Director of Business Development

Director of Business Development, Defense & Aerospace

Zero Drift Technologies, and sister co, SBQuantum
· US-based (remote)
· Full-time
· Travel 25–50%

SBQuantum (Zero Drift Technologies) builds diamond-based vectorial quantum magnetometers that, combined with AI-driven interpretation, deliver precision magnetic intelligence where GPS, radar, and sonar fail — enabling magnetic navigation (Mag Nav), anomaly detection, and mapping for defense, aerospace, autonomous systems, and space. We're a 25-person team of physicists, engineers, and data scientists, recently funded and scaling. We've moved past the lab: sensors are sold and deployed with government customers, and paid pilots are underway with defense and aerospace partners, while our sensing hardware is already orbiting the Earth in LEO.

You will be our first full-time business development hire, owning our most strategic market:
Tier 1 defense primes, inertial navigation system (INS) manufacturers, drone/autonomous platform OEMs, and US and Canadian government programs. Your job: get our quantum magnetometer designed into next-generation navigation and sensing systems — shaping requirements before RFPs are written, landing funded evaluations and joint development agreements, and building the capture pipeline that carries us from pilots to production programs. You report to the CEO, inherit a live pipeline (not a cold start), and grow into VP of Business Development as we scale.

• Own full-cycle capture with primes, INS developers, and drone OEMs — build relationships with program managers and chief engineers; structure and negotiate JDAs, funded evaluations, and test-and-trial programs with paths to production commitments.
• Pursue relevant US and Canadian government opportunities and represent us at key PNT and defense events (ION, JNC, AUVSI).
• Be the voice of the market: translate program requirements into our roadmap, working directly with our engineering and product development teams.
• Build the commercial infrastructure we’ll scale with — capture plans, CRM discipline, pricing and proposal frameworks — and help define the next commercial hires you’ll eventually lead.

• 30 days:
  Fluent in our technology and its applications; full pipeline review completed; introduced to all active accounts and pilots; capture plans drafted for top 5 opportunities.
• 90 days:
  Owning all prime/OEM/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; capture pipeline of 15+ qualified opportunities with credible close paths.
• 12 months: 3–5 signed JDAs/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; recommendation delivered on next commercial hire.

• 10+ years in a business development, capture, program management, and/or technology/engineering role within aerospace & 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 of experience may come from military service in roles tied to the acquisition and deployment of new technologies.
• Demonstrated ownership of long-cycle capture efforts ($500K+) involving test and qualification phases, from opportunity identification through award.
• Experience driving proposal development in partnership with proposal/pricing teams — translating capture strategy and win themes into compliant,…