Director of Federal Sales (Drone Technology) 

Director of Federal Sales (Drone Technology)

Location: Remote Reports to: VP, Global Sales Travel: ~30–50% to customers, ranges, and industry events. Some CONUS/OCONUS as needed.

About the Job:

Own growth with DoD and U.S. Civilian agencies for our small-to-medium UAS portfolio (airframes, payloads, autonomy, C2/MANET, and supporting software). You’ll run the full capture lifecycle—shaping requirements, creating demand, structuring deals, and closing programs—by knowing exactly how the government buys and where to influence.

What You'll Do:

• Market shaping & capture

• Map missions, pain points, and decision chains across DoD (e.g., Army PEO Aviation/UGS, AFLCMC, NAVSEA/PEO USC, SOCOM), DHS (CBP, FEMA, CISA), DOJ, DOI, and state/local public safety.

• Shape requirements and influence early via user trials, CONOPs development, KPP/KSAs, and experimentation events (e.g., DIU, AFWERX/SOFWERX, RCCTO, JIFX).

• Build and lead captures across FAR-based and non-FAR pathways (IDIQ/MA-IDIQ, OTA consortia, SBIR/STTR, CSOs, BPAs, GWACs).

• Identify and drive colors of money and PPBE timelines; target RDT&E → Procurement transitions and Year-End/Unfunded priorities.

• Sales execution

• Own a qualified pipeline and accurate forecasts; run pursuits from gate reviews through proposal and BAFO/negotiation.

• Develop price-to-win, teaming, and channel strategies (primes, SI partners, value-added resellers, and distribution).

• Lead solution positioning: airframe + payload + comms + software + integration + sustainment.

• Customer & stakeholder engagement

• Build executive-level relationships: requirement owners, program managers, test directors, contracting officers, S&T leads, and end-user units.

• Orchestrate demos, range events, and operational evaluations; convert pilots to multi-year programs.

• Internal leadership

• Drive cross-functional capture teams (engineering, product, finance, legal, export/ITAR, and ops).

• Provide VOC to product for roadmap, interoperability (STANAG, MAVLink, MOSA), and compliance needs (airworthiness, spectrum, cybersecurity).

Where to Influence:

• Pre-RFI: mission analysis, concept demos, draft KPPs/CONOPS, pilot funding lines.

• RFI/RFP shaping: requirements comments, qualification criteria, small-biz strategy, eval weighting.

• Acquisition path: recommend OTA vs FAR, down-select entry points, subcontract/prime alignment.

• Budget windows: POM inputs, R-/P-/O&M-line tracking, congressional adds, year-end sweeps.

• Evaluation: test cards, threshold/objective performance, reliability/maintainability data.

• Award & scale: options, CLIN structure, fielding/training/sustainment plans.

Required Qualifications:

• 8–15+ years in U.S. GovCon sales/capture/BD with a proven record selling UAS or adjacent C5ISR/robotics solutions into DoD and/or DHS/DOJ/DOI.

• Expert in the government buy cycle, PPBE, and multiple acquisition pathways (FAR/DFARS, IDIQs, OTAs/CSOs, SBIR).

• Demonstrated wins influencing requirements and moving programs from prototype to production.

• Strong network with program offices, requirements shops, test centers, and primes/SIs.

• Proposal leadership (RFI/RFP responses, volumes, orals) and price-to-win experience.

• Working knowledge of ITAR/EAR, cybersecurity (e.g., NIST/CMMC basics), and export considerations.

• Bachelor’s degree (technical, business, or related); advanced degree or DAU/NCMA credentials a plus.

Nice to Have:

• UAS domain depth (Group 1–3), payloads (EO/IR, EW, LiDAR), MANET/C2, autonomy software, and MOSA integration.

• Prior military or federal service in relevant mission areas.

• Active Secret (or ability to obtain/maintain). TS/SCI preferred.

KPIs

• Qualified pipeline coverage (≥3–4× quota), win rate on targeted pursuits, TCV/ACV booked, capture cycle time, prototype-to-production conversions, and expansion on existing vehicles (IDIQs/OTAs).