Head of Federal

Austin Sensing Company; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

Insurance benefits

Lunch and dinner served daily

Job summary

Austin Sensing Company seeks a Head of Federal to lead defense sales in the United States and internationally. You will own the defense pipeline, build relationships with military customers, and convert opportunities into funded programs and signed contracts.

This hands-on sales leadership role requires credibility with operators and program offices, and the ability to close complex defense deals. Domestic and international travel is required.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of defense sales, business development or capture with proven closing of contracts.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. defense procurement, funding cycles and acquisition processes.
• Experience selling to allied international defense customers or with partners.
• Established relationships with military operators, acquisition professionals, or defense industry partners.
• Ability to distinguish genuine funded opportunities and map a close plan.

Responsibilities

• Own defense sales strategy and pipeline in U.S. and international markets.
• Build relationships with military units, program offices and acquisition teams.
• Identify opportunities where our radar, sensing and RF sensors meet operational needs.
• Develop account and capture plans identifying decision-makers, budgets and procurement routes.
• Lead customer conversations, proposals, negotiations and contract pursuits.
• Coordinate with deployment engineers for demonstrations and field evaluations.
• Convert evaluations into purchases and follow-on orders.
• Lead relationships with prime contractors and international partners.
• Bring field feedback to engineering for product prioritization.
• Coordinate export requirements and international sales with counsel.
• Build and lead the defense sales team as the business grows.

Skills

Defense sales

Business development

Capture management

Negotiation

Strategic accounts

Job description

Building the future of sensing is extremely hard work. We move fast, tackle difficult technical problems, and expect a lot from one another. We look for self-starters who take ownership and deliver. If you are looking for a traditional 9-to-5, this is not the place for you.

But if you want to build advanced sensing systems in Austin, strengthen U.S. military capabilities, protect American warfighters, support public safety and aerial firefighting, and work alongside operators in the field, we want to hear from you.

Why Austin Sensing Co.

We design and manufacture vertically integrated sensing systems for defense, public safety, and critical infrastructure. Our products are deployed in demanding environments where failure is not an option. Built in America and headquartered in Austin, Texas.

OPEN ROLES

Head of Federal

Location

Austin, TX

On-site

About Austin Sensing Company

Austin Sensing Company builds radar, acoustic, and RF sensors for defense, public safety, critical infrastructure, and autonomous systems. We design and manufacture our hardware in Austin, Texas, with a focus on making high-performance sensing reliable, affordable, and widely available.

About the Role

We’re hiring a Head of Federal to lead defense sales in the United States and internationally. You’ll own our defense pipeline, build relationships with military customers, and turn operational interest into funded programs and signed contracts.

This is a hands-on sales leadership role. You’ll work directly with the founders, engineers, and deployment engineers to get our products in front of the right customers, demonstrate their capabilities, and move opportunities through procurement. Your responsibility extends from the first conversation through contract award and expansion.

We’re looking for someone who understands how defense customers buy, has earned credibility with operators and acquisition teams, and has personally closed business. You should be comfortable meeting a military unit in the field, discussing requirements with a program office, and negotiating a contract.

Domestic and international travel required.

What You’ll Do

Own defense sales strategy and pipeline across U.S. and international markets.

Build relationships with military units, program offices, acquisition teams, and allied defense customers.

Identify opportunities where our radar, acoustic, and RF sensors meet an operational need and have a credible path to funding.

Develop account and capture plans that identify decision-makers, requirements, budgets, procurement routes, and next steps.

Lead customer conversations, product presentations, proposals, negotiations, and contract pursuits.

Work with deployment engineers to plan demonstrations and evaluations at military bases, training sites, and customer locations.

Convert successful evaluations into purchases, follow-on orders, and broader adoption.

Develop relationships with prime contractors, integrators, and international partners that can help us reach customers and win business.

Bring customer requirements and field feedback to engineering, helping the team prioritize product improvements.

Coordinate with counsel and internal teams on export requirements and international sales.

Build and lead the defense sales team as the business grows.

What You’ll Bring

7+ years of relevant experience in defense sales, business development, or capture, with direct responsibility for winning business.

A record of closing defense contracts and growing customer accounts.

Strong knowledge of U.S. defense procurement, funding cycles, and acquisition processes.

Experience selling internationally to allied defense customers or working with partners to pursue those opportunities.

Established relationships with military operators, acquisition professionals, or defense industry partners.

The ability to distinguish customer interest from a funded opportunity and build a realistic plan to close.

Experience selling technical hardware or systems and working closely with engineering teams.

Strong negotiation skills and clear communication.

Willingness to travel frequently within the United States and overseas for customer meetings, demonstrations, and field evaluations.

Preferred Experience

Experience selling radar, sensing systems, counter-UAS technology, or related defense products.

Experience taking a product from an initial military evaluation to repeat orders or a larger program.

Familiarity with both direct commercial sales and government-to-government pathways for international defense purchases.

Experience working with prime contractors and integrating products into larger defense systems.

Experience building a defense sales function at an early-stage company.

• 401(k)
• Insurance benefits
• Lunch and dinner served daily