Head of Business Development, Middle East (R5057)

Abu Dhabi

Growth Division – International Business Development /

International Office Entity /

On-site

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software and V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and 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.

About Shield AI:

Shield AI is a venture-backed defence technology company building the world’s best AI pilot and next-generation autonomous aircraft. Founded in 2015, Shield AI’s mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. With a recent valuation of approximately $12.7B, Shield AI develops autonomy software, unmanned aircraft systems, and AI-enabled ISR capabilities that actively support defence and security operations worldwide.

Shield AI works side-by-side with military and government customers to solve complex operational challenges in some of the world’s most demanding environments. The company’s products, including V-BAT, X-BAT, Hivemind autonomy software, and advanced mission systems are designed to deliver operational advantage while reducing risk to human operators.

Shield AI believes the greatest victory requires no war.

Job Description:

The Head of Business Development, Middle East serves as Shield AI’s senior District leader, responsible for driving integrated District strategy, sales growth, and program sales execution across multiple priority markets (excluding Saudi Arabia). This role ensures successful and compliant execution of active deal programs, aligns cross-functional teams across countries, and serves as the primary interface with senior government, military, and industry stakeholders at both national and District levels.

This position holds accountability for District pipeline growth and development, order intake, and long-term market expansion while driving alignment and execution across Country Business Development Leads throughout the District. As such, this person will retain a sales quota for their district comprised of territory manager quotas within that district as well as their own individual quota. Through strategic oversight and coordinated execution across markets, the Head of Business Development strengthens customer trust, scales operational impact, and accelerates the sustained growth of Shield AI’s District presence. Additionally, this person will carry a sales quota for their assigned district.

What you'll do:

Serve as Shield AI’s senior District representative across the Middle East, engaging senior military, government, and industry stakeholders while ensuring operational and regulatory compliance across activities in the district.
Develop and execute a unified District strategy aligned with priorities in Middle East integrating country-level efforts into coordinated campaigns across CENTCOM, the GCC (excluding Saudi Arabia), and bilateral frameworks.
Own district quota and sales performance, including pipeline development, forecast accuracy, order intake, and opportunity execution from shaping through close.
Provide strategic direction and coordination for Country Business Development Leads across the District, setting priorities, driving execution discipline, and aligning stakeholder engagement and market strategy.
District business growth across Shield AI’s product portfolio, including V-BAT, X-BAT, ViDAR and Hivemind, ensuring alignment with product and regional leadership priorities.
Oversee cross-functional coordination across Business Development, Government Relations, Program Management, Legal, Contracts, PX, Marketing and Customer Operations to support successful capture, execution, and customer outcomes.
Ensure successful execution of active district opportunities, maintaining accountability for performance, timelines, customer satisfaction, and long-term strategic growth.
Build and maintain a disciplined, data-driven district pipeline and stakeholder engagement strategy to support sustained growth and follow-on business opportunities.
Develop and manage district partnerships, resellers, and strategic industry relationships to expand market access and accelerate operational execution.
Identify and mitigate political, procurement, operational, and strategic risks across the district while providing executive visibility into performance, risks, and growth outlook.

Required qualifications:

Typically requires 10+ years of experience in defence, military operations, business development, capture management, or international government relations.
Deep technical and operational understanding of Shield AI systems and technologies, including V-BAT, Hivemind, and X-BAT, with knowledge of operational employment concepts, payload integration, training, sustainment, and deployed operations.
Proven experience operating across multiple international markets within defence, aerospace, or national security environments, including navigating complex government procurement and stakeholder ecosystems.
Demonstrated ability to lead distributed, cross-functional teams and align senior stakeholders across multiple countries, cultures, and operational environments.
Strong executive presence with experience engaging senior military leadership, Ministries of Defence, U.S. Embassies/ODCs, CENTCOM/GCC stakeholders, and strategic industry partners in high-visibility environments.
Proven track record of driving pipeline development, capture strategy, and successful closure of complex, high-value defence opportunities.
Arabic and English language proficiency relevant to the assigned district.
Bachelor degree or relevant military education preferred.

Preferred qualifications:

Prior district leadership experience across allied defence markets, including CENTCOM, Middle East, GCC, and/or other international government environments.
Existing relationships with CENTCOM/GCC, Ministries of Defence, senior military leadership, defence procurement organizations, and strategic industry stakeholders.
Experience leading international defence captures, Foreign Military Sales (FMS), or multinational procurement programs.
Operational understanding of ISR, autonomy, unmanned systems, AI-enabled capabilities, and modern defence technology employment concepts.
Experience managing district consultants, resellers, strategic partnerships, or industrial participation/offset initiatives.
Familiarity with CENTCOM/GCC operational frameworks, allied capability development, and district defence modernization priorities.
Demonstrated success operating in high-growth, fast-paced, and internationally distributed environments.
Ability to attain or existing relevant national security clearance.
Master’s degree in a relevant field.

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.

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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.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

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