Business Development Manager, Southern Europe

Business Development Manager, Southern Europe Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture‑backed deep‑tech company with a mission to protect 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 nine offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia‑Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. The Business Development Manager, Southern Europe will be responsible for building Shield AI’s business opportunities primarily in Italy, focusing on orders execution and growth. The role involves engaging with customers, attending industry events, conducting product demonstrations, and overseeing proposal responses and offset strategies. The candidate will operate on a small, high‑responsibility team with a demanding work and travel schedule, while having the opportunity to make an outsized impact. What You’ll Do Engage with customers regularly to present and discuss Shield AI products Attend trade shows, exhibitions, or other industry events to showcase Shield AI products Devise and coordinate marketing and government relations opportunities Build and devise the structure of industry partnerships Plan and execute product demonstrations Work cross‑functionally to address customer needs Lead proposal responses Develop offset strategies Required Qualifications Exceptional communicator: strong written, verbal, and presentation skills and the ability to communicate at all levels of business and government Charismatic leader who can motivate and inspire others about Shield AI’s mission, technology, and products Desire to help build the defining defense technology company of this century Thorough understanding of military operations and the acquisition process to maintain strong customer relations 6+ years of relevant military or prior defense industry or other international business experience Self‑motivated and results‑oriented, with a demonstrated record of meeting and exceeding goals and deadlines Strong international relationships and ability to work well across diverse cultures and customs Strong technical knowledge within the UAV and/or AI disciplines (or demonstrated ability to learn quickly) Willing and able to travel internationally, frequently and without restriction, including to customer sites Team oriented with the ability to communicate across nuanced cultures while remaining direct and forthright Technically competent with the myriad systems required to operate at business speed Bachelor’s degree or appropriate military education Preferred Qualifications Specific strategy or business development experience in Europe Prior UAV or AI business development experience in a defense‑related context Proven leadership and/or operational experience within the DoD or international equivalents (e.g., MoD) Demonstrated understanding of specific Army/Navy/etc. operational scenarios and systems Strong research and analysis skills Relevant foreign language skills (e.g., European languages) Our international team members are employed through our Employer of Record (EOR) and receive a comprehensive international benefits package on top of base salary. For full details on compensation and benefits, please consult your talent acquisition partner. We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us. #J-18808-Ljbffr