X-BAT Business Development Director, Middle East (R4949)

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. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.  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. country: AE all locations: [Abu Dhabi] commitment: International Office Entity department: Growth Division location: Abu Dhabi team: International Business Development What you'll do:: Drive Strategic Capture: Identify, shape, and capture high-value opportunities across Middle Eastern next-gen airpower programs relevant to CCAs and autonomy.  Drive Regional Sales Pipeline: Lead the full business development lifecycle for CCA-focused efforts, from customer engagement through proposal, negotiation, and contract award.  Engage Key Stakeholders: Build and maintain trusted relationships with Ministries of Defence, defense primes, integrators, and key partners.  Shape Requirements & CONOPS: Influence customer requirements and future CCA CONOPS to align with Shield AI’s product offerings.  Support Demonstrations & Campaigns: Lead Shield AI’s positioning and participation in regional flight demos, technical trials, and program pilots.  Coordinate Cross-Functionally: Collaborate closely with engineering, product, legal, and program teams to align technical solutions with customer needs and delivery requirements.  Inform Product Direction: Provide field intelligence to guide feature development, integration strategy, and roadmap priorities for Hivemind-enabled CCA solutions.  Required qualifications:: 15+ years in a relevant air force occupation, bringing significant depth of understanding of relevant CONOPs and platform applications (preference for real-world operational experience flying tactical fighter aircraft with a strong technical background).  3–5+ years of experience in defense acquisition, business development, sales, or strategy, ideally with a focus on air platforms or autonomy.  5+ years of experience in region either operationally or from a defense business perspective  Strong track record of capturing and closing defense programs or tech insertions with relevant ministries of Defense or multinational frameworks.  Understanding of next-gen air combat trends, including CCAs, MUM-T, and AI-enabled CONOPS.  Ability to credibly represent technically complex products to both strategic and operational-level audiences.  Familiarity with key regional acquisition pathways.  Willingness to live in regional (preferably Abu Dhabi) and to travel extensively across the Middle East (30–50%).