VP, Commercial & Strategic Programs

Advanced Aircraft Development Corporation; Long Beach (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity stake

Healthcare benefits for dependents

Job summary

Sorian Aerospace in United States, Long Beach, CA, seeks a VP of Commercial & Strategic Programs to convert validated demand into aircraft sales, funded development, and flight services. You will own the commercial path, including customer strategy, capture, pricing, proposals, partnerships, negotiations, and contracts, reporting to the CEO.

This executive role requires building market, direct customer access, and taking deals from qualification to award, with frequent travel and senior

Qualifications

• Proven track record moving a new defense capability to a signed contract.
• Experience closing DoD contracts directly or through primes.
• Deep understanding of defense acquisition and contracting, including FAR-based contracts, OTAs, IDIQs, SBIR/STTR, demonstrations, and funded development.

Responsibilities

• Own Sorian’s commercial strategy across aircraft sales, leasing, funded development, flight services, training, test, and adversary air
• Build senior relationships with program offices, requirements organizations, contracting offices, primes, test organizations, and commercial ADAIR providers
• Lead strategic accounts including Draken, Top Aces, ATAC, and Tactical Air Support
• Convert operational demand identified by Mission Partnerships into funded and contractable programs
• Determine the buyer, budget source, acquisition pathway, contract vehicle, and capture strategy for each campaign
• Lead opportunities from qualification through proposal, negotiation, award, and expansion
• Structure commercially sound aircraft, lease, demonstration, development, and sortie-service agreements
• Protect Sorian on pricing, cancellation, availability, fuel escalation, maintenance, attrition, liability, intellectual property, and delivery risk
• Build prime and channel relationships without surrendering Sorian’s direct customer access
• Coordinate government airworthiness, range access, export‑control, security, and other program‑enablement pathways

Skills

Commercial strategy

Defense contracting

Pricing & negotiations

Job description

Sorian Aerospace is building autonomous supersonic aircraft for advanced training, test, and adversary-air missions.

We are hiring a VP of Commercial & Strategic Programs to turn validated operational demand into aircraft sales, funded development programs, demonstrations, and recurring flight-service agreements.

You will own the commercial path: customer strategy, capture, acquisition, pricing, proposals, partnerships, negotiations, and contract award. You will work alongside Sorian’s Mission Partnerships team, which maintains direct relationships with squadrons, instructors, pilots, and other operators.

This is not a position for managing an inherited pipeline. You will build the market, create the path to purchase, and get contracts over the line. This is a hands‑on executive role reporting directly to the CEO.

Note: U.S. citizenship or permanent residency is required due to the nature of our work.

Responsibilities

• Own Sorian’s commercial strategy across aircraft sales, leasing, funded development, flight services, training, test, and adversary air
• Build senior relationships with program offices, requirements organizations, contracting offices, primes, test organizations, and commercial ADAIR providers
• Lead strategic accounts including Draken, Top Aces, ATAC, and Tactical Air Support
• Convert operational demand identified by Mission Partnerships into funded and contractable programs
• Determine the buyer, budget source, acquisition pathway, contract vehicle, and capture strategy for each campaign
• Lead opportunities from qualification through proposal, negotiation, award, and expansion
• Structure commercially sound aircraft, lease, demonstration, development, and sortie-service agreements
• Protect Sorian on pricing, cancellation, availability, fuel escalation, maintenance, attrition, liability, intellectual property, and delivery risk
• Build prime and channel relationships without surrendering Sorian’s direct customer access
• Coordinate government airworthiness, range access, export‑control, security, and other program‑enablement pathways

What success looks like

• A commercial ADAIR provider commits capital through a deposit, funded development agreement, lease, purchase, or launch‑customer instrument
• Validated squadron demand becomes a funded demonstration, evaluation, program, or contract
• Every major opportunity has an identified user, champion, buyer, funding source, acquisition path, and contracting strategy
• Sorian develops direct relationships with both users and buyers without becoming dependent on a prime
• Sorian’s agreements support sustainable aircraft and sortie economics

Requirements

• A demonstrated record moving a new defense capability from operational demand to a signed contract
• Experience closing DoD contracts directly or through primes
• Deep understanding of defense acquisition and contracting, including FAR-based contracts, OTAs, IDIQs, SBIR/STTR, demonstrations, and funded development
• Experience developing commercial relationships with defense primes, operators, or aviation-service providers
• Strong financial and commercial judgment across pricing, risk allocation, and contract terms
• Sufficient technical judgment to separate present capability from roadmap
• High agency, urgency, discretion, and willingness to do the work personally

Availability

Full-time, based in Long Beach, CA
Frequent travel is expected.

Compensation Range

• meaningful equity
• complete healthcare benefits for you and your dependents