Business Development Director - Commercial

AeroVironment, Inc.; Pennsylvania; Hybrid; USD 127,000 - 193,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

medical

dental vision

401K with company matching

a 9/80 work schedule

a paid holiday shutdown

Job summary

AeroVironment, Inc. seeks a Business Development Director to oversee and manage key BD activities across domestic and international markets, identifying opportunities, shaping capture strategies, and leading proposal efforts to win new business.

The role requires collaboration with internal teams and external partners, and travel up to 33% to pursue opportunities. Responsibilities include leading the BD and proposal processes, building customer relationships, aligning with management on

Qualifications

• Minimum of 12 years of relevant business development experience.
• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Engineering, or a related field; Advanced degree preferred or relevant Remotely Operated or Autonomous Vehicle Experience.
• Extensive experience in writing proposals and winning contracts.
• Proven understanding of domestic and international customer requirements/needs/issues.
• Experience using formal new business gate processes and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. Government (USG) acquisition and program planning processes.
• Demonstrated business acumen with a background in remotely operated and autonomous underwater vehicles, or similar fields.
• Valid driver's license and clean DMV record.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally up to 33% of the time.

Responsibilities

• Oversee execution of the entire business development and proposal processes, ensuring adherence to requirements.
• Lead identification and creation of new business opportunities within and outside the Continental U.S.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with customers at all levels of their organizations.
• Develop and implement capture strategies with compelling win strategies for new business opportunities.
• Conduct market research to assess the size and potential value of opportunities.
• Conduct competitive assessments to understand the strengths and weaknesses of AeroVironment solutions.
• Engage in significant travel to build and maintain customer relationships and pursue business opportunities.
• Communicate regularly with management and other internal stakeholders to align on customer requirements and feedback.
• Collaborate with the TMS leadership and the engineering team to identify technology needs and connect them with potential funding sources.
• Establish partnerships with other companies to pursue specific opportunities and enhance AeroVironment product offerings.
• Support the development of marketing collateral in coordination with the marketing team.
• Execute other duties as assigned.
• Other duties as assigned.

Job description

Business Development Director

The Business Development Director is responsible for overseeing and managing key business development activities across domestic and international markets. This position involves identifying business opportunities, developing successful strategies, and leading proposal efforts to secure new business. The role requires close collaboration with internal teams and external partners to achieve organizational goals and objectives. The Business Development Director will ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

Position Responsibilities

• Oversee execution of the entire business development and proposal processes, ensuring adherence to requirements.
• Lead identification and creation of new business opportunities within and outside the Continental U.S.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with customers at all levels of their organizations.
• Develop and implement capture strategies with compelling win strategies for new business opportunities.
• Conduct market research to assess the size and potential value of opportunities.
• Conduct competitive assessments to understand the strengths and weaknesses of AeroVironment solutions.
• Engage in significant travel to build and maintain customer relationships and pursue business opportunities.
• Communicate regularly with management and other internal stakeholders to align on customer requirements and feedback.
• Collaborate with the TMS leadership and the engineering team to identify technology needs and connect them with potential funding sources.
• Establish partnerships with other companies to pursue specific opportunities and enhance AeroVironment product offerings.
• Support the development of marketing collateral in coordination with the marketing team.
• Execute other duties as assigned.
• Other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills & Experience)

• Minimum of 12 years of relevant business development experience.
• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Engineering, or a related field; Advanced degree preferred or relevant Remotely Operated or Autonomous Vehicle Experience.
• Extensive experience in writing proposals and winning contracts.
• Proven understanding of domestic and international customer requirements/needs/issues.
• Experience using formal new business gate processes and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. Government (USG) acquisition and program planning processes.
• Demonstrated business acumen with a background in remotely operated and autonomous underwater vehicles, or similar fields.
• Valid driver's license and clean DMV record.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally up to 33% of the time.

Other Qualifications & Desired Competencies

• Demonstrates strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience in developing competitive proposals for large-scale programs.
• Strong understanding of budget and schedule processes and ability to track and forecast using business analysis techniques.
• Highly self-motivated with strong problem-solving and multi-tasking skills.
• Demonstrated experience working with cross-functional teams.
• Strong negotiation, strategic planning, and interpersonal skills.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment, and adapt quickly to changing requirements and targets.
• Exhibits strong initiative and drive to accomplish goals and meet company objectives.
• Focuses on teamwork and puts the success of the team above personal interests.
• Committed to continuous improvement and learning from mistakes.

Physical Demands

• Ability to work in an office environment and in the field for trade shows, demonstrations, and training.
• Required to sit and stand for long periods; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone keyboard (Constant).

Special Requirements

• U.S. Citizen.
• Required to travel within U.S. and International.
• Clearance Level No Clearance.

Salary

The salary range for this role is: $126,500 - $192,750

ITAR Requirement

This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic Arms Regulations ("ITAR") and/or the Export Administration Regulations ("EAR"). In order to comply with the requirements of the ITAR and/or the EAR, applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under the ITAR and the EAR, or a person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction. Please understand that any job offer that requires approval of an export license will be conditional on AeroVironment’s determination that it will be able to obtain an export license in a time frame consistent with AeroVironment’s business requirements. A "U.S. person" according to the ITAR definition is a U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or protected individual such as a refugee or asylee. See 22 CFR § 120.15. Some positions will require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements.

Benefits

• medical
• dental vision
• 401K with company matching
• a 9/80 work schedule
• a paid holiday shutdown

For more information about our company benefit offerings please visit: http://www.avinc.com/myavbenefits.

We also encourage you to review our company website at http://www.avinc.com to learn more about us.

About AV

AV isn’t for everyone. We hire the curious, the relentless, the mission-obsessed. The best of the best. We don’t just build defense technology—we redefine what’s possible. As the premier autonomous systems company in the U.S., AV delivers breakthrough capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. From AI-powered drones and loitering munitions to integrated autonomy and space resilience, our technologies shape the future of warfare and protect those who serve. Founded by legendary innovator Dr. Paul MacCready, AV has spent over 50 years pushing the boundaries of what unmanned systems can do. Our heritage includes seven platforms in the Smithsonian—but we’re not building history, we’re building what’s next. If you're ready to build technology that matters—with speed, scale, and purpose—there’s no better place to do it than AV.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are proud to be an EEO/AA Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans. AeroVironment, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicants. Qualified applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic data, sexual orientation, gender identity or other legally protected status.