Business Development Lead, Defense Systems

Business Development Lead, Defense Systems

Kraus Hamdani Aerospace (KHA) is an aerospace company specializing in long-endurance unmanned aerial platforms for a wide variety of industries. KHA supports a number of customers to carry out missions involving aerial reconnaissance, survey, communication relay and communications provisioning. Endurance, enabled by effective design, is key to these applications and KHA aircraft utilize cutting-edge aircraft design together with on-board intelligence to deliver value for these customers.

Kraus Hamdani Aerospace (KHA) builds unmanned aerial technologies that save lives and connect the world. KHA delivers intelligent autonomous aerial systems for defense and national security missions, including the K1000ULE ultra-long-endurance UAS, ATNE++ airborne communications and network extension capabilities, and software and AI-enabled multi-domain problem solving, war gaming and teaming solutions. Its systems are designed and manufactured in the U.S.A. and have been tested, deployed, and proven across defense, commercial, and international missions.

Position Summary KHA is seeking a mission-driven Sales and Business Development Lead, Unmanned Defense Systems to lead growth across U.S. defense, national security, and selected allied markets. This individual will own opportunity shaping, account strategy, capture leadership, and specific revenue targets across priority customers including the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, Department of Energy, and selected international partners.

This is not a transactional sales role. It is a hands-on growth role at the intersection of mission need, defense acquisition, technical differentiation, and cross-functional execution. The successful candidate will help KHA scale from individual selling to a disciplined, repeatable business development engine.

Location: Remote, within proximity to Reno, Nevada.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute growth strategies for priority defense and national security accounts.
• Identify, qualify, shape, and advance a pipeline spanning prototypes, demonstrations, OTAs, SBIR/BAA pathways, production, sustainment, and follow-on expansion.
• Build trusted relationships with operators, requirements owners, PMs/PEOs, labs, test communities, acquisition officials, primes, integrators, and partner organizations.
• Translate customer mission needs into compelling positioning for KHA's K1000ULE, ATNE++, and AI-enabled autonomy offerings.
• Lead capture planning, account plans, contact plans, white papers, partner strategies, proposal support, and win themes.
• Partner with engineering, product, finance, contracts, flight operations, and executive leadership to align pursuit strategy with product roadmap and company priorities.
• Represent KHA at customer sites, demonstrations, exercises, trade events, and industry engagements. Build repeatable operating rhythm for pipeline reviews, forecast updates, competitive intelligence, and capture decision-making.
• Help KHA selectively expand with allied and international defense customers where strategically aligned and compliant.

Requirements

• 6+ years in defense business development, capture, strategic accounts, or related growth leadership roles.
• Track record of winning or materially advancing business with the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, DOE, border/security, or allied defense organizations.
• Understanding of defense acquisition environments and the pathways from mission problem to funded program.
• Ability to sell complex technical capabilities rather than commodity products.
• Strong executive presence and the ability to engage credibly with military operators, acquisition professionals, technical leaders, and partner executives.
• Experience collaborating cross-functionally in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.
• Willingness to travel extensively.

Preferred

• Prior military service or direct support experience in aviation, ISR, UAS, communications, or networked operations.
• Experience with autonomy, AI-enabled systems, tactical communications, JADC2/Next Gen C2, or multi-domain operations.
• Experience with OTAs, BAAs, rapid prototyping efforts, or operational demonstrations.
• Exposure to allied and international defense business and relevant export-control environments.
• Active clearance or eligibility to obtain one.

Why Join KHA

• Opportunity to help scale a category-defining company in ultra-long-endurance, fully electric autonomous systems.
• Mission with real-world relevance: protect, save lives, connect, and monitor in contested or infrastructure-denied environments.
• Ability to shape the company's growth model at a pivotal inflection point.
• Work closely with founders and technical leaders on products with clear operational differentiation.

What Success Looks Like

• Qualified pipeline built and segmented by priority account, mission area, and funding path.
• Documented account plans for top customers and partner pathways.
• Consistent operating rhythm for pipeline review, capture decisions, and forecast updates.
• Reduced dependency on the CEO for day-to-day pursuit leadership. Meaningful opportunity progression: demos, white papers, partner agreements, downselects, proposals, and awards.
• Improved visibility into near-term wins versus strategic bets.

Who We Are: KHA develops the world's longest endurance fully electric Unmanned Aerial System ("UAS") in our size and weight category. We solve large-scale worldwide problems by providing persistent overhead services to help our soldiers remain safe in theater, provision rapid emergency communications for disaster relief efforts, enable search-and-rescue services to assist emergency response efforts, help anti-poaching to protect the world's most endangered species and provide geospatial data to assist in slowing climate change.

Compensation: Competitive base salary plus a significant performance-based incentive opportunity. Final compensation will be based on experience, qualifications, and the agreed incentive structure.

How to Apply: Please submit your resume and a brief cover letter detailing your relevant experience. We look forward to hearing from you!

Kraus Hamdani Aerospace is committed to providing Equal Opportunity in Employment, to all applicants and employees regardless of, race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, military status, veteran status, handicap, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by law.