Director of Business Development

SBQuantum is hiring a Director of Business Development for Defense & Aerospace. This is the company's first full-time business development hire, reporting to the CEO, and the role owns Tier 1 defense primes, inertial navigation system manufacturers, drone and autonomous platform OEMs, and US and Canadian government programs. It is for someone with a decade or more in aerospace and defense who has run long-cycle capture efforts for complex hardware and wants to shape requirements before RFPs are written.

The job is US-based and remote, full-time, with 25–50% travel. Pay is USD 160,000–170,000 per year plus variable compensation and early-employee equity. Employment is through the US entity, Zero Drift Technology, with health benefits, flexible vacation, and a professional development budget.

What you will do

• Own full-cycle capture with primes, INS developers, and drone OEMs. Build relationships with program managers and chief engineers, and structure and negotiate joint development agreements, funded evaluations, and test-and-trial programs with paths to production commitments.
• Pursue US and Canadian government opportunities and represent the company at PNT and defense events including ION, JNC, and AUVSI.
• Translate program requirements into the product roadmap, working directly with engineering and product development teams.
• Build commercial infrastructure: capture plans, CRM discipline, pricing and proposal frameworks. Help define the next commercial hires you will eventually lead.

First-year expectations

• 30 days: fluent in the technology and its applications, full pipeline review completed, introduced to all active accounts and pilots, capture plans drafted for the top 5 opportunities.
• 90 days: owning all prime, OEM, and government relationships independently; 10+ qualified new opportunities added; at least one new funded evaluation in negotiation.
• 6 months: 1–2 signed JDAs or funded evaluation agreements; established presence at key industry events; pipeline of 15+ qualified opportunities with credible close paths.
• 12 months: 3–5 signed JDAs or funded evaluations with primes, INS makers, or OEMs (stretch: 7+); at least one engagement progressing toward a production design-in decision; commercial processes documented and repeatable; a recommendation delivered on the next commercial hire.

What they are looking for

• 10+ years in business development, capture, program management, and/or a technology or engineering role within aerospace and defense, of which at least 5 years are in a BD or capture role selling complex hardware, sensors, or navigation/PNT systems into defense primes, government customers, or aerospace OEMs. Up to 5 of the 10 years may come from military service in roles tied to the acquisition and deployment of new technologies.
• Demonstrated ownership of long-cycle capture efforts of $500K or more involving test and qualification phases, from opportunity identification through award.
• Experience driving proposal development with proposal and pricing teams, translating capture strategy and win themes into compliant responses.
• Experience with DoD/DoW acquisition frameworks (FAR/DFARS, RFI/RFP/BAA/CSO/OTA vehicles) and managing the capture-to-contract lifecycle for complex hardware programs.
• A network within US defense primes, INS manufacturers, or autonomous platform makers, with relationships across at least two of those three ecosystems.
• Ability to structure and negotiate NDAs, teaming and joint-development agreements, and strategic partnerships.
• Technical depth to engage chief engineers credibly. An engineering or physics degree is preferred, or equivalent hands-on domain experience.
• Familiarity with the hardware product lifecycle from concept through qualification and production.
• Proficiency with CRM software and disciplined pipeline management, forecasting, and opportunity tracking.
• Working familiarity with ITAR and export control (EAR) requirements for technical data, quoting, and teaming.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, physics, business, management, or a related field, or equivalent experience in lieu of the degree only, which does not offset the 10+ year experience requirement.
• US citizenship. Clearance eligibility is required; active or prior clearance is a strong asset.
• Comfort operating solo in ambiguity.

Nice to have

• Magnetometry, inertial navigation, or alternative-PNT experience.
• Startup experience selling into primes.
• Canadian defense procurement exposure.
• Established presence at industry events such as AUSA, JNC, Sea-Air-Space, and AUVSI.
• Advanced degree in engineering, physics, or an MBA.
• Military experience working with new technologies.

About SBQuantum

SBQuantum, and sister company ZeroDrift Technologies, builds diamond-based vectorial quantum magnetometers combined with AI-driven interpretation. The sensors support magnetic navigation, anomaly detection, and mapping for defense, aerospace, autonomous systems, and space. The company is a 25-person team of physicists, engineers, and data scientists, recently funded and scaling. Sensors are sold and deployed with government customers, paid pilots are underway with defense and aerospace partners, and the sensing hardware is already in low Earth orbit.