Senior Director, BD - Simulation (R4883)
Shield AI
Sales & Business Development
United States
USD 190k-290k / year + Equity
Posted on Apr 28, 2026
Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
Job Description:
Shield AI is seeking a senior technical sales leader, based in the United States, to lead and scale the Simulation Team (built on the newly acquired Aechelon business) within Shield AI’s Hivemind portfolio. This leader will own bookings performance, integrate Simulation into Shield AI’s broader GTM strategy, and build a unified, high-performing sales motion across simulation, visualization, and autonomy solutions.
Partnering closely with Product, Engineering, Marketing, Customer Engagement, and Hivemind sales leadership, you will position Simulation offerings within Shield AI’s ecosystem, unlock cross-sell across the portfolio, and spearhead the opening of new markets in the U.S. and globally.
What you'll do:
- Own bookings performance and be accountable for achieving—and exceeding—Simulation Team bookings goals, ensuring sufficient qualified pipeline coverage to consistently hit target
- Lead, develop, and grow the Simulation sales team—talent, roles, coverage, and capacity—establishing a high-performance culture with strong coaching and clear accountability
- Drive post-acquisition integration of people, processes, systems, and GTM strategy into Shield AI
- Own the GTM plan for Simulation (segmentation, ICP, account/territory strategy, pipeline generation, competitive positioning) and spearhead opening new markets across the U.S. and globally
- Identify and execute cross-sell and bundling opportunities across Simulation, Hivemind, and broader Shield AI offerings
- Establish operating rigor and predictability (forecasting, deal reviews, MBRs/QBRs, dashboards, KPIs/OKRs) and standardize sales processes (qualification, CRM hygiene, deal stages, governance) for repeatable performance
- Personally lead key pursuits and executive engagements in complex, multi-stakeholder deals; build deep relationships with the Department of War (DoW) and the Public Sector
- Work large program business with Systems Integrators and Prime/OEMs; expand strategic partner relationships to enable partner-led growth in simulation, training, and visualization programs
- Partner with Product, Engineering, Marketing, and Customer Engagement to inform roadmap, drive demand generation, and shape Shield AI’s integrated platform GTM strategy
Measures of success (First 6-12 months):
- Achievement of Simulation Team bookings goals with sufficient qualified pipeline coverage to consistently hit target
- Successful integration of the Simulation sales team into Shield AI’s operating model, systems, and culture
- Improved forecast accuracy, pipeline hygiene, win rates, and deal velocity through standardized, repeatable sales motions
- Spearhead cross-sell revenue initiatives with Shield AI products
- Stronger territory/account/coverage strategy across U.S. and entry to global markets, including the partner ecosystem
Required qualifications:
- 10+ years in defense technology, modeling & simulation, or AI autonomy
- 10+ years of B2B sales experience in technically complex domains (simulation, visualization, AI/ML, autonomy, SaaS, aerospace/defense, or similar), including 5+ years of senior sales leadership through transformation, integration, or scaling phases
- Proven record of building and scaling GTM/revenue organizations, including integrating or scaling acquired sales teams and driving consistent revenue growth
- Strong Department of War (DoW) and Public Sector experience, with the ability to navigate complex government acquisition environments
- Demonstrated experience working large program business with Systems Integrators and Prime/OEMs
- Technical sales leader with strong credibility across engineering, product, and operational stakeholders
- Deep GTM fundamentals (segmentation, coverage, pipeline strategy, positioning) and proven ability to sell complex, multi-product/platform solutions
- Excellent executive communication and cross-functional leadership
- Bachelor’s degree required
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience in modeling & simulation, synthetic environments, visualization platforms, training systems, or digital battlefield environments
- Experience driving post-M&A integration and GTM unification
- Familiarity with autonomy commercialization and complex solution selling
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Full-time regular employee offer package:
Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
Temporary employee offer package:
Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)
Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.
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Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.
190000 - 290000 USD a year