What you'll do:
- Own and drive the full sales lifecycle for Hivemind opportunities across assigned accounts/territories (pipeline generation through close)
- Develop and execute territory and capture strategies for priority pursuits, aligning with Shield AI’s long-term strategic plan
- Identify, qualify, and shape new business opportunities through deep understanding of customer missions, budgets, and acquisition pathways
- Build and maintain strong relationships with key decision-makers, program offices, and influencers across defense and government customers
- 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 Hivemind effectively in complex, multi-stakeholder environments
- Partner with Product, Engineering, and Solutions teams to translate customer needs into compelling technical and operational solutions
- Manage deal progression with rigor (qualification, deal strategy, forecasting accuracy, CRM hygiene)
- Represent Shield AI at industry events, conferences, 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):
- Strong pipeline generation and progression within assigned accounts and territories
- Successful execution of capture strategies resulting in qualified opportunities and wins
- Improved deal velocity and win rates through disciplined qualification and positioning
- Establishment of trusted relationships with key customer stakeholders and partners
- Consistent, accurate forecasting and high-quality CRM and pipeline hygiene
- Meaningful contribution to revenue growth across the APJ Hivemind business
Required qualifications:
- 10–15+ years of experience in business development, sales, or capture roles in technically complex domains (AI/ML, autonomy, SaaS, aerospace/defense, or similar)
- Proven track record of owning and closing deals, particularly within the Australian government or defense markets
- Deep understanding of defense acquisition processes and government procurement lifecycle
- Strong experience developing and executing capture strategies for complex opportunities
- Technical aptitude and ability to engage credibly with Engineering, Product, and Operational stakeholders
- Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills
- Self-motivated, results-oriented, and capable of operating in a fast-paced environment
- Bachelor’s degree required
- Must be fluent in English
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience selling autonomy, AI/ML, or unmanned systems (UAS) solutions a plus
- Prior military experience
- Established relationships within defense, government, or aerospace customer sets
- Experience working with Large Systems Integrators (LSIs) and strategic partners
- Ability to travel as needed for customer engagements and industry events
- Active or eligibility for security clearance
- MBA or equivalent graduate degree
Skills Required
- 10-15+ years of experience in business development, sales, or capture roles in technically complex domains (AI/ML, autonomy, SaaS, aerospace/defense)
- Proven track record of owning and closing deals, particularly within the Australian government or defense markets
- Deep understanding of defense acquisition processes and government procurement lifecycle
- Strong experience developing and executing capture strategies for complex opportunities
- Technical aptitude and ability to engage credibly with Engineering, Product, and Operational stakeholders
- Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills
- Self-motivated, results-oriented, and capable of operating in a fast-paced environment
- Bachelor's degree
- Fluent in English
- Experience selling autonomy, AI/ML, or unmanned systems (UAS)
- Prior military experience
- Established relationships within defense, government, or aerospace customer sets
- Experience working with Large Systems Integrators (LSIs) and strategic partners
- Ability to travel as needed for customer engagements and industry events
- Active or eligibility for security clearance
- MBA or equivalent graduate degree
What the Team is Saying
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage includes medical, dental, vision, and mental-health support, with company materials describing excellent coverage. Feedback suggests these offerings are comprehensive and consistently highlighted across official and third-party benefit lists.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity is granted to all full-time hires, with RSU structures and tools like Carta Tax intended to improve understanding and tax timing. Feedback suggests this broad-based ownership approach is a notable component of total rewards.
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Parental & Family Support — Benefits include paid parental leave, fertility support, childcare benefits, family medical leave, and onsite resources such as a Mother's Room. Feedback suggests the family-oriented offerings are more expansive than basic coverage.
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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Shield AI Teams
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Shield AI Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
