Business Development Manager - K9 Explosive Detection (Stratos K9)

Position: Business Development Manager
Division: Stratos K9 (
Location : Remote, with up to 50% Domestic US travel

Role Overview

The Business Development Manager is a commercial owner for Stratos K9 across the United States. The role is responsible for originating new explosive detection and firearms detection canine business nationally.

The successful candidate will operate with significant autonomy on territory strategy, target account selection, channel development, and commercial planning. They will work in close partnership with the CEO and COO on deal strategy, with FORD K9 training leadership on canine team capability and solution design, and with the operations team on engagement transition and account expansion. Success is measured on closed annual contract value and gross margin.

What You Will Do

• Originate new business . Build and execute a quarter-by-quarter territory plan. Generate qualified pipeline through direct outreach, warm introductions, referral partnerships, industry events, and a personal presence in the markets that matter. Maintain a continuously updated and well-qualified pipeline at three times forward-quarter coverage of bookings target.
• Lead consultative sales conversations . Meet with corporate security directors, venue operations leaders, athletic department executives, event producers, school and university safety leadership, places of worship security committees, chiefs of staff, family office principals, and government security buyers. Surface the threat environment, operational tempo, access control posture, event calendar, and existing security program. Translate what you learn into custom detection K9 deployment strategies in close partnership with our operations leadership.
• Develop recurring detection programs. Stratos K9 delivers both event-based deployments and recurring on-site detection programs. You will originate, qualify, and close multi-year recurring detection engagements for corporate campuses, professional sports venues, large places of worship, school districts, and critical infrastructure, alongside single-event work for the most demanding live events in the country.
• Author client-facing work product. Proposals, statements of work, fee schedules, and follow-up communications all go out under your name and reflect on the firm. The standard is CEO-class. You will own the quality of every deliverable that touches a prospect or client.
• Negotiate and close. Move opportunities from qualified through executed agreement and operational handoff. Defend margin discipline. Coordinate commercial terms with the COO and outside counsel. Hand off cleanly to the operations and training teams for delivery.
• Build channel partnerships. Develop a portfolio of referral relationships across event production firms, venue management companies, athletic facility operators, executive protection providers, security consultants, integrators, risk advisory firms, insurance brokers, and advisors serving Fortune 500 and UHNW principals. Activate them. Measure their contribution.
• Cross-sell the platform. Stratos K9 is one part of a broader Stratoscope Holdings capability set. You will identify where executive protection, weapons detection screening systems, TSCM, or security consulting services round out a client program, and bring those revenue lines into your accounts.
• Represent the brand. Show up at the right ASIS, IAVM, NCS4, and industry events. Carry yourself with the polish, discretion, and judgment expected in the environments where our clients operate.
• Forecast accurately and report cleanly. Weekly pipeline updates, monthly forecast commits, disciplined CRM hygiene, and clear documentation of stage progression and risk. We make decisions on what you tell us, so the quality of what you tell us matters.

What You Will Bring

• Five or more years of business development, sales, or commercial experience inside the explosive detection or firearms detection canine industry. This is a non-negotiable requirement. The role is built for a sitting BD professional who already speaks the language of the category and knows the buyers.
• A documented track record of personally originating and closing high-value detection K9 or weapons detection engagements, including both event-based deployments and multi-year recurring on-site programs across the corporate, sports and entertainment, education, places of worship, healthcare, transportation, government, or high-net-worth segments.
• An existing, documented network of relationships in the U.S. across one or more of: corporate security directors, venue operations leaders, athletic facility executives, school and university safety officials, places of worship security committees, event production firms, chiefs of staff and family office principals, government security buyers, or comparable buyer-side decision-makers.
• Working fluency in the explosive and firearms detection canine service category, including the operational vocabulary, the certification and training landscape (TSA 3PK9-C, ATF NORT, NAPWDA, and comparable standards), the regulatory environment across the United States, and the way clients and their advisors evaluate competing providers.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication. The ability to produce client-facing documents, proposals, and emails that meet a CEO-class standard of clarity and polish without internal rework.
• Genuine executive presence. The personal credibility to engage corporate security leadership, principals, senior advisors, and competing providers as a peer.
• A disciplined sales operating system. Mastery of consultative methodology, structured pipeline management, accurate forecasting, and CRM hygiene.
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Willingness to travel approximately 40 to 50 percent within the territory and periodically to company meetings and to industry conferences.
• Ability to pass a comprehensive background investigation and maintain the confidentiality and discretion the role demands.

Bonus Points

• Prior business development or sales experience at an established explosive or firearms detection canine firm, integrated security company, or comparable provider.
• Established relationships in professional sports and live entertainment, public and private K-12 and higher education, places of worship, healthcare systems, transportation and aviation, corporate Fortune 500 security organizations, government, or UHNW and family office security programs.
• Background combining federal law enforcement, military, intelligence, or comparable government canine, EOD, or counter-IED service with subsequent commercial experience in private detection K9 or integrated security.
• Active engagements with industry relevant trade groups and associations such as ASIS International, IAVM, NCS4, NAPWDA, or comparable bodies.
• Familiarity with the regulatory and licensing environment governing private detection canine operations across the United States.
• Experience selling adjacent capabilities such as weapons detection screening systems, executive protection, TSCM, protective intelligence, secure transportation, or security consulting.

Who You Are

Beyond the resume, this role calls for a particular kind of professional. You are energized by originating new relationships from a blank page and disciplined in re-engaging the ones that take time to mature. You treat every closed engagement as the start of a long client relationship, not the end of a sales cycle. You hold confidentiality and discretion as table stakes, not as virtues. You take full ownership of your territory, your pipeline, and the standard of work that goes out under your name, and you recognize that every external interaction is a brand-defining moment.

Key Attributes

Ownership Mentality. Treats the territory as their own. Proactively identifies gaps, anticipates needs, and drives solutions without being asked. Does not wait for direction on obvious problems.

Relentless Follow-Through. Tracks every open item to completion. Nothing is forgotten, nothing is assumed, nothing is left unresolved. Maintains a personal system for tracking action items and delivers on every commitment.

Client-First Professionalism. Understands that Stratos K9 serves a demanding, high-expectation client base and communicates accordingly. Polished, responsive, and discreet at all times. Represents the company with the same standard expected of a deployed handler in the field.

Calm Under Pressure. Comfortable operating in a fast-moving environment where event schedules shift, deployments mobilize on short notice, and rapid problem-solving is routine. Does not escalate unnecessarily or create friction during operational pivots.

Builder Mindset. Excited by the opportunity to help build the commercial infrastructure of a growing business from the ground up rather than inheriting a fully mature system. Sees ambiguity as opportunity, not risk.

Discretion and Judgment. Exercises sound independent judgment when handling sensitive information, client schedules, and personnel matters. Understands that the clients and personnel information managed by this role require absolute confidentiality.

We are committed to supporting the wellbeing of our employees through a comprehensive benefits program. Full‑time employees receive access to a range of benefits, including:

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Multiple medical plan options with preventive care, prescription coverage, telemedicine, and mental health support
• Tax‑advantaged accounts, including FSA, Dependent Care FSA, and HSA, employee support programs, and company-paid life and AD&D insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan with a 3% employer safe‑harbor match, with quarterly enrollment for new hires
• Unlimited Paid Time Off
• Coverage and eligibility determined by plan rules; enrollment occurs within 30 days of eligibility medical coverage begins on the date of hire or the first of the following month

Compensation

Salary Range: $90K - $100K Base + Lucrative Commission Plan