Defence Sales Manager APAC

Alta Ares; Singapore; On-site; SGD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Alta Ares seeks a Defence Sales Manager APAC to own the commercial development across the Asia‑Pacific region from Singapore. Build the pipeline from scratch across Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and SE Asia, establishing Alta Ares as the AI‑enabled defense partner of choice for APAC armed forces.

You will lead qualification, proposal development, and contract negotiations across ISR, C‑UAS, autonomy, and AI programs while maintaining forecast accuracy and collaborating

Qualifications

• English fluency is mandatory for APAC markets and internal reporting.
• Experience building relationships with defense clients across APAC.
• Ability to manage long, multi-stakeholder sales cycles across countries.

Responsibilities

• Own the APAC sales pipeline from scratch across Japan, SK, Australia, NZ and SE Asia.
• Lead qualification, opportunity shaping, proposals, and contract negotiations.
• Maintain accurate pipeline forecasting and deal tracking.
• Represent Alta Ares at regional defense events and client meetings.
• Coordinate with Paris HQ on demos, proposals, and delivery timelines.

Skills

English fluency

APAC market exp

Hunter mindset

Multi-country sales

Diplomatic engagement

Job description

About Alta Ares

Alta Ares is a deeptech startup founded in 2024, building real‑time AI for defense operations—ISR, C‑UAS, and autonomous systems. Our clients are NATO‑aligned militaries and defense institutions with regular deployments during live exercises and operational demonstrations. We raised €2M seed in May 2025, 50M in June 2026, and are expanding fast.

Product Suite

• Real‑time AI ISR module deployable on drones and tactical platforms
• Counter‑UAS solution enabling autonomous drone takeover in GNSS‑denied environments
• Full‑stack MLOps platform for training and deploying military‑grade AI models
• Data fusion and trajectory prediction

Role & Mission

As Defence Sales Manager APAC, you will own Alta Ares' commercial development across the entire Asia‑Pacific region—a dynamic and fast‑evolving defense procurement theater. Based in Singapore, you will build the pipeline from scratch across Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia, positioning Alta Ares as the AI‑enabled defense partner of choice for APAC armed forces and their industrial ecosystems.

• Own and drive the full APAC sales pipeline across priority markets: Japan (MOD / ATLA / SDF), South Korea (DAPA / ROK Armed Forces), Australia (Defence / CASG / ADF), New Zealand (NZDF), Singapore (MINDEF / SAF), and broader Southeast Asia
• Lead qualification, opportunity shaping, proposal development, and contract negotiations across ISR, C‑UAS, autonomy, and AI programmes
• Identify and pursue relevant procurement vehicles across each market: AUKUS Pillar II opportunities, Japan's counter‑drone programmes, South Korea's defense AI initiatives, and Singapore's C‑UAS requirements
• Convert demonstrations, pilot engagements, and proof‑of‑concept deployments into scalable, long‑term contracts
• Maintain accurate pipeline forecasting and deal tracking, reported regularly to the Head of Sales and top management
• Build and maintain trusted, senior‑level relationships with military end‑users, procurement officials, and MOD programme managers across APAC
• Engage with regional defense primes and industrial partners as teaming and channel partners: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Hanwha Defence, BAE Systems Australia, ST Engineering, and equivalents
• Navigate the specific procurement culture of each APAC market—understanding bilateral cooperation frameworks, foreign vendor access rules, and local industrial partnership requirements
• Represent Alta Ares at key regional defense events: IMDEX Asia, Indo Pacific, DSEI Japan, Seoul ADEX, Avalon Airshow, and bilateral exercises
• Map APAC defense markets across all priority countries: procurement budgets, capability gaps, C‑UAS and ISR priorities, threat environments, and competitive landscape
• Track regional security dynamics and their procurement implications: Taiwan Strait tensions, North Korean drone proliferation, South China Sea, and Indo‑Pacific alliance frameworks (AUKUS, Quad, Five Eyes)
• Monitor bilateral defense cooperation frameworks between France, EU, and APAC nations relevant to Alta Ares' market access
• Provide regular market intelligence and strategic recommendations to the Paris leadership team
• Support export compliance across multiple jurisdictions: French AECA, Australian export controls, Japanese security trade regulations, ITAR considerations
• Work closely with Engineering and Product in Paris to align demo schedules, technical proposals, and delivery timelines with APAC client requirements
• Prepare and deliver tailored capability briefings, product demonstrations, and technical presentations for diverse APAC military and institutional audiences
• Coordinate logistics for client visits, field demonstrations, and operational showcases across the region
• Act as the cultural and operational bridge between APAC partners and Alta Ares HQ in Paris—translating context, expectations, and timelines in both directions
• Brief leadership on pipeline status, key account developments, and strategic risks across APAC

Candidate Profile

Experience

• 4–7 years of experience in defense sales, business development, or program management—direct exposure to APAC defense procurement across at least two of the priority markets
• Proven track record building relationships and closing contracts with APAC military or government clients
• Experience working with or within a defense prime, neoprime, or advanced defense tech company operating in APAC (e.g., Thales, Airbus Defence, BAE Systems, Elbit, Palantir, Anduril, or equivalents)
• Demonstrated ability to manage a multi‑country sales territory simultaneously with different procurement cultures, timelines, and access requirements
• Background in C‑UAS, ISR, AI autonomy, or adjacent systems is a strong plus

Skills & Qualities

• English fluency—mandatory: primary language across all APAC markets and internal reporting
• Additional Asian language is a strong plus—Japanese, Korean, or Mandarin significantly increases effectiveness in key markets
• French is a meaningful plus—direct communication with Paris HQ
• Culturally agile: able to adapt communication style, relationship approach, and commercial cadence to Japan, Korea, Australia, and Southeast Asia simultaneously—four very different operating environments
• Hunter mindset—proactive, persistent, and comfortable building pipeline from scratch across a large, diverse region
• Comfortable operating autonomously across multiple time zones, geographies, and institutional cultures
• High integrity and discretion—operate in security‑sensitive environments across multiple jurisdictions
• Entrepreneurial and resilient: long sales cycles, complex stakeholder maps, and remote‑from‑HQ operations are features of this role, not bugs