Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
Job Description:
Shield AI’s International Business & Strategy team is hiring a Business Development Director to accelerate growth and support the adoption of its autonomy ecosystem: X-BAT, V-BAT, ViDAR, and Hivemind in Japan
The Director of Business Development will lead Shield AI’s growth strategy, building out a team that is responsible for significant annual orders targets. The Director must have deep defense, national security, or aerospace experience in the country / region (Japanese language fluency required), established government relationships, and a track record of closing complex defense programs (ideally across both hardware and software).
You will operate with significant autonomy and ownership, shaping country strategy, leading major pursuits, and building long-term defense partnerships. You will report to the Senior Director of International Business & Strategy (Middle East & Asia Pacific) and work closely with international business development colleagues around the globe, as well as product, engineering, and operations teams, to deliver mission-relevant autonomy capabilities at scale.
What you'll do:
Own and execute Japan go-to-market strategy for Shield AI’s product portfolio, including X-BAT, V-BAT, ViDAR, and Hivemind.
Maintain direct responsibility for annual order targets, multi-year pipeline development, and order growth.
Lead end-to-end capture and sales efforts from early engagement through contract award and follow-on growth.
Engage directly with senior military, government, and defense industry stakeholders across the region.
Differentiate Shield AI in competitive and regulated defense procurements.
Provide actionable market and customer intelligence to influence product roadmap and broader international strategy.
Work cross-functionally with product, legal, export compliance, and operations.
Lead proposal/program development and complex product demonstrations.
Structure and manage local partnerships, primes, and industrial participation or offset strategies.
Represent Shield AI at senior-level engagements, exhibitions, and industry forums.
Required qualifications:
10+ years business development experience in the country or broader region within defense, aerospace, or national security.
Specific prior defense or government-facing experience in Japan with a deep understanding of procurement processes, offset requirements, export sensitivities, local defense primes, and indigenization requirements.
Fluency in English & Japanese (written and spoken).
Demonstrated success closing complex defense or government programs - ideally across both hardware (aircraft/UAS) and software (autonomy/ai).
Technical experience with autonomy, UAVs, ISR, and advanced sensing technologies.
Strong negotiation, relationship-building, and stakeholder management skills.
Ability to manage multiple concurrent pursuits, involving technical products, in ambiguous environments.
Proven cross-functional leadership across operations, product, and BD teams.
Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills.
Willingness and ability to travel frequently in country/region and internationally (~25%).
Willingness and ability to work across multiple time zones
Based in or willing to relocate to Tokyo, Japan.
Mastery of critical business tools (Microsoft Suite – PPT, Excel, Word, LLMs, etc.)
Experience forecasting, tracking, and managing deal cycles using Salesforce.
Preferred qualifications:
U.S. Citizen (or dual national)
Existing U.S. or allied security clearance.
Currently based in country.
Prior military service or operational leadership experience in Japan
(++ if directly related to UAS, autonomy, or fighter jet aircraft).
Prior experience supporting foreign military sales (via DSCA), engaging with SAF/IA, or working directly with foreign air forces.
Direct experience with UAV operations, mission autonomy, AI-enabled C2 systems.
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Our international teammates receive a comprehensive total rewards package aligned to your country office location. For full details on compensation and benefits, please consult your talent acquisition partner.
