Director Of Business Development, Hivemind

Front Door Defense; Canberra; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI seeks a Director of Business Development for the Hivemind business, based in Canberra. You will design and execute strategies to win deals, hit annual orders quotas, and drive enterprise SaaS sales across government and commercial segments, collaborating with SVS and Melbourne teams.

You will lead cross‑functional efforts with product, engineering, operations, and marketing, build strategic partnerships, provide market insights, and act as a trusted advisor to executive stakeholders to

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive experience in related fields.
• Experience in defense, aerospace, or autonomy sectors.
• Strong negotiation and strategic thinking skills.
• Willingness to travel at least 25%.

Responsibilities

• Develop go-to-market strategies for Hivemind Enterprise.
• Drive revenue growth through new and existing accounts.
• Lead high‑impact sales pursuits in complex procurements.
• Collaborate with product, engineering, and ops to tailor AI solutions.
• Provide market insights to shape product development.
• Engage executive stakeholders and articulate AI value.
• Coordinate marketing and government relations opportunities.
• Lead proposal responses and sell across regions.
• Interface with SVS and Hivemind teams in Melbourne.

Skills

International strategy

Business development

Defense / autonomy sectors

Executive stakeholder engagement

Travel 25%+

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA or related Master's

Tools

Salesforce

HubSpot

Job description

Director Of Business Development, Hivemind

Location: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

About The Role

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture‑backed defense technology company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent, autonomous systems. Its products include the V‑BAT Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS), Sentient Vision Systems (wide‑area motion imaging software), and Hivemind.

The Hivemind business utilizes an exportable AI‑powered toolset to accelerate advanced mission autonomy development. This toolset has developed and deployed mission autonomy across a number of aerial platforms including collaborative multi‑agent autonomous flights on unmanned aerial target drones, within and beyond visual range air combat on modified F‑16s (X‑62 VISTA), and representative CCA surrogates (General Atomics MQ‑20).

With offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Abu Dhabi (UAE), Kyiv (Ukraine), and Melbourne (Australia), Shield AI's technology actively supports U.S. and allied operations worldwide.

Based out of Abu Dhabi, Shield AI's International Team handles all strategy and business development activity in the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania. The International Team works closely with U.S.‑based Growth, Product, Operations and other internal functions as well as a variety of international partners and entities. It is our responsibility to build Shield AI's business around the globe, source opportunities, win deals, and execute international programs.

For this role, you will be located in Canberra, Australia. You will be responsible for both creating and executing the strategy to close deals in order to meet specific annual orders (sales) quotas primarily focused on the Hivemind business. These deals must be set up for successful, programmatic execution in order to achieve overall revenue targets for the company in the following year(s). You will also be accountable to support your team members in achieving the overall annual targets of the Senior Director responsible for the region.

As a key leader on our Business Development team, you will play a pivotal role in positioning Shield AI as the leading provider of AI‑driven autonomy solutions for commercial, national security, and defense applications. This is an opportunity to shape a new market, collaborate with technical experts, and deliver state‑of‑the‑art AI solutions that make a real‑world impact.

What You'll Do

• Develop and execute go‑to‑market strategies for Hivemind Enterprise, focusing on enterprise‑level SaaS sales and establishing Shield AI as an industry leader.
• Drive revenue growth through new customer acquisition, expansion of existing accounts, and strategic partnerships.
• Lead high‑impact sales pursuits by differentiating Shield AI's offerings and navigating complex procurement environments.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with product management, engineering, and operations to ensure successful delivery of tailored AI solutions.
• Provide market insights and customer feedback to shape product development and refine value propositions.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to executive stakeholders, articulating the transformative impact of AI‑driven autonomy.
• Devise and coordinate marketing and government relations opportunities.
• Build and devise the structure of industry partnerships.
• Plan and execute product demonstrations/immersions.
• Lead proposal response.
• Work closely with the Sentient Vision Systems (SVS) and Hivemind teams based out of Melbourne Australia.

Minimum Qualifications

• Desire to help build the defining defense technology company of this century.
• 15+ years of progressive experience in related fields.
• International strategy and business development.
• Defense, aerospace, or autonomy sectors, including knowledge of AI, mission autonomy, and/or Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).
• Exceptional skills in strategic thinking, negotiation, and problem‑solving, proven through a track record of independently demolishing obstacles and exceeding critical objectives.
• Team‑oriented with the ability to communicate with an understanding of nuances associated with being collaborative while also being blunt and forthright.
• Charismatic leader, with the ability to motivate and inspire others and impart excitement about Shield AI's mission, technology, and products.
• Exceptional communicator: strong written, verbal, and presentation skills and the ability to communicate seamlessly at all levels of business and government.
• Strong ability to engage and influence senior executives and stakeholders across commercial and government sectors.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced, evolving environment.
• Willingness to travel at least 25% of the time.
• Already living in or willing to expat to Canberra, Australia for 3+ years.
• Thorough understanding and knowledge of Australian Defense Force military operations and the acquisition process that allows you to maintain strong customer relations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Australian Security Clearance.
• Bachelor's degree, and/or MBA / related Master's degree in a related field.
• Prior operational senior leadership role with the Australian Defence Force.
• Royal Australian Air Force and Royal Australian Navy preferred.
• Prior operational experience with UAVs and/or systems with advanced mission autonomy.
• Track record of leading cross‑functional teams to achieve business objectives.
• Proficiency in sales methodologies like MEDDIC, Challenger Sales, or Solution Selling.
• Experience with CRM platforms such as Salesforce or HubSpot.

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, colour, 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.