Sales Manager

The Sales Manager is a hands-on, execution-focused people leader responsible for managing the sales team’s day-to-day activity and ensuring opportunities move from initial prospect engagement through qualification, proposal, negotiation, and close. The position emphasizes team direction and accountability, disciplined pipeline management, customer engagement, accurate CRM activity, timely follow-up, and consistent execution against established revenue priorities.

The ideal candidate is a proactive, relationship-driven sales leader with experience managing sales professionals who sell complex technology or defense solutions to government, military, and/or defense-industry customers. This individual should be comfortable setting clear expectations, assigning and monitoring sales activity, coaching team members, reviewing pipeline and forecasts, coordinating internal support, joining key customer engagements, and translating complex capabilities into clear customer value.

At AimLock, we are committed to advancing capabilities that matter. This role must embody our core values: Dedication to the Mission, Fearless Innovation, Relentless Learning, and an Attitude of Service.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Sales Process Development

• Help establish and continuously improve AimLock’s sales processes, tools, metrics, and reporting.
• Develop repeatable approaches for prospecting, qualification, opportunity management, and closing.
• Establish and monitor sales performance metrics and key performance indicators.
• Hire, onboard, train, coach, and manage the sales team; set clear activity and performance expectations, conduct regular one-on-one and pipeline reviews, and address execution gaps promptly.

Sales & Business Development

• Identify, qualify, and pursue new customers, markets, and programs.
• Build and maintain a healthy sales pipeline across government, defense primes, international partners, and other strategic customers.
• Manage and support the sales team in moving opportunities through the full sales cycle, from prospecting and initial engagement through negotiation and contract award.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with customers, partners, and key industry stakeholders.
• Conduct customer meetings, product demonstrations, briefings, and presentations.
• Represent AimLock at industry conferences, trade shows, demonstrations, and customer events.
• Develop a strong understanding of customer requirements, operational challenges, acquisition priorities, and competitive landscape.

Opportunity & Pipeline Management

• Lead or support the development of project quotations and pricing, coordinating with internal technical, program, finance, and leadership teams to ensure accurate, competitive, and timely quotes.
• Maintain accurate and current opportunity information, forecasts, and customer activity within the company’s CRM.
• Maintain practical account action plans for high-value prospects, including contacts, next steps, timelines, and required internal support.
• Qualify opportunities based on customer need, funding, timing, competitive position, and probability of award.
• Provide regular pipeline and sales forecasts to leadership.
• Track opportunities through the government and defense acquisition lifecycle and identify appropriate points of engagement.
• Monitor competitive activity and provide actionable market intelligence to leadership.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Business Development, R&D, Product, Programs, and Marketing to develop compelling customer solutions.
• Translate customer requirements into actionable information for internal technical and product teams.
• Support development of proposals, presentations, white papers, capability briefs, and other customer-facing materials.
• Coordinate internal resources to support customer demonstrations, evaluations, trials, and other sales activities.
• Communicate customer feedback and market requirements to leadership and product teams to inform future development.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 5+ years of experience in sales, business development, account management, or a related customer-facing role.
• Demonstrated experience directly managing, coaching, and holding a sales team accountable for activity, pipeline progression, forecasting accuracy, and results.
• Experience selling complex technology, defense systems, aerospace products, or other technical solutions.
• Demonstrated success developing new business and closing complex, long-cycle opportunities.
• Strong understanding of the defense acquisition and procurement environment.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales (D365 Sales) to manage accounts, contacts, leads, opportunities, pipeline activity, forecasting, and sales reporting.
• Excellent presentation, negotiation, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to understand and communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to prioritize and advance opportunities using established qualification criteria, revenue priorities, customer need, funding, timing, and probability of award.
• Willingness to travel regularly for customer meetings, demonstrations, conferences, and trade shows.
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment with limited resources and changing priorities.
• U.S. citizenship required.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance preferred/required depending on program assignment.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Engineering, or a related field preferred.
• Experience selling autonomous systems, unmanned systems, weapons systems, targeting systems, C-UAS, robotics, sensors, or related defense technologies.
• Experience working with the U.S. Department of Defense, military customers, defense primes, government agencies, or international defense organizations preferred.
• Existing relationships within the Department of Defense, defense primes, or relevant international defense markets.
• Experience with government contracting and/or defense procurement processes.
• Working knowledge of National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) requirements and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), including their application to defense sales, contracting, export controls, and international business activities.
• Experience supporting capture efforts, proposals, demonstrations, and contract negotiations.
• Experience working within a small or rapidly growing defense technology company.