Head of Sales (India & APAC) – Aerospace & Strategic Electronics

Aeron Systems Pvt. Ltd.; Pune District; On-site; INR 3,500,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Aeron Systems Pvt. Ltd. is seeking a Head of Sales for India & APAC to drive revenue and accelerate growth across defence electronics, including INS, IMUs, and GNSS solutions.

You will own sales strategy, pipeline, and P&L targets while engaging with Indian armed forces, DPSUs, DRDO labs, and private OEMs. Key responsibilities include defining GTM strategies, managing senior customer relationships, and steering complex proposals, tenders, and negotiations to secure production orders across

Qualifications

• Seasoned sales leader with 15–20+ years in defence/aerospace, with 7–8 years in senior leadership.
• Experience in complex, long-cycle, technology-driven subsystem or systems sales.
• Proven track record of winning and growing with Indian armed forces, DPSUs, DRDO labs, and private OEMs.

Responsibilities

• Own annual and multi-year revenue, order-booking, and margin targets for India and APAC.
• Define go-to-market strategies across product verticals and geographies.
• Build and manage a qualified sales pipeline from opportunities to closure.
• Identify programs and partnerships to accelerate production orders.
• Lead commercial proposals, pricing strategy, and bid responses.

Skills

Strategic account management

Pipeline building

Bid management

Pricing strategy

Contract management

Large B2B and government/defence sales

Education

Electronics Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Instrumentation Engineering

MBA / PGDM in Marketing/Strategy/IB

Tools

OdooCRM

HubSpot

Zoho CRM

MS Excel

Power BI

GeM/e-procurement portals

Job description

The Head of Sales (India & APAC) will be responsible for driving revenue generation and accelerated growth of the organization’s aerospace and strategic electronics business across India and the Asia-Pacific region. The core portfolio is Inertial Navigation Systems (INS), Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), and related inertial products, complemented by situational awareness solutions, GNSS systems, guidance, navigation and control (GNC) solutions, and other avionic sensor systems. The role owns the sales strategy, pipeline, and P&L-linked revenue targets, and leads engagement with the Indian armed forces, defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs), DRDO laboratories, and private defence OEMs, while opening and developing selected APAC defence markets.

Key Responsibilities:

Revenue Growth & Sales Strategy

Own annual and multi-year revenue, order-booking, and margin targets for India and APAC, and build the strategy to achieve faster-than-market growth in the defence electronics sector

Define the go-to-market strategy across product verticals, customer segments, and geographies, with INS/IMU as the anchor business and complementary verticals as cross-sell and solution-sell growth engines

Build and manage a qualified, well-forecasted sales pipeline from early-stage opportunities through order closure, with clear stage gates and conversion targets

Identify new programs, platforms, and applications where the company’s products can be designed in early, and convert developmental engagements into production orders

Recommend market entry, partnership, and investment decisions, including teaming arrangements, joint ventures, and strategic alliances that accelerate growth

Customer & Key Account Management (India):-

Build and sustain senior-level relationships across the Indian defence ecosystem, including:

• End-users: Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, Coast Guard, and other armed and paramilitary forces
• DPSUs and shipyards: HAL, BEL, BDL, BEML, and other defence public sector undertakings
• Research and development organizations: DRDO laboratories (such as RCI, DRDL, ADE, ASL, LRDE, and others) and other government R&D establishments
• Private defence OEMs and integrators: Tata Advanced Systems, L&T, Mahindra, and other medium and large defence companies, including UAV, missile, avionics, and vehicle system integrators

Develop account plans for priority customers, mapping programs, decision-makers, budgets, and timelines, and drive account penetration across multiple product verticals

Position the company as a trusted indigenous supplier and long-term technology partner, aligned with Atmanirbhar Bharat and indigenization priorities

Coordinate customer demonstrations, technical presentations, field evaluations, and user trials with engineering and quality teams

Defence Procurement, Tenders & Contracting

Track and shape opportunities through the defence procurement lifecycle, including RFIs, RFPs, tenders, trials, technical and commercial evaluation, and contract negotiation

Apply working knowledge of the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) and its procurement categories, indigenous content requirements, and initiatives such as Make-I, Make-II, iDEX, and the positive indigenization lists

Lead preparation of technical and commercial proposals, compliance statements, and bid responses, and manage pricing strategy in competitive and L1-driven environments

Manage commercial negotiations, contract terms, payment milestones, bank guarantees, and delivery schedules in coordination with finance, legal, and program teams

Ensure proper vendor registration, empanelment, and qualification with customers and quality assurance agencies

Drive sales of the core INS, IMU, and AHRS portfolio for aircraft, UAVs, missiles and munitions, land vehicles, naval platforms, and stabilized payloads

Grow complementary verticals and cross-sell them into the same customers and programs:

• Situational awareness solutions
• GNSS systems, including receivers and resilient/anti-jam navigation solutions
• Guidance, navigation and control (GNC) solutions
• Other avionic sensor systems (attitude, heading, air data, and related flight sensors)

Create bundled system-level offerings that combine multiple products to increase deal size, customer stickiness, and differentiation

Work closely with engineering and product teams to convert customer requirements into product variants, and feed market intelligence back into the product roadmap

APAC Market Development

Develop and execute a market entry and growth plan for priority APAC markets, identifying target countries, programs, and customer segments

Identify, appoint, and manage distributors, channel partners, and local integrators, and establish governance for their performance

Build relationships with regional defence ministries, armed forces, primes, and integrators through direct engagement, exhibitions, and government-to-government channels where applicable

Ensure compliance with Indian and destination-country export regulations, including export licensing, end-user certification, and controls applicable to inertial and navigation technologies

Establish CRM, pipeline reviews, and forecasting processes to ensure visibility, accuracy, and accountability across the sales team

Own pricing frameworks, discounting authority, and margin discipline, in coordination with finance and business leadership

Monitor order-to-cash performance, including collections, payment milestones, and receivables

Provide periodic sales and market reports to senior leadership covering revenue, pipeline, win/loss analysis, competitive landscape, and risks

Marketing, Brand & Ecosystem Presence

Build the company’s brand and visibility in the defence ecosystem through Aero India, DefExpo, DRDO and armed forces events, industry forums, and APAC defence exhibitions

Work with marketing teams on collateral, capability presentations, case studies, and customer references

Engage with industry bodies, policy forums, and innovation programs to stay ahead of policy and procurement developments

Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing sales, business development, and bid management team across India and APAC

Define territory, account, and vertical responsibilities, set clear targets, and align incentives with revenue and margin outcomes

Foster close collaboration among sales, engineering, program management, quality, and finance to ensure customer commitments are met

Governance, Ethics & Compliance

Ensure strict compliance with anti-corruption laws, defence procurement rules, integrity pact requirements, and company code of conduct in all sales activities

Ensure compliance with export control, offset, and regulatory requirements applicable to defence sales

Manage third-party, channel partner, and representative engagements in line with legal and ethical guidelines

Experience and Qualifications

Education

Electronics Engineering / Electrical Engineering

Instrumentation / Mechanical Engineering

Related engineering or science discipline

MBA / PGDM in Marketing, Strategy, or International Business is preferred.

Experience

Typically 15–20+ years of experience in sales and business development in defence, aerospace, or strategic electronics, including at least 7–8 years in senior sales leadership with revenue responsibility

Proven track record of winning and growing business with the Indian armed forces, DPSUs, DRDO laboratories, and private defence OEMs

Demonstrated experience in complex, long-cycle, technology-driven subsystem or systems sales

Demonstrated ability to build and lead high-performing sales teams and deliver sustained revenue growth

Preferred Experience

• Experience selling inertial, navigation, avionics, sensor, or defence electronics products
• Experience with tender-based procurement, trials, and developmental-to-production order conversion
• Experience opening or growing defence business in APAC markets, including working with distributors and partners
• Existing relationships with senior stakeholders at HAL, BEL, DRDO labs, armed forces, and major private defence OEMs
• Exposure to export control, offset, and international defence contracting requirements
• Prior service in the armed forces or a DPSU, or close working exposure to their procurement and user environment

Certifications (Preferred)

MBA / PGDM from a reputed institution

Formal training in strategic selling, negotiation, or contract management

Experience working under AS9100D quality systems

Required Skills

Sales & Business Development Skills

• Proven ability to win and grow large, long-cycle B2B and government/defence accounts
• Strategic account management and multi-stakeholder selling across users, technical evaluators, procurement, and finance
• Pipeline building, forecasting, and conversion management
• Bid management, proposal development, and competitive positioning
• Pricing strategy, negotiation, and contract management

Defence Ecosystem & Procurement Knowledge

• Strong understanding of the Indian defence ecosystem, including armed forces, DPSUs, DRDO, private OEMs, and quality/certification agencies
• Working knowledge of the Defence Acquisition Procedure, tender processes, trials and evaluation, Make-I / Make-II / iDEX routes, and indigenization policies
• Awareness of export control regimes, offsets, and defence trade regulations relevant to India and APAC
• Established network and credibility with decision-makers and influencers in defence customers and OEMs

Technical & Domain Understanding

• Sound understanding of inertial navigation systems, IMUs, and AHRS, including performance grades and typical applications
• Working knowledge of complementary technologies: GNSS, guidance, navigation and control (GNC), situational awareness systems, and avionic sensors
• Familiarity with defence and aerospace qualification and standards such as MIL-STD-810 , MIL-STD-461 , and DO-160
• Ability to engage credibly with engineers, program managers, and senior technical evaluators, and translate customer needs into product positioning

Commercial & Analytical Skills

Financial acumen: margins, cost-plus and L1 pricing, working capital, and order-to-cash management

Market analysis, competitive intelligence, and opportunity sizing

Experience with CRM and sales analytics tools. Examples:

• OdooCRM / HubSpot / Zoho CRM
• MS Excel / Power BI
• GeM and e-procurement portals

Leadership & Communication

• Leadership of sales teams and cross-functional collaboration with engineering, program, and finance teams
• Executive presence and communication with senior military, government, and industry stakeholders
• Decision-making under uncertainty and long sales cycles
• Resilience, integrity, and structured problem-solving