Strategy & Partnerships Lead

Jobtailor; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Arondite is seeking a strategic Business Development Lead to drive early engagement in Canada, building relationships with DND, DRDC, IDEaS and other public-sector partners to accelerate market access.

You will lead enterprise software and defence technology deals, translate market signals into product insights, and shape partnerships while representing the company in senior-level discussions across government and industry.

Qualifications

• Experience winning enterprise software, defence technology or complex public‑sector deals in the Canadian defence or national security environment.
• Knowledge of Canadian defence procurement, innovation funding and stakeholder engagement.
• Experience building and managing senior relationships across government, defence, industry or technology organisations.
• Track record of structuring and advancing partnerships in defence, public sector or other highly regulated environments.
• Strong commercial judgement, including business case development, pricing awareness, communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-moving, high-growth company alongside engineers and technical teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead Arondite’s early business development and strategic engagement activity in Canada.
• Build and maintain relationships with stakeholders across DND, DRDC, IDEaS, federal innovation programs and adjacent public-sector organisations.
• Develop relationships with Canadian primes, technology partners and other organisations that can accelerate market access.
• Identify, qualify and progress commercial opportunities relevant to Cobalt and Arondite’s wider offering.
• Run structured customer discovery to test demand, refine positioning and surface priority use cases.
• Translate market signals into product insight, roadmap input and go-to-market recommendations with internal teams.
• Support partnership structuring, pricing discussions, proposal development and commercial negotiations.
• Represent Arondite in meetings, events and external conversations with senior decision-makers, including as a spokesperson for media and governmental affairs.
• Help shape Arondite’s long-term Canadian presence, including hiring insights, ecosystem mapping and local growth priorities.
• Work closely with product and engineering teams to translate customer needs into product insight.
• Attend in-person engagements with DND, DRDC, IDEaS, relevant federal agencies and Canadian prime contractors.
• Travel to customer sites as needed.

Skills

Business Development

Stakeholder Engagement

Defence Procurement

Partnership Structuring

AI Solutions Selling

Customer Discovery

Market Insight Translation

Export Controls Awareness

Government Engagement

Commercial Judgement

Job description

• Lead Arondite’s early business development and strategic engagement activity in Canada


• Build and maintain relationships with stakeholders across DND, DRDC, IDEaS, federal innovation programs and adjacent public-sector organisations


• Develop relationships with Canadian primes, technology partners and other organisations that can accelerate market access


• Identify, qualify and progress commercial opportunities relevant to Cobalt and Arondite’s wider offering


• Run structured customer discovery to test demand, refine positioning and surface priority use cases


• Translate market signals into product insight, roadmap input and go-to-market recommendations with internal teams


• Support partnership structuring, pricing discussions, proposal development and commercial negotiations


• Represent Arondite in meetings, events and external conversations with senior decision-makers, including as a spokesperson for media and governmental affairs


• Help shape Arondite’s long-term Canadian presence, including hiring insights, ecosystem mapping and local growth priorities


• Work closely with product and engineering teams to translate customer needs into product insight


• Attend in-person engagements with DND, DRDC, IDEaS, relevant federal agencies and Canadian prime contractors


• Travel to customer sites as needed

Requirements

• Experience winning enterprise software, defence technology or complex public-sector deals in the Canadian defence or national security environment


• Strong understanding of how Canadian defence procurement, innovation funding and stakeholder engagement work in practice


• Experience building and managing senior relationships across government, defence, industry or technology organisations


• Track record of structuring and advancing partnerships in defence, public sector or other highly regulated environments


• Strong commercial judgement, including business case development, pricing awareness, communication and presentation skills


• Ability to work effectively in a fast-moving, high-growth company alongside engineers and technical teams


• Confidence engaging with technical subject matter and explaining complex products to a wide range of audiences


• Ability to operate with high ownership and autonomy from day one


• Understanding of considerations involved in deploying AI solutions in defence contexts


• Experience selling AI or machine learning solutions in regulated environments


• Familiarity with responsible AI, defence AI ethics or assurance frameworks


• Knowledge of Canadian content considerations, industrial participation expectations or related contracting requirements


• Awareness of export controls, security requirements and information-handling constraints relevant to defence work


• Existing Right to Work in Canada at the time of application


• Likely requirement to hold a clearance or be willing to undergo Canadian security screening


• Continuous residency in Canada for at least 5 years for Reliability Status, and 10 years for Secret

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in business development and strategic engagement within the Canadian defence sector, with a strong focus on building relationships, advancing partnerships, and translating market insights into actionable product strategies. Proficient in navigating complex public-sector deals and understanding defence procurement processes.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Business Development


• Stakeholder Engagement


• Defence Procurement


• Partnership Structuring


• AI Solutions Selling

ATS Optimization Keywords

Hard Skills

• Enterprise Software Sales


• Defence Technology


• Public-Sector Deal Structuring


• Business Case Development


• Pricing Awareness


• Customer Discovery


• Market Insight Translation


• AI Deployment Considerations


• Machine Learning Solutions


• Export Controls Awareness

Soft Skills

• Communication Skills


• Presentation Skills


• Relationship Management


• Autonomy


• Commercial Judgement

Certifications & Qualifications

• Right to Work in Canada


• Security Clearance Eligibility

Industry Keywords

• Canadian Defence


• National Security


• Innovation Funding


• Responsible AI


• Defence AI Ethics


• Information-Handling Constraints


• Industrial Participation Expectations


• Government Engagement


• Federal Innovation Programs


• Ecosystem Mapping