Simulation Specialist, AMER (R6171)

Shield AI is seeking a Simulation Specialist to help drive growth of the Aechelon simulation portfolio across the AMER defense, aviation, and synthetic training markets.

This role serves as a specialist seller and business development resource within the Go-To-Market team, partnering with sales leaders, account owners, program leadership, product, and technical teams to identify, qualify, shape, and advance simulation opportunities with U.S.-based customers, primes, simulator OEMs, integrators, and partners.

The Simulation Specialist combines simulation and training market knowledge, visual systems and geospatial awareness, and disciplined commercial execution. The role requires a customer-facing professional who can translate Aechelon capabilities into mission-relevant value, support complex pursuits, and help build a credible pipeline while maintaining accurate forecasts and strong internal alignment.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as the specialist business development resource for the Aechelon simulation portfolio across assigned accounts and priority pursuits.
• Partner with sales leaders, account owners, business development, program management, product, marketing, contracts, and technical teams to identify, qualify, and advance simulation opportunities.
• Support achievement of annual sales goals by helping develop new customers, partners, and opportunities aligned with current and planned product offerings.
• Maintain visibility into a two-year sales forecast and opportunity funnel, including named programs, estimated value, budget timing, customer stakeholders, procurement path, technical fit, competition, risks, and next steps.
• Actively pursue new customers and partners outside Aechelon's traditional customer base while supporting existing customer relationships.
• Participate in customer meetings, capability discussions, demonstrations, trade events, and follow-up actions to progress opportunities.
• Articulate Aechelon's simulation value proposition in a clear, mission-relevant, and customer-oriented manner.
• Help connect customer requirements to product capabilities and coordinate technical support for demonstrations, solution definition, and pursuit shaping.
• Manage or support preparation of customer-facing materials, presentations, proposals, quotations, white papers, and competitive positioning.
• Provide regular opportunity updates and reports to senior management, including pipeline status, forecast changes, customer engagement activity, and support needs.
• Contribute market, customer, and competitive insight to improve messaging, campaign focus, product positioning, and win probability.
• Drive disciplined follow-up across active opportunities and ensure internal stakeholders are aligned on priorities, owners, schedules, and customer commitments.
• Exercise sound commercial judgment, protect Aechelon from poorly scoped commitments, and avoid overpromising on technical, schedule, or contractual matters.

Customer and partner engagement:

• Build trusted working relationships with U.S.-based defense, government, aviation, simulation, prime contractor, OEM, and integrator stakeholders.
• Support account strategy and opportunity planning for assigned customers and pursuits.
• Represent Aechelon professionally in customer briefings, industry events, demonstrations, and partner discussions.
• Understand customer budgets, constraints, operational needs, and training objectives in order to focus the team on value-added opportunities.

Cross-functional alignment:

• Partner closely with GTM, Product, Marketing, Programs, Contracts, Finance, Engineering, and Operations to support simulation growth initiatives.
• Translate field feedback into actionable input for messaging, enablement, product positioning, demos, and campaign planning.
• Support operating cadence, forecast reviews, opportunity reviews, and pursuit coordination as needed.
• Ensure customer engagement plans, demonstration requests, proposal support, and internal actions are clearly communicated and tracked.

What success looks like (1st year):

• Develops strong fluency in Aechelon's simulation, geospatial, visual, sensor, and defense training value proposition.
• Builds a prioritized AMER territory and account plan covering target customers, primes, OEMs, integrators, programs, partners, and near-term opportunities.
• Creates and maintains a qualified pipeline with realistic opportunity values, budget timing, customer stakeholders, incumbent competitors, procurement paths, technical fit, and next steps.
• Improves Aechelon visibility through customer engagement, events, demonstrations, partner discussions, and professional follow-up.
• Advances multiple opportunities into active customer evaluation, demonstration, RFI, RFP, proposal, quotation, capture, or teaming stages.
• Provides strong specialist support to sales and business development teams for Aechelon-related customer discussions, positioning, and pursuits.
• Clearly connects simulation capabilities to training, rehearsal, readiness, mission outcomes, and customer value.
• Maintains disciplined forecasts, timely CRM or reporting updates, and clear internal coordination across active pursuits.

Required qualifications:

• 5+ years of experience in simulation, sales, business development, capture support, account management, overlay sales, or related customer-facing roles.
• Experience supporting or driving complex technology sales in enterprise, government, defense, aerospace, simulation, training, or mission-systems environments.
• Demonstrated ability to identify and qualify new business opportunities, manage key accounts or pursuits, and contribute to sales targets.
• Strong communication, presentation, public speaking, active listening, and interpersonal skills.
• Commercial acumen and ability to position technical solutions in terms of customer value, mission relevance, and operational outcomes.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, negotiation, organizational, and follow-through skills.
• Ability to work cross-functionally, influence stakeholders, and manage multiple active opportunities and customer needs.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office tools, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Project or equivalent planning tools.
• Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, aviation, defense, a technical field, or equivalent practical experience preferred.
• Prefer software engineering experience related to training simulation.
• Must be eligible to work in the United States and meet company, customer, and program access requirements as applicable.
• Ability to comply with applicable export-control, security, confidentiality, and customer-site requirements.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience in simulation and training, visual systems, geospatial databases, mission rehearsal, sensor simulation, autonomy, aerospace, or defense technology.
• Experience building relationships with partners, contractors, end users, primes, simulator OEMs, and systems integrators.
• Experience supporting proposals, quotations, demos, technical evaluations, capture efforts, or large business opportunities.
• Respected network or credibility within the simulation and training industry.
• Familiarity with ISO 9001:2015 quality management systems or experience operating in a quality-driven defense/aerospace environment.
• Experience in a specialist seller or overlay role supporting sales leaders and account teams.