About you:

You are an accomplished, roll-up-your-sleeves, innovative and technical expert capable of developing new business at aviation, autonomy or crew workload reduction technologies. You can collaborate, lead and follow in partnership with other key functional partners including product development, engineering, program management, contracts, and others to build business pipeline and strategic relationships. You are comfortable operating as a peer to senior military and commercial leaders while also acting as a force multiplier for the General Manager, Mobility and SOF. You translate customer needs into program execution. You are highly collaborative, data-driven, and focused on driving engagement and growth for the organization.

Responsibilities:

Develop, execute a detailed engagement and growth strategy for Merlin Labs to capture government business in the Mobility and SOF pipeline
Build and maintain senior-level relationships across U.S. government agencies, including defense, aviation, and related stakeholders
Connect current and be able to influence future needs/requirements for Mobility and SOF customers with Merlin’s products, programs, technologies and capabilities
Provide quarterly updates/reviews to Merlin Labs senior leadership
Drive early processes for new pursuits by collaborating with internal and external customers on strategic planning, including traditional and non-traditional acquisition pathways
Build compelling proposals to win government business
Accurately determine budgets and procurement intentions to set realistic Price to Win targets
Achieve a set KPI’s to expand and convert Pipeline to align with internal priorities

Minimum 30% travel

Qualifications:

8-10+ years of experience in business development or government relations, preferably with customer-facing experience

Strong understanding of U.S. government structure, procurement processes and funding mechanisms

Experience engaging with DoD, FAA, DHS or related agencies

Proven ability to build relationships that lead to programmatic outcomes and revenue generation

Strong understanding of mission-driven technologies, ideally in aerospace, aviation or defense

Strong experience writing proposals that win government business

Experience operating in complex, regulated environments

Exceptional communicator—comfortable presenting to executives, leading live demos, and authoring polished written materials. Ability to influence senior leaders internally and externally

Demonstrated experience with Salesforce, including ownership of pipeline, forecasting, and reporting

Nice to Have

Experience with autonomous systems, aviation, or advanced air mobility

Familiarity with non-traditional acquisition pathways

Background in military service, government leadership, or senior advisory roles — experience working in or with Air Mobility Command or Special Operations Command a plus

Experience work in or with venture-backed or high-growth technology companies

Director, Business Development

Key skills

About this role

Responsibilities:

Qualifications:

Nice to Have