Shield AI

Builds autonomous aircraft for defense

Director of Business Development - Collaborative Combat Aircraft

Business Development & PartnershipsConfirmed live in the last 24 hours

Full-timeTokyo, JapanNo salary listed

About the Job

Requirements

15+ years in a relevant air force occupation, bringing significant depth of understanding of relevant CONOPS and platform applications.
3–5+ years of experience in defense acquisition, business development, sales, or strategy, ideally focused on air platforms or autonomy.
5+ years of experience in the region, either operationally or from a defense business perspective.
A strong track record of capturing and closing defense programs or technology insertions with relevant ministries of defense or multinational frameworks.
Understanding of next-generation air combat trends, including Collaborative Combat Aircraft, Manned-Unmanned Teaming, and AI-enabled CONOPS.
Ability to credibly represent technically complex products to strategic and operational-level audiences.
Familiarity with key regional acquisition pathways.
Willingness to live in Northeast Asia, with the exact country to be determined, and travel extensively across Northeast Asia (30–50%).

Responsibilities

Identify, shape, and capture high-value opportunities across Northeast Asia next-generation airpower programs relevant to Collaborative Combat Aircraft and autonomy.
Lead the full business development lifecycle for Collaborative Combat Aircraft-focused efforts, from customer engagement through proposal, negotiation, and contract award.
Build and maintain trusted relationships with ministries of defense, defense primes, integrators, and NATO-related bodies.
Influence customer requirements and future Collaborative Combat Aircraft CONOPS to align with Shield AI’s product offerings.
Lead Shield AI’s positioning and participation in regional flight demonstrations, technical trials, and program pilots.
Collaborate with engineering, product, legal, and program teams to align technical solutions with customer needs and delivery requirements.
Provide field intelligence to guide feature development, integration strategy, and roadmap priorities for Hivemind-enabled Collaborative Combat Aircraft solutions.

Desired Qualifications

Real-world operational experience flying tactical fighter aircraft, with a strong technical background.
Defense acquisition, business development, sales, or strategy experience focused on air platforms or autonomy is ideally preferred.

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, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. 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.

Job Description:

At Shield AI, we’re redefining the battlespace with autonomy-enabled airpower. As part of our global expansion, we’re looking for a bold and visionary Director – CCAs, Northeast Asia to lead strategic sales, customer engagement, and capture efforts for our Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) initiatives across the region. This is a high-impact role at the cutting edge of aerospace and defense innovation. You’ll be on the front lines, driving adoption and revenue for Shield AI’s CCA technologies by engaging directly with top-tier defense stakeholders—military customers, industry primes, and government decision-makers. Your mission: position Shield AI as the go-to partner for next-generation air combat solutions in Northeast Asia.

You’ll bring a rare mix of defense sales expertise, technical credibility, and a deep understanding of air domain CONOPS and acquisition frameworks. From identifying new opportunities to closing complex deals and launching early-stage programs, you’ll own the entire business development lifecycle.

What you'll do:

Drive Strategic Capture: Identify, shape, and capture high-value opportunities across Northeast Asia next-gen airpower programs relevant to CCAs and autonomy.

Drive Regional Sales Pipeline: Lead the full business development lifecycle for CCA-focused efforts, from customer engagement through proposal, negotiation, and contract award.

Engage Key Stakeholders: Build and maintain trusted relationships with Ministries of Defence, defense primes, integrators, and NATO-related bodies.

Shape Requirements & CONOPS: Influence customer requirements and future CCA CONOPS to align with Shield AI’s product offerings.

Support Demonstrations & Campaigns: Lead Shield AI’s positioning and participation in regional flight demos, technical trials, and program pilots.

Coordinate Cross-Functionally: Collaborate closely with engineering, product, legal, and program teams to align technical solutions with customer needs and delivery requirements.

Inform Product Direction: Provide field intelligence to guide feature development, integration strategy, and roadmap priorities for Hivemind-enabled CCA solutions.

Required qualifications:

15+ years in a relevant air force occupation, bringing significant depth of understanding of relevant CONOPs and platform applications (preference for real-world operational experience flying tactical fighter aircraft with a strong technical background).

3–5+ years of experience in defense acquisition, business development, sales, or strategy, ideally with a focus on air platforms or autonomy.

5+ years of experience in region either operationally or from a defense business perspective

Strong track record of capturing and closing defense programs or tech insertions with relevant ministries of Defense or multinational frameworks.

Understanding of next-gen air combat trends, including CCAs, MUM-T, and AI-enabled CONOPS.

Ability to credibly represent technically complex products to both strategic and operational-level audiences.

Familiarity with key regional acquisition pathways.

Willingness to livein Northeast Asia (exact country to be determined) and travel extensively across Northeast Asia (30–50%).

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.

About the Company

Shield AI

Builds autonomous aircraft for defense

Shield AI builds autonomous aircraft and flight software for military and allied defense customers, with a focus on operations where conventional remote control breaks down. Its Hivemind AI pilot handles decisions during a mission, while the V-BAT aircraft gathers intelligence and locates targets. Aircraft makers use its software tools to develop and test their own autonomy, and its Aechelon business supplies visual and sensor simulation for pilot training. The company earns money from aircraft sales, autonomy software and contracted engineering and operational services. Shield AI was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

Company size: 1,001-5,000
Company stage: Series G
Total funding: $3.3B
Headquarters: San Diego, CA
Founded: 2015

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