The Challenge
Well-funded autonomous systems company operating in GPS-denied environments is hitting inflection point in defense and national security markets. You'll own the entire growth playbook-from market strategy through revenue execution-with direct board visibility and zero defined playbook to work from.
Your Mission
Map and prioritize 3-5 high-conviction government and private-sector customer segments with >$50M TAM each
Build or recruit core business development team (2-3 people) and establish sales infrastructure/CRM
Establish baseline pipeline metrics and landing 2-3 early-stage opportunities worth $5M+ combined
Develop executive relationships with 5+ strategic partners or government stakeholders in defense ecosystem
Convert initial pipeline into $2-5M in signed contracts or active procurement cycles
Scale business development team to 5-7 people with clear roles (federal sales, commercial, partnerships)
Define repeatable sales motion for government contracts including proposal, compliance, and contracting workflows
Establish board-reportable metrics dashboard (pipeline coverage, win rate, sales cycle length, customer acquisition cost)
KPIs You'll Own
Pipeline Coverage Ratio
Total pipeline value divided by annual revenue target; aim for 3-4x minimum in gov/defense markets.
Sales Cycle Length
Average days from first engagement to contract award; critical for government procurement forecasting.
Win Rate
Percentage of opportunities that close; track by segment and use case to identify strongest product-market fit.
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) Payback
Months to recover CAC through contract value; defense deals often justify 18-24+ month payback windows.
Proposal-to-Award Conversion
Percentage of formal proposals submitted that result in signed contracts or task orders.
Tools & Stack
Your Team
Your Manager
Likely CEO or Board (not specified; confirm in interview)
Current Team
Likely skeleton team; you'll be building business development and revenue operations from scratch
New build-you own hiring and scaling the entire go-to-market organization
The Package
Salary
$220K-$280K base
Variable
Bonus (15-25% target based on revenue attainment likely)
Equity
Equity package expected (early-stage, well-funded; likely 0.5-2% range)
Remote
On-site Seattle, WA or Washington, DC area; frequent travel required
Benefits & Perks
Company Intelligence
Well-funded, early-stage autonomous systems company building advanced robotics and ML-powered solutions for GPS-denied environments. Active government contracts underway with strong private-sector interest in defense and national security applications.
Funding
Well-funded (stage not specified; appears Series B+)
Customers
Government defense programs + emerging private-sector dual-use buyers
Culture
Mission-driven, ambiguity-tolerant, engineering-first; high performance expectations with board oversight
Is This Role For You?
- You've scaled revenue in early-stage/high-growth tech companies and thrived with incomplete playbooks
- You have deep credibility in defense, government, or national security markets (prior contracts, cleared, relationships)
- You can own complex, multi-stakeholder sales cycles from first meeting through contract and delivery
- You're a hands-on operator who hires, coaches, and scales teams while staying close to deals and customers
- You think strategically about market positioning but execute tactically on immediate pipeline and revenue targets
- You need a fully built go-to-market machine-you'll be building this from first principles
- You lack government/defense market credibility or can't obtain a security clearance
- You're more comfortable with passive, inbound-driven sales or horizontal SaaS motion than complex B2G deals
- You prefer stable, defined processes over rapid iteration and ambiguity
Interview Process
Screening call
Hiring manager or recruiter validates government/defense background, clearance eligibility, and growth leadership track record
Deep-dive growth strategy conversation
CEO or Chief Revenue Officer explores your market analysis, customer segmentation, and go-to-market framework for defense/national security
Board or investor alignment (likely)
Given board visibility, expect a conversation with founder/board member on long-term vision and strategic partnerships
Team and culture fit
Conversation with product, engineering, or cross-functional leaders to assess collaboration style and ambiguity tolerance
Reference checks (defense/gov-specific)
References from prior government or defense roles, especially around clearance, stakeholder relationships, and deal execution
Ready when you are
Interested in this role?
Apply now and hear back within days, not weeks.
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