Senior Director, BD - Simulation (R4883)

Shield AI is seeking a senior technical sales leader, based in the United States, to lead and scale the Simulation Team (built on the newly acquired Aechelon business) within Shield AI’s Hivemind portfolio. This leader will own bookings performance, integrate Simulation into Shield AI’s broader GTM strategy, and build a unified, high-performing sales motion across simulation, visualization, and autonomy solutions.

Partnering closely with Product, Engineering, Marketing, Customer Engagement, and Hivemind sales leadership, you will position Simulation offerings within Shield AI’s ecosystem, unlock cross-sell across the portfolio, and spearhead the opening of new markets in the U.S. and globally.

Own bookings performance and be accountable for achieving—and exceeding—Simulation Team bookings goals, ensuring sufficient qualified pipeline coverage to consistently hit target

Lead, develop, and grow the Simulation sales team—talent, roles, coverage, and capacity—establishing a high-performance culture with strong coaching and clear accountability

Drive post-acquisition integration of people, processes, systems, and GTM strategy into Shield AI

Own the GTM plan for Simulation (segmentation, ICP, account/territory strategy, pipeline generation, competitive positioning) and spearhead opening new markets across the U.S. and globally

Identify and execute cross-sell and bundling opportunities across Simulation, Hivemind, and broader Shield AI offerings

Establish operating rigor and predictability (forecasting, deal reviews, MBRs/QBRs, dashboards, KPIs/OKRs) and standardize sales processes (qualification, CRM hygiene, deal stages, governance) for repeatable performance

Personally lead key pursuits and executive engagements in complex, multi-stakeholder deals; build deep relationships with the Department of War (DoW) and the Public Sector

Work large program business with Systems Integrators and Prime/OEMs; expand strategic partner relationships to enable partner-led growth in simulation, training, and visualization programs

Partner with Product, Engineering, Marketing, and Customer Engagement to inform roadmap, drive demand generation, and shape Shield AI’s integrated platform GTM strategy

Achievement of Simulation Team bookings goals with sufficient qualified pipeline coverage to consistently hit target

Successful integration of the Simulation sales team into Shield AI’s operating model, systems, and culture

Improved forecast accuracy, pipeline hygiene, win rates, and deal velocity through standardized, repeatable sales motions

Spearhead cross-sell revenue initiatives with Shield AI products

Stronger territory/account/coverage strategy across U.S. and entry to global markets, including the partner ecosystem

10+ years in defense technology, modeling & simulation, or AI autonomy

10+ years of B2B sales experience in technically complex domains (simulation, visualization, AI/ML, autonomy, SaaS, aerospace/defense, or similar), including 5+ years of senior sales leadership through transformation, integration, or scaling phases

Proven record of building and scaling GTM/revenue organizations, including integrating or scaling acquired sales teams and driving consistent revenue growth

Strong Department of War (DoW) and Public Sector experience, with the ability to navigate complex government acquisition environments

Demonstrated experience working large program business with Systems Integrators and Prime/OEMs

Technical sales leader with strong credibility across engineering, product, and operational stakeholders

Deep GTM fundamentals (segmentation, coverage, pipeline strategy, positioning) and proven ability to sell complex, multi-product/platform solutions

Excellent executive communication and cross-functional leadership

Bachelor’s degree required

Experience in modeling & simulation, synthetic environments, visualization platforms, training systems, or digital battlefield environments

Experience driving post-M&A integration and GTM unification

Familiarity with autonomy commercialization and complex solution selling

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Full-time regular employee offer package:

Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity

Temporary employee offer package:

Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)

Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.

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Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.