Foreign Military Sales

Harmattan AI; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Harmattan AI in Austin, TX seeks a Senior Director of International Defense Business Development to own the pathway end to end: sourcing partner-nation opportunities, navigating the U.S. government system, and closing deals with live cases.

You will lead relationships with FMS, FMF, and related processes, coordinate with legal, engineering, and program teams, and travel as cases require to advance funding and approvals.

Qualifications

• Educational background: strong record in technical or business field.
• Proven leadership: sourcing and closing international defense deals with outcomes.
• Security cooperation depth: ITAR/export control fluency and LOA knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Own US FMS and security cooperation pipeline; source, qualify, advance and close opportunities.
• Move partners from interest to funded action: LOA, Letter of Request, Offer and Acceptance.
• Choose pathways (FMS, DCS, FMF, or FMF) and build funding/approval strategy.
• Map and engage decision-makers across government and industry.
• Drive releasability, licensing, and coordination with legal, engineering, and programs.
• Onboard Harmattan AI as approved supplier; remove constraints to progress cases.

Skills

Leadership

Sourcing & closing deals

Security cooperation

Stakeholder management

ITAR/export control

Travel readiness

Education

Engineering / CS / Business

Job description

About Us

Harmattan AI is a next-generation defense prime building autonomous and scalable defense systems. Following the close of a $200M Series B, valuing the company at $1.4 billion, we are expanding our teams and capabilities to deliver mission-critical systems to allied forces.

Our work is guided by clear values: building technologies with real-world impact, pursuing excellence in everything we do, setting ambitious goals, and taking on the hardest technical challenges. We operate in a demanding environment where rigor, ownership, and execution are expected.

About the Role

You will own the pathway end to end: sourcing partner-nation opportunities, working them through the U.S. government system, and closing them yourself, with live cases waiting rather than a function to build on paper.

Responsibilities

• Own the US FMS and security cooperation pipeline against a number, source, qualify, advance and close partner-nation opportunities.
• Move partners from stated interest to funded action: formal requirement, Letter of Request, Letter of Offer and Acceptance.
• Choose the right pathway for each case - FMS, DCS, BPC or FMF - and build the funding and approval strategy behind it.
• Map and work the decision-makers in your field
• Drive releasability, exportability and licensing to resolution with internal legal, engineering and program teams.
• Get Harmattan onboarded as an approved supplier in target nations, and unblock stalled cases by finding the real constraint.

Candidate Requirements

• Educational Background: A strong academic record - ideally in a technical or business field (e.g., Engineering, Computer Science, Business Administration).
• Proven Leadership: A record of personally sourcing and closing international defense business - deals you owned, with outcomes you can speak to - and of leading legal, engineering, program and government stakeholders to a close without authority over any of them.
• Security Cooperation Depth: Real FMS and security cooperation experience - case and LOA development, funding authorities, pathway selection - plus ITAR and export control fluency, foreign supplier onboarding, embassy-level engagement

• Complex Project Management: Avid learner with a demonstrated capacity to handle large-scale, complex projects - offering innovative solutions and leading teams to deliver outstanding results.
• Adaptability & Mobility: Thrives under pressure in a fast-paced, dynamic environment; embraces a "no-task-is-too-small" mentality. Willing to travel as cases require.
• Communication & Influence: Excellent written and verbal communication, capable of leading diverse principals - from junior members to senior executives.
• Commitment: 100% dedication to Harmattan AI's mission, vision, and ambitious growth plans, ready to go the extra mile to ensure operational excellence.

We look forward to hearing how you can help shape the future of autonomous defense systems at Harmattan AI.