Shield AI is seeking a senior sales leader to lead and scale the International Aechelon sales organization. This leader will be responsible for integrating Aechelon into Shield AI’s broader go-to-market strategy, accelerating revenue growth, and building a unified, high-performing sales motion across simulation, visualization, and autonomy solutions.
This role is both transformational and operational—requiring a leader who can stabilize and scale an acquired business, align teams to a common vision, and unlock cross-sell opportunities across Shield AI’s portfolio.
Partnering closely with Product, Engineering, Marketing, Customer Engagement, and Hivemind sales leadership, you will ensure that Aechelon’s offerings are effectively positioned within Shield Ais ecosystem aligned to mission-critical customer outcomes.
What you'll do:
· Lead and develop the Aechelon International sales team; establish a high-performance culture, clear accountability, and strong coaching discipline
· Drive post-acquisition integration of people, processes, systems, and GTM strategy into Shield AI
· Assess and upgrade talent, roles, and coverage to align with growth objectives
· Own the International GTM plan for Aechelon (segmentation, ICP, account strategy, pipeline generation, positioning)
· Identify and execute cross-sell and bundling opportunities across Aechelon, Hivemind, and broader Shield AI offerings
· Expand footprint across defense, government, and enterprise simulation/training markets
· Establish operating rigor (forecasting, deal reviews, MBRs/QBRs, dashboards, KPIs/OKRs)
· Improve pipeline quality, deal velocity, and forecast accuracy
· Standardize sales processes (qualification, CRM hygiene, deal stages, governance) across the integrated team
· Personally lead key pursuits and executive-level engagements in complex, multi-stakeholder deals
· Build deep relationships with defense agencies, primes, and enterprise customers
· Position Aechelon as a critical component of mission-ready simulation and operational environments
· Expand relationships with Large Systems Integrators (LSIs), primes, and strategic partners
· Enable partner-led growth in simulation, training, and visualization programs
· Align partner strategy with Shield AI’s broader autonomy and platform roadmap
· Partner with Product and Engineering to inform roadmap based on customer needs and market signals
· Align Marketing and Customer Engagement to drive demand generation and customer success
· Serve as a key voice in shaping Shield AI’s integrated platform GTM strategy
Measures of Success (First 6–12 Months):
· Successful integration of Aechelon sales team into Shield AI operating model, systems, and culture
· Improved forecast accuracy, pipeline hygiene, and operating cadence
· Increased win rates and deal velocity through standardized, repeatable sales motions
· Measurable growth in Aechelon standalone revenue and cross-sell revenue with Shield AI products
· Clear territory, coverage, and account strategy
· Strong leadership bench with defined structure enabling second-line scalability
Required Experience & Capabilities:
· 15+ years of B2B sales experience in technically complex domains (simulation, visualization, AI/ML, autonomy, SaaS, aerospace/defense, or similar)
· 5+ years of senior sales leadership, including leading through transformation, integration, or scaling phases
· Proven success integrating or scaling acquired sales teams and driving consistent revenue growth
· Strong technical credibility with engineering, product, and operational stakeholders
· Deep understanding of GTM fundamentals (segmentation, coverage, pipeline strategy, positioning)
· Demonstrated ability to sell complex, multi-product/platform solutions
· Excellent executive communication and cross-functional leadership
· Bachelor’s degree required
Preferred Qualifications:
· Experience in modeling & simulation, synthetic environments, or visualization platforms
· Experience selling into defense, government, aerospace, or mission-critical enterprise environments
· Experience working with Large Systems Integrators (LSIs), primes, and partner ecosystems
· Familiarity with autonomy, training systems, or digital battlefield environments
· Experience driving post-M&A integration and GTM unification
Skills Required
- 15+ years of B2B sales experience in technically complex domains such as simulation, visualization, AI/ML, autonomy, SaaS, aerospace, or defense
- 5+ years of senior sales leadership experience, including transformation, integration, or scaling phases
- Proven success integrating or scaling acquired sales teams and driving consistent revenue growth
- Strong technical credibility with engineering, product, and operational stakeholders
- Deep understanding of go-to-market fundamentals, including segmentation, coverage, pipeline strategy, and positioning
- Demonstrated ability to sell complex, multi-product or platform solutions
- Excellent executive communication and cross-functional leadership skills
- Bachelor's degree
- Experience in modeling and simulation, synthetic environments, or visualization platforms
- Experience selling into defense, government, aerospace, or mission-critical enterprise environments
- Experience working with Large Systems Integrators, primes, and partner ecosystems
- Familiarity with autonomy, training systems, or digital battlefield environments
- Experience driving post-M&A integration and go-to-market unification
What the Team is Saying
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage is described as excellent, with dental/vision and mental‑health support, and ancillary protections like life and disability appearing in benefit summaries. The breadth and perceived affordability of coverage are highlighted as a standout component of the package.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave is featured alongside enhanced maternity benefits, fertility and childcare support, and onsite resources such as a Mother’s Room. These elements are positioned as competitive and above the minimal baseline for the company’s stage.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity is granted to all full‑time hires, with RSUs, double‑trigger tax timing, and tools to model scenarios (e.g., through Carta Tax). Communications also reference a transition from options to RSUs, reinforcing access and maturity of ownership programs.
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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Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
