Business Development Director - Directed Energy Systems, International

Worker Type

Regular
Job Description

Location: Albuquerque, NM; Huntsville, AL; or National Capital Region

Travel: Frequent international travel across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and the Indo-Pacific, with domestic engagement across AV teams and U.S. government stakeholders

Help expand the future of directed energy air defense worldwide

AeroVironment (AV) is seeking an experienced international business development leader to establish and expand the company’s directed energy business across allied and partner nations, including the LOCUST® X3 Laser Weapon System .

This role will focus on translating regional defense priorities and emerging counter-UAS requirements into international directed energy programs. You will help customers evaluate how laser weapon systems can support layered air defense, protect forces and critical infrastructure, and address the growing threat posed by unmanned aircraft systems.

You will lead AV’s directed energy systems international growth strategy across three priority regions: Europe, MENA, and the Indo-Pacific . Each region presents different threat environments, operational concepts, acquisition systems, funding mechanisms, industrial-base requirements, and partnership opportunities. You will develop a tailored approach for each market, identify priority countries and programs, build trusted relationships with customers and partners, and advance opportunities from early market development through contract award and program growth.

Your work will help define AV’s international directed energy strategy, shape customer requirements, strengthen regional partnerships, and inform the evolution of products and offerings for international operators.

What You’ll Lead

- Own regional directed energy strategies. Develop and execute market strategies for Europe, MENA, and the Indo-Pacific. Assess regional security priorities, counter-UAS requirements, air defense architectures, acquisition timelines, funding sources, competitive environments, and local industrial capabilities.
- Prioritize countries and opportunities. Identify the countries, ministries, military organizations, acquisition programs, exercises, demonstrations, and industry engagements where AV can create the greatest value and establish a durable market position.
- Build and manage the international pipeline. Translate regional strategies into actionable business development and capture plans. Establish pipeline objectives, qualify opportunities, shape requirements early, and maintain visibility from initial customer engagement through award and follow-on growth.
- Develop trusted regional relationships. Build relationships with allied and partner-nation ministries of defense, military users, acquisition organizations, test agencies, national security institutions, international primes, system integrators, and local defense companies.
- Understand the mission behind the requirement. Engage customers to understand their operational challenges, threat priorities, force structure, rules of engagement, infrastructure needs, and desired employment concepts. Position directed energy as part of an integrated, layered air defense and counter-UAS solution.
- Shape requirements and acquisition pathways. Help customers connect operational needs to requirements development, experimentation, demonstrations, funding, acquisition strategy, integration, training, sustainment, and long-term force development.
- Develop regional partnerships. Identify and establish relationships with international prime contractors, integrators, distributors, local industry, and strategic technology partners. Develop teaming, integration, industrial participation, local content, sustainment, and market-access strategies that support successful international programs.
- Lead international captures. Coordinate cross-functional teams across engineering, product management, program management, contracts, finance, supply chain, export compliance, legal, and communications to develop capture strategies, proposals, teaming arrangements, pricing approaches, and executable business plans.
- Navigate FMS and DCS opportunities. Coordinate Foreign Military Sales (FMS), Direct Commercial Sales (DCS), government-to-government, and other international acquisition pathways with AV specialists, U.S. government stakeholders, and customer representatives.
- Represent AV in international engagements. Lead senior-level customer meetings, technical briefings, demonstrations, operational assessments, trade shows, exercises, industry forums, and partner engagements throughout the priority regions.
- Make directed energy meaningful to customers. Clearly communicate the operational value, capabilities, employment considerations, integration requirements, limitations, readiness factors, and lifecycle implications of laser weapon systems to military, technical, acquisition, and executive audiences.
- Support international program growth after award. Maintain customer and partner engagement through implementation, fielding, training, sustainment, capability expansion, follow-on opportunities, and development of international references.
- Bring regional insight into AV. Translate customer feedback, competitor intelligence, policy changes, partner capabilities, and regional market trends into recommendations for product development, system integration, positioning, pricing, investment, and international portfolio strategy.

What You Bring

- 10+ years of relevant defense or national security experience , including 5+ years in international business development, capture, defense sales, strategic partnerships, or acquisition .
- A demonstrated record of advancing complex defense opportunities and building trusted relationships with international customers, government stakeholders, and industry partners.
- An established network in one or more of AV’s priority regions: Europe, MENA, or the Indo-Pacific .
- A strong understanding of how international military requirements are developed, funded, acquired, integrated, and transitioned into operational capability.
- Working knowledge of directed energy, laser weapon systems, counter-UAS, integrated air defense, electro-optical systems, or related technologies .
- The ability to explain the advantages, limitations, operational employment, and integration considerations of directed energy within a layered air defense architecture.
- Experience developing regional market strategies, capture plans, customer engagement plans, pipeline objectives, and international growth initiatives.
- Experience coordinating complex pursuits across government, industry, and internal functions, including engineering, program management, contracts, finance, export compliance, and legal.
- Strong commercial judgment, including the ability to evaluate customer urgency, market attractiveness, competitive positioning, partner value, program risk, and return on investment.
- Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to work effectively across cultures and organizational levels.
- The initiative and persistence to open new markets, shape requirements early, develop compelling proposals and presentations, and maintain momentum through complex international decision cycles.

Experience That Will Help You Stand Out

- Successful international sales or captures involving directed energy, high-energy lasers, counter-UAS, air defense, electro-optical/infrared systems, or related defense technologies .
- Experience supporting customers or programs across two or more of the following regions: Europe, MENA, and the Indo-Pacific .
- Familiarity with FMS, DCS, government-to-government acquisition, multinational programs, export licensing, and international compliance requirements .
- Experience developing international teaming arrangements, system-integration strategies, offset or industrial participation plans, local-content strategies, or in-country sustainment approaches.
- Experience working with NATO, allied, coalition, or multinational defense organizations.
- Technical, operational, military, or acquisition experience that enables effective engagement with both engineers and military end users.
- Professional experience living or working internationally, or demonstrated proficiency in another language.

Why Join AV

- Build AV’s international directed energy business. Establish the customer relationships, partnerships, regional strategies, and programs that will define a growing global portfolio.
- Support allied defense priorities. Help partner nations address evolving drone threats and strengthen protection for their forces, populations, and critical infrastructure.
- Represent differentiated technology. Bring LOCUST X3 and future directed energy capabilities to customers seeking scalable, sustainable, and operationally relevant air defense solutions.
- Shape the future of the portfolio. Work directly with customers, partners, engineers, and business leaders to influence requirements, product priorities, integration approaches, and future offerings.
- Operate at the intersection of technology and international strategy. Combine market knowledge, customer engagement, defense acquisition expertise, and technical understanding to convert emerging requirements into successful programs.
- Grow with an expanding global business. Take on increasing responsibility as AV’s international directed energy customer base, partner network, and program portfolio develop.
- Share in the success of a critical product area. Competitive base compensation, performance-based incentives tied to business growth and contract wins, and comprehensive benefits.

If you know how to build trust across borders, shape defense requirements, and turn advanced directed energy technology into successful international programs, help AV expand the future of air defense worldwide.

Clearance Level
Secret

The salary range for this role is:
$126,500 - $215,000

AeroVironment considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the location, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills.

ITAR Requirement:

This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”). In order to comply with the requirements of the ITAR and/or the EAR, applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under the ITAR and the EAR, or a person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction. Please understand that any job offer that requires approval of an export license will be conditional on AeroVironment’s determination that it will be able to obtain an export license in a time frame consistent with AeroVironment’s business requirements. A “U.S. person” according to the ITAR definition is a U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or protected individual such as a refugee or asylee. See 22 CFR § 120.15. Some positions will require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements.

Benefits :  AV offers an excellent benefits package including medical, dental vision, 401K with company matching, a 9/80 work schedule and a paid holiday shutdown.  For more information about our company benefit offerings please visit:  http://www.avinc.com/myavbenefits .

We also encourage you to review our company website at http://www.avinc.com to learn more about us.

Principals only need apply.  NO agencies please.

About AV:

AV isn’t for everyone. We hire the curious, the relentless, the mission-obsessed. The best of the best.

We don’t just build defense technology—we redefine what’s possible. As the premier autonomous systems company in the U.S., AV delivers breakthrough capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. From AI-powered drones and loitering munitions to integrated autonomy and space resilience, our technologies shape the future of warfare and protect those who serve.

Founded by legendary innovator Dr. Paul MacCready, AV has spent over 50 years pushing the boundaries of what unmanned systems can do. Our heritage includes seven platforms in the Smithsonian—but we’re not building history, we’re building what’s next.

If you're ready to build technology that matters—with speed, scale, and purpose—there’s no better place to do it than AV.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans. AeroVironment, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicants. Qualified applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic data, sexual orientation, gender identity or other legally protected status.

ITAR