Business Development Director, Defence Autonomy

Are you an experienced defence professional with the commercial expertise and regional relationships to drive the adoption of next-generation autonomous technologies? We are partnering with a fast-growing international defence technology company to appoint a Business Development Director – Defence Autonomy. Our client develops advanced autonomy software that enables unmanned and crewed platforms to operate, coordinate and make decisions across air, land and maritime environments. With an established and growing presence in the Middle East, the business is expanding its regional operations and commercial partnerships. This is an opportunity to play a key role in bringing innovative, software-defined defence capabilities to market, working directly with military customers, government stakeholders and industry partners. The opportunity As Business Development Director, you will take ownership of developing new business opportunities and expanding the company's defence autonomy presence across the Middle East. Working closely with the VP Sales, International, you will identify opportunities, develop strategic accounts and lead customer engagement across mission autonomy, unmanned systems and human-machine teaming technologies. This is a hands-on commercial role requiring a strong understanding of military operations, defence procurement and the regional market. You will combine operational credibility with commercial judgement to help customers understand how emerging autonomy capabilities can address real-world defence requirements. Key responsibilities • Drive business development and sales growth across the Middle East, achieving individual and regional commercial targets. • Identify and pursue opportunities for autonomy software across unmanned air, ground and maritime programmes. • Build and strengthen relationships with armed forces, government agencies, defence manufacturers and systems integration partners. • Develop account plans, capture strategies and regional business development initiatives. • Lead customer meetings, capability briefings, product demonstrations and commercial negotiations. • Understand customer operational requirements, concepts of operation and procurement processes. • Position advanced capabilities including mission planning, collaborative autonomy, swarming and command-and-control integration. • Work with product and engineering teams to translate customer feedback and operational requirements into future capabilities. • Support regional marketing initiatives and strengthen the company's presence across the defence ecosystem. We are particularly interested in professionals who combine operational military experience with strong commercial and stakeholder engagement skills. Essential experience • Operational military background, ideally within Planning, Operations or Intelligence at Staff Officer level. • Experience or exposure to unmanned systems, ISR or command-and-control environments. • An established network within the Middle Eastern armed forces and defence industry. • Understanding of defence autonomy, unmanned platforms and software-defined military capabilities. • Strong relationship-building, consultative selling and commercial negotiation skills. • Ability to engage confidently with both operational military stakeholders and procurement decision-makers. • Understanding of Middle Eastern business culture, protocols and defence procurement environments. • Fluent written and spoken English. Desirable experience • 5–10 years of business development experience within the Middle Eastern defence technology market. • Experience developing and executing capture strategies for complex defence programmes. • Bachelor's or Master's degree in a relevant discipline. • Willingness to travel across the region. Why consider this opportunity? This is an opportunity to join a growing international defence technology company at an important stage of its regional expansion. You will have the chance to work with advanced autonomous technologies, build relationships with influential defence stakeholders and contribute directly to the growth of next-generation military capabilities across the Middle East. For someone with a strong military background who enjoys combining operational understanding with commercial strategy, this role offers the opportunity to influence how emerging defence technologies are introduced and adopted across the region. Interested? If you have the military experience, regional network and commercial drive to help shape the future of defence autonomy, we would welcome a confidential conversation. Show more Show less

Operational military background, ideally within Planning, Operations or Intelligence at Staff Officer level. Experience or exposure to unmanned systems, ISR or command-and-control environments. An established network within the Middle Eastern armed forces and defence industry. Understanding of defence autonomy, unmanned platforms and software-defined military capabilities. Strong relationship-building, consultative selling and commercial negotiation skills. Ability to engage confidently with both operational military stakeholders and procurement decision-makers. Understanding of Middle Eastern business culture, protocols and defence procurement environments. Fluent written and spoken English.

Drive business development and sales growth across the Middle East, achieving individual and regional commercial targets. Identify and pursue opportunities for autonomy software across unmanned air, ground and maritime programmes. Build and strengthen relationships with armed forces, government agencies, defence manufacturers and systems integration partners. Develop account plans, capture strategies and regional business development initiatives. Lead customer meetings, capability briefings, product demonstrations and commercial negotiations. Understand customer operational requirements, concepts of operation and procurement processes. Position advanced capabilities including mission planning, collaborative autonomy, swarming and command-and-control integration. Work with product and engineering teams to translate customer feedback and operational requirements into future capabilities. Support regional marketing initiatives and strengthen the company's presence across the defence ecosystem.