Director of Business Development - Unmanned Systems

Director of Business Development – UAS | Autonomy & Flight Control

Los Angeles / Hawthorne, CA · Hybrid · Up to 30% travel

ABOUT THE COMPANY

A private, 100% employee-owned (ESOP) engineering consulting and product development company with a 60+ year legacy of delivering safety-critical solutions to government and commercial customers. The company combines the agility and culture of a startup with the stability and credibility of a longstanding aerospace innovator, and its growth plans are ambitious — every employee plays a direct role in shaping what's next. The company looks for true business partners — people who value transparency, collaboration, technical excellence, ownership, and accountability. If you enjoy solving complex, real-world problems and want your work to have visible impact, you'll thrive here.

THE OPPORTUNITY

We are seeking a Director of Business Development to drive growth specifically in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), with a focus on flight control systems, autopilots, guidance, navigation, and autonomy-enabled products. This role is tightly focused on building funded development programs and scalable commercial products around the company's core flight control and autonomy capabilities, and carries a significant government-relations component. Candidates with a strong government-interactions background are strongly preferred.

Success looks like diversifying how the company generates funded revenue: new contract vehicles (Phase III, OTA, IDIQ, sole-source), commercial product and licensing revenue, and direct relationships with government and commercial customers. Smaller, recurring wins in new areas count just as much as a single large award — the goal is expanding the company's reach and connection to the customer, not just growing what's already in motion.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

     Drive new UAS business centered on flight control, autopilot, and autonomy software and hardware development

     Lead the transition of existing SBIR/STTR-funded autonomy and flight control technologies into Phase III and non-SBIR contract vehicles, including sole-source awards, IDIQs, OTAs, BOAs, and FAR-based contracts

     Identify and pursue commercial product, licensing, and recurring revenue opportunities for UAS flight control and autonomy solutions

     Identify key strategic and ecosystem partners to support go-to-market strategy

     Shape customer requirements and concepts of operations into executable development programs and product roadmaps

     Own and grow the sales pipeline for flight control and autonomy products and services, with clear pipeline growth and conversion metrics

     Build and maintain relationships with DoD program offices, autonomy leads, primes, integrators, and commercial UAS manufacturers

     Lead capture activities, including solution shaping, teaming strategy, pricing inputs, and proposal development

     Partner closely with technical leadership to ensure development efforts align with productization, scalability, and long-term reuse

     Represent the company at UAS-focused conferences, industry days, and technical forums

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

     5+ years of business development, capture, or program growth experience in UAS, defense, or aerospace markets

     Existing contacts and relationships with government program staff who can engage on R&D and technology transfer projects

     Demonstrated success transitioning early-stage development efforts (including SBIR/STTR) into Phase III, follow-on, or non-SBIR contract vehicles

     Proven ability to drive funded development programs and commercial product opportunities through customer engagement, capture strategy, and contracting execution

     Strong customer-facing skills, including executive-level briefings, relationship management, and negotiation

     Experience working with DoD program offices, primes, integrators, and/or commercial UAS manufacturers

     Ability to partner effectively with highly technical engineering teams without requiring hands-on technical expertise

     Strong written and verbal communication skills

     Active Secret security clearance (minimum)

Preferred

     Pilot, instructor, or operational aviation experience

     Experience in UAS, eVTOL, AAM, or UAM markets

     Experience working with small, growth-oriented, employee-owned companies

     Desire to contribute directly to aggressive growth targets and long-term company value creation

     Direct experience or existing relationships supporting STRATFI/TACFI or similar SBIR/STTR Phase II-to-Phase III matching-funds transitions

COMPENSATION & LOGISTICS

     Base salary: $150,000–$185,000 (DOE), plus performance-based incentives/commission tied directly to transitioned non-SBIR government contracts (Phase III, IDIQ task orders, sole-source awards) and commercial UAS product revenue

     Total on-target earnings (OTE): $190,000–$240,000+, with upside driven by transitioned revenue and product commercialization

     Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)

     401(k) Safe Harbor plan with company contribution

     100% company-paid medical (HMO) for employees and dependents; dental and vision coverage

     FSA / Dependent Care, Life and Long-Term Disability insurance, Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

     Domestic travel up to 30%

     Must qualify as a U.S. Person under ITAR/EAR (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident not affiliated with a foreign company/government, or political asylee)