Job Description

Summary

Senior Director for Middle East & African International Business Development is responsible for strategically leading the planning and execution of all international business development activities for AV within the MEA market, including regional business development strategy, capture planning and capture execution for winning contracts in the region, while leading a team responsible for regional growth. This individual will work in partnership with senior BD leadership, fellow AV Business Development leaders, AV Product Line General Managers (PLGMs), and key functional groups. This individual will be responsible for proactively creating aggressive strategic capture plans and then working across the AV team and throughout the highest levels of customer organizations, including national leaders, to shape these efforts into contract wins for AV.

Position Responsibilities

• Responsible for the sale of all AV products within the Middle East and Africa, including the identification of strategic opportunities, capture plan development and execution, and winning contracts to ensure progressive sales growth in alignment with AV strategic plans
• Coordinates and collaborates with GMs and AV leaders to develop and achieve annual regional bookings target; leads a team of Business Development Directors to build, manage, and close a robust pipeline of regional opportunities, exceeding bookings targets to drive multi-year growth
• Institutes and manages a strategic review process for identifying, analyzing, and down-selecting major strategic key captures and helps create and manage focused efforts to execute these initiatives
• Identifies and develops key value-add partnerships that support AV strategic international growth goals and localization efforts
• Provides thought leadership and strategic guidance in the following areas: analyzes current and new markets, develops campaign and capture strategies to grow business
• Gathers pertinent information on market, customer structure, and the competition
• Identifies funding sources and sales vehicles
• Regional impact of USG policies and geopolitical events
• Identifies potential customers and technical/operational requirements including influencers and key decision makers to shape requirements towards AV solutions
• Builds trusted relationships with senior military and political leaders within the region, organically growing strategic programs for AV to win
• Advances brand recognition and thought leadership with senior regional stakeholders
• Manages and develops a network of in-country representatives and resellers, who facilitate local BD engagement and data gathering

Basic Qualification (Required Skills & Experience)

• Minimum of 15 years of relevant corporate business development experience in the region
• 7-10 years of experience leading geographically dispersed teams to accomplish complex tasks in a dynamic operating environment
• Extensive understanding of the cultural and political attributes of countries in the region
• Demonstrated experience engaging with MEA military and political leaders at the rank of General/Flag Officer or Deputy Minister and above
• Demonstrated experience writing proposals, winning contracts, and navigating international acquisition processes, both foreign material sales (FMS) and direct commercial sales (DCS)
• Experience working with or around defense technology (e.g. UAS, electronic warfare, C-UAS)
• Experienced in export licensing requirements (e.g. ITAR, EAR), FCPA regulations, and interfacing with pertinent foreign and US government channels in areas of operation
• Currently living in (preferred) or willing to relocate to the MEA region

Other Qualifications & Desired Competencies

• Masters degree in international relations or foreign policy is a plus
• OCONUS US military, diplomatic, or intelligence community experience preferred
• Strong track record of successful sales of autonomous systems to defense & security entities in the region
• Strong communications, negotiation, strategic planning, and interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated experience working with cross-functional teams
• Able to excel in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
• Displays strong initiative and drive to accomplish goals and meet company objectives
• Takes ownership and responsibility for assigned tasks

Physical Demands

• Ability to sit, stand, stoop, reach, lift (up to 10 lbs.), bend, etc. Hand and wrist dexterity to utilize the computer
• May require travel to sites/program and special functions

Environmental Conditions Critical to Performance

• Work is in an office environment, climate controlled through central air conditioning/heating
• May have some exposure to outside environment while traveling

Special Requirements

• U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident (Green Card holder) or asylee/refugee status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) required
• Must be able to travel within the Continental U.S. and internationally when required
• Native fluency in Arabic
• Active US SECRET clearance preferred
• Computer skills with proficiency in MS Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook) and Salesforce
• Must have a valid drivers license and clean DMV record

Salary

The salary range for this role is $181,370 - $257,250.

AeroVironment considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the location, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidates 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. Any job offer that requires approval of an export license will be conditional on AeroVironments determination that it will be able to obtain an export license in a time frame consistent with AeroVironments 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: simply list the benefits website as plain text:

We also encourage you to review our company website at to learn more about us.

Principals only need apply. NO agencies please.

Who We Are

Based in California, AeroVironment (AVAV) is a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and tactical missile systems. Founded in 1971 by celebrated physicist and engineer Dr. Paul MacCready, weve been at the leading edge of technical innovation for more than 45 years. Be a part of the team that developed the worlds most widely used military drones and created the first submarine-launched reconnaissance drone, and has seven innovative vehicles that are part of the Smithsonian Institutions permanent collection in Washington, DC.

What We Do

Building on a history of technological innovation, AeroVironment designs, develops, produces, and supports an advanced portfolio of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and tactical missile systems. Agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense and allied military services use the companys hand-launched UAS to provide situational awareness to tactical operating units through real-time, airborne reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition.

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

U.S. Citizenship is required. Secret or Top Secret clearance, or the ability to obtain a clearance is desired.

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