Sales Director, Aerospace & Defense

Real-Time Innovations (RTI); Washington; On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote working + Home Office Stipend

Flexible Paid Time Off + Real Vacation

Annual bonus and recognition

Career growth opportunities

Tools for success

Job summary

Real-Time Innovations (RTI) is seeking an experienced Sales Director, Aerospace & Defense, to lead a high-performing sales organization across the Americas and EMEA. You will develop account strategies, build a sustainable pipeline, and coach a team of sales and business development professionals to win complex aerospace programs.

The role requires deep understanding of the aerospace ecosystem, strong leadership, and translating market opportunities into revenue growth while collaborating with

Qualifications

• 10+ years in Sales/Business Development in Aerospace & Defense
• Experience leading a Sales organization through growth or market expansion
• Proven ability to build pipeline and manage complex opportunities
• Experience coordinating with Customer Success and Sales Development functions
• Strong executive presence with senior stakeholders
• Willingness to travel regularly to customers and events
• US Citizenship required to meet regulatory requirements

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop Sales and Business Development teams to achieve revenue and pipeline goals.
• Develop and execute account and territory strategies across the Americas and Europe.
• Build and manage a strong pipeline from prospecting through close.
• Own forecasting, pipeline management, and operating cadence for the organization.
• Drive growth with existing strategic accounts and identify expansion opportunities.
• Build trusted relationships with senior leaders across primes, integrators, and government bodies.
• Identify new markets, programs, customers, and partnerships for long-term growth.
• Partner with Marketing, Product, Engineering, Solutions, and Executive Leadership to drive outcomes.

Skills

Sales leadership

Strategic accounts

Team coaching

Cross-functional collaboration

Forecasting & pipeline

Travel readiness

Executive presence

Job description

RTI is seeking an experienced Sales Director, Aerospace & Defense to lead and accelerate growth across the Americas and EMEA Aerospace & Defense market. This is a Sales leadership role for a commercially driven leader who knows how to build and manage a high-performing Sales organization, develop new business, and create a sustainable pipeline across complex Aerospace & Defense accounts.

The ideal candidate brings a strong understanding of the Aerospace & Defense ecosystem, combined with demonstrated experience leading Sales and Business Development professionals and working effectively across Customer Success and Sales Development functions. This person will be responsible for developing account strategies, identifying and creating new opportunities, coaching and developing the team, and building relationships with senior decision-makers across defense primes, systems integrators, government organizations, and strategic partners.

You will work cross-functionally to build pipeline, develop strategic opportunities, and drive long-term customer growth. Success in this role requires a strong understanding of customer needs, the ability to communicate the value of complex technology, and the leadership skills to translate market opportunities into measurable revenue growth.

What You’ll Do

• Lead, coach, and develop Sales and Business Development teams to achieve revenue and pipeline goals, while building organizational capability and developing future leaders.
• Develop and execute account and territory strategies to grow RTI’s Aerospace & Defense business across the U.S. and Europe.
• Build and manage a strong pipeline of strategic opportunities from prospecting through close.
• Own forecasting, pipeline management, and operating cadence for the organization, driving forecast accuracy and disciplined opportunity management.
• Drive growth within existing strategic accounts by identifying expansion opportunities and developing long-term customer growth strategies.
• Build trusted relationships with senior leaders across defense primes, systems integrators, government organizations, and strategic partners.
• Identify new markets, programs, customers, and partnerships that drive long-term growth.
• Partner cross-functionally with Marketing, Product, Engineering, Solutions, and Executive Leadership to drive customer and business outcomes.

What We’re Looking For

• 10+ years of experience in Sales, Business Development, strategic accounts, or related commercial roles within the Aerospace & Defense markets.
• Experience leading a Sales organization through a period of growth or market expansion.
• Demonstrated experience directly managing and developing quota-carrying Sales and/or business development professionals, including performance management, coaching, and talent development.
• Proven understanding of how Business Development, Sales Development Representatives, Customer Success, and Sales functions work together to generate pipeline and drive revenue.
• Track record of leading teams to build pipeline, develop new business, grow strategic accounts, and consistently achieve revenue targets.
• Experience selling complex technology, software, platforms, or solutions through consultative and enterprise Sales processes.
• Strong understanding of the U.S. Aerospace & Defense ecosystem, including defense primes, systems integrators, government customers, and strategic partners.
• Experience developing and executing account, territory, or go-to-market strategies.
• Strong executive presence with the ability to build relationships with senior customer and industry leaders.
• Excellent coaching, communication, negotiation, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to operate strategically while remaining hands‑on when needed to help move opportunities forward.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with Marketing, Product, Engineering, Solutions, and Executive Leadership.
• Willingness to travel regularly to customers, partners, and industry events.
• US Citizenship required *Due to applicable laws, government regulations and contract specifications, we are required to fill this position only with an individual who qualifies as a "U.S. Citizen."

Nice To Have

• Existing relationships within the Aerospace & Defense industry.
• Experience selling into the U.S. Department of Defense or related government organizations.
• Experience working with major defense primes and systems integrators.
• Familiarity with embedded systems, real-time systems, middleware, or other mission-critical technologies.
• Technical background in engineering, software, or systems architecture.
• Familiarity with defense modernization initiatives, open architectures, MOSA, JADC2, autonomous systems, C4ISR, or related areas.
• Active U.S. security clearance (e.g., Secret or higher) or the ability to obtain one.

What We Offer You

• Flexible working schedule.
• Remote working + Home Office Stipend to cover the costs of working from home.
• Flexible Paid Time Off + “Real Vacation Bonus,” an additional bonus for taking more than 1-week of uninterrupted vacation.
• Annual bonus based on individual and company performance + other prizes and awards.
• We recognize employees for their achievements, offer great opportunities for career growth and development, and provide the tools they need to succeed.

How Is Life At RTI

• We have been certified as a Great Place to Work for seven consecutive years both in Spain and the US. In addition, we were listed as one of the Best Companies for Women to Advance.
• We live and work by our core values, which emphasize excellence, teamwork, and reaching your potential. Our motto is “Enjoy the journey,” above all we must enjoy what we do and have fun at work. At RTI, you will work in a positive, supportive, diverse environment with a team that truly cares about you.
• We are defined by our “Working as One” culture and truly care about team’s interaction. That is why we plan trips for teams to get together in person, enjoy fun team-building activities and events, and feel more connected.

What We Do

Real-Time Innovations (RTI) is the data-streaming company for intelligent distributed systems. RTI Connext® software is the critical nervous system for over 2,000 designs across Aerospace and Defense, MedTech, Automotive, and Robotics. Connext is the only real-time data streaming platform that can both control demanding physical systems and integrate them with cloud applications. RTI helps organizations develop, deploy, and scale intelligence and physical AI from edge to cloud, faster. RTI Runs a Smarter World™. Learn more at www.rti.com.

RTI is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age status as a protected veteran, or status as a qualified individual with disability.

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