Director of Business Development

Director of Business Development

Apium Swarm Robotics (ASR) is revolutionizing swarm autonomy software for air, surface, undersea, and ground vehicles operating across dual-use commercial and defense environments. Our systems are deployed on real platforms, tested in the field, and delivered to customers operating in complex, uncertain, and safety-critical conditions.

We do not build research prototypes or slideware. Our software is integrated into real vehicles, tested in the field, and delivered to customers who depend on operational reliability, speed of execution, and mission relevance. We prioritize performance over hype.

ASR systems represent the next phase in autonomy: collaborative swarming. These are not like pre-programmed drones for light shows. We are creating real-time cooperative management that lets one operator control dozens to hundreds of vehicles in real-time with the ease of controlling a single vehicle. As such, this role requires comfort with responsibility, ambiguity, and operational accountability.

ASR seeks a Director of Business Development to own and scale our federal growth function. This is a senior leadership role with end-to-end accountability for ASR's defense and government revenue strategy — from target customer selection through capture, contract award, and program transition. You will define how ASR competes for and wins work across DoD, federal civilian, and allied international markets, and you will be a senior voice in the room when ASR's leadership team makes decisions about product roadmap, pricing, partnerships, and capital allocation.

You will own ASR's senior-level customer relationships across program executive officers, acquisition leadership, flag officers, and senior civilian decision-makers. You will define and execute capture strategy across RFIs, RFPs, OTAs, SBIR/STTR, BAAs, IDIQs, and international vehicles — owning win themes, pricing strategy, competitive positioning, and the full pursuit decision on which opportunities ASR commits resources to and which it walks away from.

You will be ASR's senior external face to the defense ecosystem — delivering executive-level briefings to senior military and government audiences, representing ASR at industry conferences and partner forums, and shaping ASR's positioning in a competitive autonomy market. You will partner with engineering and product leadership to translate customer demand signal into roadmap priorities, and with finance and contracts to structure deals that protect margin and program execution. Travel up to 50% is expected, including domestic travel to customer sites, partner locations, and field exercises, plus occasional international travel in support of allied government engagements.

This position is an individual contributor at the director level today, with an explicit pathway to grow the business development organization as ASR scales. You will be expected to define the future structure of the BD function, build the hiring plan, and personally execute the work in the meantime. The right candidate is comfortable carrying a quota personally while simultaneously laying the foundation — process, playbooks, capture infrastructure, partner agreements — that the next several hires will inherit.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Define and own ASR's federal capture strategy, including target customer identification, pursuit prioritization, and bid/no-bid decisions on incoming opportunities
• Own ASR's senior customer relationships across program offices, acquisition organizations, operational commands, and prime contractor partners; serve as the executive sponsor for top-tier accounts
• Lead capture for major opportunities across RFIs, RFPs, OTAs, SBIR/STTR programs, BAAs, IDIQs, and international vehicles, including win-theme development, pricing strategy, and competitive positioning
• Develop and own ASR's defense market intelligence function, including analysis of DoD budgets, acquisition strategies, modernization priorities, and competitor activity, and translate those insights into strategic direction for the executive team
• Own end-to-end proposal development, orchestrating engineering, contracts, operations, and executive leadership, with full accountability for proposal quality, pricing strategy, and submission outcomes
• Deliver executive-level briefings to senior military and government audiences, including program executive officers, flag officers, and SES-equivalent civilians; lead live demonstrations, field evaluations, and operational exercises
• Serve as ASR's senior external representative at defense, autonomy, robotics, and unmanned-systems industry events, including conference panels and partner forums
• Partner with engineering and product leadership to translate customer feedback into roadmap priorities, and contribute to ASR's broader strategic and product planning as a member of the senior leadership team
• Own pipeline forecasting and revenue reporting to ASR executive leadership, Red Cat parent leadership, and (as appropriate) board and investor audiences; define and instrument the CRM and capture systems used by the function

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Aviation, Robotics, Military Science, or a related field (equivalent professional experience may substitute)
• 10+ years of progressive experience in defense business development, government sales, military acquisition, or related fields, with demonstrated ownership of full-cycle capture from qualification through award
• Demonstrated experience leading capture or business development on defense, autonomy, robotics, ISR, AI/ML, counter-UAS, or other advanced defense technology programs
• Deep working knowledge of FAR/DFARS procurement processes, federal contracting workflows, and the cost-accounting implications of defense sales structures
• Demonstrated capture leadership across RFIs, RFPs, OTAs, SBIR/STTR, BAAs, and IDIQs, including win-theme development, color-team reviews, and pricing strategy
• Director-level presence and credibility with senior military and government audiences, including the ability to lead meetings with program executive officers, flag officers, and SES-equivalent civilians
• Proven negotiation experience on government contracts and prime/sub partnerships, including pricing structure, teaming agreements, and IP and data rights provisions
• Proficiency with CRM platforms (Salesforce, HubSpot, or comparable) for pipeline tracking and revenue forecasting
• Ability and willingness to travel up to 50%, including domestic and occasional international travel
• Comfort working independently with limited oversight
• Ability to remain calm and effective under operational pressure

Additional Desired Qualifications

• Prior US military service, particularly within SOF, aviation, maritime, ISR, robotics, or autonomous systems communities
• Existing relationships within USSOCOM, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, DHS, DARPA, DIU, AFWERX, or other defense innovation organizations
• Direct experience with FMS (Foreign Military Sales), DCS (Direct Commercial Sales), and international defense sales workflows
• Demonstrated experience transitioning programs from prototype or OTA awards into programs of record
• Familiarity with the autonomy, AI-enabled ISR, counter-UAS, electronic warfare, or tactical communications networking markets
• Active U.S. Secret security clearance (TS/SCI a plus); previously held clearance acceptable
• Experience selling into allied government customers (Five Eyes, NATO, INDOPACOM partners)
• Track record building or scaling a business development function at a defense technology startup, including hiring, mentoring, and developing BD or capture personnel
• Demonstrated track record growing a pipeline from under $10M to over $50M in annual bookings, or comparable revenue-scaling outcomes, with personal ownership of multiple wins above $5M
• Formal training in capture management methodologies such as Shipley, APMP, or equivalent; certification preferred
• Master's degree, MBA, or equivalent advanced degree
• Familiarity with ITAR/EAR export-control requirements and compliance workflows

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions

• Must be able to walk, stand, and navigate large indoor and outdoor facilities for extended periods of time.
• Ability to lift, carry, and move materials and equipment weighing up to 25 lbs on a regular basis.
• Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) may be required in designated areas or when performing specific tasks, in accordance with safety protocols and company policy.
• May be required to climb ladders, stoop, kneel, or crouch during inspections, maintenance walk-throughs, or emergency response situations.
• Regular exposure to facility operations including noise, dust, temperature fluctuations, and industrial equipment.
• Occasional off-hours or weekend work required for emergency facility responses or projects as needed
• Requires frequent use of a computer and other standard office equipment for documentation, communication, and coordination tasks.

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