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Zone 5 Technologies

Aerospace engineering and high-volume munitions production

Director Business Development

Business Development & PartnershipsConfirmed live in the last 24 hours
Full-time$138k - $178k

About the Job

Requirements

  • A bachelor's degree in International Relations, Political Science, Business, Engineering, or a related field is required; an advanced degree is strongly preferred.
  • At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience in defense business development, security cooperation, or government service directly supporting Foreign Military Sales or Direct Commercial Sales, including at least one director-level or equivalent leadership role.
  • Demonstrable experience and a network within partner nations, not only U.S. agencies or commands.
  • Expertise across the Foreign Military Sales life cycle, including case initiation, Pricing and Availability, Letter of Offer and Acceptance development, and case execution, and the Direct Commercial Sales licensing process.
  • Established, verifiable working- and senior-level relationships with the U.S. Department of State, Defense Security Cooperation Agency, and Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for War personnel.
  • Ability to engage and build trust with senior officials in European Ministries of Defence, armaments agencies, and national air force, air defense, and strike commands.
  • Working knowledge of NATO capability development, the NATO Defence Planning Process, European Sky Shield Initiative participation, and allied air force weapons integration and certification roadmaps.
  • Experience operating in or alongside foreign embassies, with U.S. or foreign defense attachés, and with in-country Security Cooperation Organizations.
  • Ability to produce clear, precise, and persuasive technical prose, including proposal volumes, white papers, capability statements, and correspondence for general officer, flag officer, and Senior Executive Service audiences, with minimal editing; writing samples will be requested.
  • Ability to work across Poland, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Italy, and Greece, while maintaining engagement awareness across all priority countries as priorities may shift.
  • Working knowledge of and demonstrated adherence to International Traffic in Arms Regulations, Export Administration Regulations, Arms Export Control Act, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and Office of Foreign Assets Control requirements and foreign disclosure procedures in prior international defense roles, with no history of export compliance violations.
  • Active U.S. Secret clearance and U.S. citizenship are required for clearance eligibility and access to ITAR-controlled technical data.
  • Ability to travel 25 to 50 percent, primarily internationally with some domestic travel, and a valid U.S. passport.
  • Professional proficiency in one or more European languages and cultural familiarity with the region are preferred.
  • Prior U.S. military, Foreign Area Officer (Europe and Eurasia), U.S. Department of State Foreign Service, or Defense Security Cooperation Agency service directly supporting European security cooperation or Foreign Military Sales case management is preferred.
  • Prior assignment on a NATO staff, at U.S. European Command, or in an in-country Office of Defense Cooperation or Security Cooperation Organization is preferred.
  • Prior experience living or working abroad in Europe, including in-country military assignments, embassy, Office of Defense Cooperation or Security Cooperation Organization tours, NATO staff duty, or industry postings, is preferred.
  • Existing relationships with the Polish Armament Agency, German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support, UK Ministry of Defence Defence Equipment and Support, Netherlands Defence Materiel and IT Command, Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency, Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation, or Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command are preferred.
  • Experience with industrial participation, offset, and co-production arrangements in European procurements is preferred.
  • Prior operational military experience employing or defending against precision strike weapons, unmanned aircraft systems, or counter-unmanned aircraft systems is strongly desired.
  • Direct experience managing or supporting high-value Foreign Military Sales cases greater than $100 million from Pricing and Availability through Letter of Offer and Acceptance signature is preferred.
  • Familiarity with U.S. arms transfer policy, including Conventional Arms Transfer policy, Arms Export Control Act Section 3, and related Security Assistance Management Manual provisions, is preferred.
  • Experience with Direct Commercial Sales structures complementary to Foreign Military Sales programs, including hybrid case structures, is preferred.
  • Strategic relationship management, FMS and DCS process expertise, political acumen, executive communication, initiative and autonomy, and integrity and discretion are identified as core competencies.

Responsibilities

  • Identify, qualify, and develop Foreign Military Sales and Direct Commercial Sales opportunities for RUSTY DAGGER, WHITE SPIKE, PEACEMAKER, and ECLIPSE across the listed European countries and other nations as required.
  • Build and sustain an opportunity pipeline from initial country engagement through Letter of Request for Pricing and Availability and Letter of Request for Letter of Offer and Acceptance, coordinating with portfolio program leadership and marketing and maintaining probability-of-win and milestone records in the enterprise customer relationship management system.
  • Develop tailored country-level engagement plans that align company capabilities with requirements, partner-nation budget cycles, and U.S. security cooperation priorities.
  • Represent the company at relevant industry events, defense exhibitions, and bilateral forums in Europe, including DSEI, Eurosatory, MSPO, ILA Berlin, the Paris Air Show, and NATO industry forums.
  • Establish and sustain senior-level relationships with partner-nation Ministries of Defence, armaments and procurement agencies, military service headquarters, and, where required, Ministries of Commerce and Finance.
  • Engage foreign embassies and defense attachés assigned to the United States, and U.S. counterparts inside partner nations, to build awareness of company capabilities and facilitate early case development.
  • Guide sovereign stakeholders through FMS and DCS processes from requirements identification through case initiation, advising on U.S. government procedures, timelines, and Technical Assistance Agreement, Manufacturing License Agreement, and export-license sequencing.
  • Serve as the company's primary advocate within the U.S. interagency, particularly with the Department of State's Bureaus of Political-Military Affairs and European and Eurasian Affairs, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for War International Security Affairs for Europe and NATO.
  • Build and maintain working-level and senior relationships with Country Directors, Regional Affairs Officers, EUCOM J5, and in-country Offices of Defense Cooperation and Security Cooperation Organizations to support responsive case processing.
  • Engage the U.S. Mission to NATO, NATO Support and Procurement Agency, and NATO Communications and Information Agency on multinational procurement and framework opportunities for RUSTY DAGGER and WHITE SPIKE.
  • Support Ukraine-related pursuits through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, Presidential Drawdown Authority, and coalition mechanisms as directed by executive leadership.
  • Track and interpret security cooperation policy, Congressional notifications, Third Party Transfer and re-export decisions, end-use monitoring requirements, and European defense-industrial policy that may affect FMS and DCS timelines or case viability.
  • Provide leadership with timely intelligence on partner-nation defense budgets, procurement priorities, political developments, alliance initiatives, and competitor activity across Europe.
  • Contribute to long-range strategic planning by identifying emerging requirements, changes in security cooperation policy, and new European market-entry opportunities, including recommendations on in-region presence, teaming, and industrial participation.
  • Monitor legislative and regulatory developments, including Arms Export Control Act Section 36(b) notifications and Congressional holds, that may affect FMS and DCS case progress.
  • Partner with capture, proposal, and program teams to develop FMS- and DCS-compliant offerings and technically credible solutions tailored to partner-nation requirements.
  • Coordinate with contracts, pricing, legal, and trade compliance teams to ensure positions comply with FMS regulations, ITAR, EAR, offset and industrial participation obligations, and partner-nation procurement regulations.
  • Report regularly to executive leadership on pipeline status, country engagement progress, decisions required, and interagency relationship health.
  • Conduct partner-nation and foreign-national engagement in compliance with ITAR, EAR, and the AECA, including obtaining Directorate of Defense Trade Controls marketing and technical-data authorizations before disclosure, adhering to approved TAA and MLA scopes, and reporting fees, commissions, and political contributions under ITAR Part 130.
  • Comply with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions, anti-boycott regulations, and company policies on gifts, hospitality, agents, and consultants; conduct due diligence on in-country representatives and teaming partners.
  • Protect classified, controlled unclassified, and proprietary information under National Disclosure Policy, program security guidance, and clearance obligations, including foreign contact and foreign travel reporting, and maintain export-compliance records across pursuits.

About the Company

Zone 5 Technologies

Aerospace engineering and high-volume munitions production

Zone 5 designs and builds unmanned aircraft systems and low-cost missiles for defense, serving as a prime DoD contractor with vertical integration from concept to production. Its products, like the Rusty Dagger cruise missile, Paladin UAS for autonomous counter-drone missions, and White Spike for counter-UAS and precision strikes, are engineered for high-volume, low-cost production with modular avionics for fast fielding. It differentiates itself by a production-first approach that aims to cut unit costs and shorten development timelines, delivering a flight-ready system within about four months, and by controlling design and manufacturing in-house as a vertically integrated contractor; in 2026 it became a mostly-owned subsidiary of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. Its goal is to provide affordable, scalable munition and counter-UAS solutions for the DoD and allied forces.

Company size
201-500
Company stage
Not listed
Total funding
Not listed
Headquarters
San Luis Obispo, CA
Founded
2011

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