# Business Development Lead, Central Europe (DACH, Czech Republic, Slovakia) **Company**: Shield AI **Location**: Munich **Work arrangement**: onsite **Experience**: senior **Job type**: full-time **Category**: Sales **Industry**: Technology **Apply**: https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai/1382eb7c-f076-470f-9808-0e701f21d857?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply **Canonical**: https://yubhub.co/jobs/job_7167e8ff-ad1 ## Description Shield AI is seeking a high-performing Business Development Lead to drive defence market growth, customer engagement, and business expansion across assigned markets in Central Europe. As Shield AI's territory leader, this individual will represent Shield AI's autonomy and aircraft portfolio, including V-BAT, X-BAT, ViDAR-enabled ISR capabilities, and Hivemind autonomy software across customer engagements, operational demonstrations, strategic partnerships, opportunity development and business growth initiatives. The Business Development Lead owns territory strategy, pipeline development, account growth, and opportunity execution across the region, driving opportunities from early shaping through award and expansion. This role combines strategic business development, account leadership, and revenue generation in a fast-paced international defence environment. Additionally, this person will carry a sales quota for their assigned territory. The ideal candidate is a customer-focused and technically credible leader with strong commercial instincts, experience navigating defence acquisition environments, and a proven track record of growing strategic accounts and delivering mission-critical outcomes. Key responsibilities include: - Owning and executing Shield AI's go-to-market strategy across assigned markets, aligning territory activities with strategic growth priorities and customer mission requirements. - Building and growing a disciplined pipeline across autonomy, aircraft, ISR, and mission-system opportunities aligned with regional defence priorities. - Leading end-to-end deal closure, including account planning, customer shaping, competitive positioning, proposal leadership, negotiation, and contract close to meet or exceed carried sales quota. - Engaging directly with senior military leaders, Ministries of Defence, procurement authorities, sovereign stakeholders, and strategic industry partners across the territory. - Representing and differentiating Shield AI's autonomy and aircraft portfolio by clearly articulating mission outcomes, operational advantages, and integration pathways. - Developing and managing regional partnerships, consultants, industrial participation structures, and offset-aligned strategies that expand market access and accelerate execution. - Coordinating cross-functional teams across Business Development, Product, Engineering, Government Relations, Legal, Contracts, Export Compliance, Operations, and Customer teams to support successful capture and delivery. - Maintaining disciplined forecasting, pipeline management, opportunity tracking, and campaign reporting across the territory. - Providing regional market intelligence on competitor dynamics, customer demand, and political or operational risks. - Supporting executive customer engagement after award to support customer success, follow-on growth, and long-term account expansion. Required qualifications include: - 6+ years of experience in business development, capture, sales, strategic engagement, account management, or related customer-facing roles within defence, aerospace, national security, or advanced technology environments. - Experience operating across international defence, government, or regulated markets, including navigating complex stakeholder and procurement environments. - Demonstrated success identifying, shaping, and advancing complex opportunities involving long sales cycles, senior stakeholders, and technically differentiated solutions. - Strong executive presence and ability to build credibility with military, government, industry, and strategic partner stakeholders. - Technical aptitude and operational understanding of autonomous systems, ISR, mission systems, AI-enabled capabilities, or related defence technologies. - Strong communication, negotiation, stakeholder management, and cross-functional collaboration skills. - Willingness and ability to travel frequently throughout the territory and internationally. - Based within the region, or willing to relocate to a strategic location within the assigned territory. - Fluency in English and regional languages relevant to the assigned market. Preferred qualifications include: - Experience with UAS, autonomy, ISR, mission systems, aerospace, or AI-enabled operational capabilities. - Existing relationships across defence ministries, military organizations, procurement authorities, or strategic industry partners within the assigned territory. - Experience supporting direct commercial sales, Foreign Military Sales (FMS), or international government procurement programs. - Prior military, operational defence, government, or national security experience. Why join Shield AI? - Help build the defining defence technology company of this century. - Work at the forefront of AI, autonomy, and next-generation defence systems. - Operate in a highly entrepreneurial and mission-driven environment. - Make a direct impact on international growth and strategic defence partnerships. - Collaborate with exceptional teams solving some of the world's most complex operational challenges. ## Skills ### Required - business development - capture - sales - strategic engagement - account management - defence - aerospace - national security - advanced technology - autonomy - ISR - mission systems - AI-enabled capabilities - defence technologies - communication - negotiation - stakeholder management - cross-functional collaboration ### Nice to have - UAS - AI-enabled operational capabilities - direct commercial sales - Foreign Military Sales - international government procurement programs - military - operational defence - government --- Source: [Apply at jobs.lever.co](https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai/1382eb7c-f076-470f-9808-0e701f21d857?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply)