will report to the VP of International Business & Strategy (Middle East & Asia Pacific) and work closely with international business development colleagues around the globe, as well as product, engineering, and operations teams, to deliver mission-relevant autonomy capabilities at scale.
WHAT YOU'LL DO:
- Own and execute Middle East go-to-market strategy (excluding KSA) for Shield AI’s product portfolio, including X-BAT, V-BAT, ViDAR, and Hivemind.
- Maintain direct responsibility for annual order targets, multi-year pipeline development, and order growth.
- Lead end-to-end capture and sales efforts from early engagement through contract award and follow-on growth.
- Engage directly with senior military, government, and defense industry stakeholders across the region.
- Differentiate Shield AI in competitive and regulated defense procurements.
- Provide actionable market and customer intellig
- ence to influence product roadmap and broader international strategy.
- Work cross-functionally with product, legal, export compliance, and operations.
- Lead proposal/program development and complex product demonstrations.
- Structure and manage local partnerships, primes, and industrial participation or offset strategies.
- Represent Shield AI at senior-level engagements, exhibitions, and industry forums.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- 10+ years business development experience across the Middle East region within defense, aerospace, or national security.
- Specific prior defense or government-facing experience in the Middle East with a deep understanding of regional procurement processes, offset requirements, export sensitivities, local defense primes, and indigenization requirements.
- Fluency in English (written and spoken). Fluency in Arabic strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated success closing complex defense or government programs - ideally across both hardware (aircraft/UAS) and software (autonomy/ai).
- Technical experience with autonomy, UAVs, ISR, and advanced sensing technologies.
- Strong negotiation, relationship-building, and stakeholder management skills.
- Ability to manage multiple concurrent pursuits, across multiple markets, involving technical products, in ambiguous environments.
- Proven cross-functional leadership across operations, product, and BD teams.
- Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills.
- Willingness and ability to travel frequently in region and internationally (~25%).
- Willingness and ability to work across multiple time zones (e.g. US HQ, Asia based colleagues, Middle East partners)
- Based in or willing to relocate to the Middle East (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates).
- Mastery of critical business tools (Microsoft Suite – PPT, Excel, Word, LLMs, etc.)
- Experience forecasting, tracking, and managing deal cycles using Salesforce.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- U.S. Citizen (or dual national)
- Existing U.S. or allied security clearance.
- Currently based in region.
- Prior military service or operational leadership experience in the Middle East
- (++ if directly related to UAS, autonomy, or fighter jet aircraft).
- Prior experience supporting foreign military sales (via DSCA), engaging with SAF/IA, or working directly with foreign air forces.
- Direct experience with UAV operations, mission autonomy, AI-enabled C2 systems.
Our international teammates receive a comprehensive total rewards package aligned to your country office location. For full details on compensation and benefits, please consult your talent acquisition partner.
Skills Required
- 10+ years business development experience across the Middle East region within defense, aerospace, or national security.
- Specific prior defense or government-facing experience in the Middle East with deep understanding of regional procurement, offsets, export sensitivities, local primes, and indigenization.
- Fluency in English (written and spoken).
- Fluency in Arabic.
- Demonstrated success closing complex defense or government programs across hardware and software.
- Technical experience with autonomy, UAVs, ISR, and advanced sensing technologies.
- Strong negotiation, relationship-building, and stakeholder management skills.
- Ability to manage multiple concurrent pursuits across multiple markets and ambiguous environments.
- Proven cross-functional leadership across operations, product, and BD teams.
- Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills.
- Willingness and ability to travel frequently in region and internationally (~25%).
- Willingness and ability to work across multiple time zones.
- Based in or willing to relocate to the Middle East (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates).
- Mastery of Microsoft Suite (PowerPoint, Excel, Word) and LLMs.
- Experience forecasting, tracking, and managing deal cycles using Salesforce.
- U.S. Citizen (or dual national).
- Existing U.S. or allied security clearance.
- Currently based in region.
- Prior military service or operational leadership experience in the Middle East.
- Prior experience supporting foreign military sales (via DSCA) or engaging with foreign air forces.
- Direct experience with UAV operations, mission autonomy, AI-enabled C2 systems.
What the Team is Saying
Dylan
Lead Engineer, Planning and Controls-Motion
Mo
Lead Engineer, Platform Automation
Willy
Technical Director
Michael
Engineering Manager - State Estimation
Vibhav
Senior Staff Engineer
Kirby
Mechanical Engineer
Ryan
CEO
Evan
Senior Machine Learning Engineer
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
-
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.
-
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.
-
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
Am I A Good Fit?
Get Personalized Job Insights.
Our AI-powered fit analysis compares your resume with a job listing so you know if your skills & experience align.
Success! Refresh the page to see how your skills align with this role.
The Company
What We Do
Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide.
Why Work With Us
What makes Shield AI special is our people. We unlock the power of autonomy, and in the face of overwhelming odds and challenges, we find ways to win and make a difference for our customers. We bring together software, AI, and aerospace engineering disciplines to deploy the most intelligent aviation capabilities in the world.
Gallery
Shield AI Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
Typical time on-site:
3 days a week
