Director, Business Development - Europe at Zone 5 Technologies, Arlington, VA

Director, Business Development - Europe at Zone 5 Technologies in Arlington, VA. Contract. $138,000 to $178,000 a year. Apply with swipeandhired.

At Zone 5 Technologies, we're redefining what's possible in precision weapons and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Our team of engineers and innovators are developing cutting-edge autonomous solutions to deliver affordable and scalable precision weapons, interceptors, and UAS.

We're building the next generation of munitions and unmanned systems for the United States and its allies. If you're driven by hard problems, energized by rapid innovation, and ready to make an impact on defense technology, you belong here.

Zone 5 Technologies is seeking a seasoned Director of Business Development to lead Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) pursuit activities across Europe, with primary emphasis on the RUSTY DAGGER (AGM-188) precision deep strike weapon for allied European air forces and the WHITE SPIKE counter-UAS interceptor and ground and surface-attack missile for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) eastern-flank and Nordic-Baltic forces, and with PEACEMAKER and ECLIPSE counter-UAS and multi-mission UAS as the broader portfolio. This senior role serves as the Zone 5 Technologies primary interface with U.S. interagency partners, partner-nation Ministries of Defense, armaments agencies, military services, and NATO bodies, driving engagement from initial country contact through to actionable FMS and DCS milestones. Prior military operational experience in strike aviation, air defense, or counter-UAS in the last five years is strongly desired.

The Director will leverage deep expertise in the FMS and DCS processes and an established network across U.S. Department of State (DoS), Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for War (OUSW(P)), U.S. European Command (EUCOM), the U.S. Mission to NATO, and relevant foreign embassies to open doors, shape requirements, and advance Zone 5 Technologies opportunities toward Letter of Request (LOR) for Pricing and Availability (P&A) and LOR for Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA). The role requires a working command of the alliance initiatives shaping European long-range strike and counter-UAS procurement, including NATO capability targets, European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI), and European Union (EU) defense-industrial instruments.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Business Development, the Director is the Zone 5 Technologies executive lead for Europe: the accountable owner of the regional pipeline, country engagement plans, and partner-nation relationships, with direct access to executive leadership and the authority to recommend in-region presence, teaming, and industrial participation strategy. The Director is expected, in short order, to advance RUSTY DAGGER and WHITE SPIKE pursuits toward accepted LORs for LOA and signed DCS contracts with European partner nations and to build a qualified pipeline across the priority countries.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

FMS and DCS Business Development and Pipeline

• Identify, qualify, and develop FMS and DCS opportunities for RUSTY DAGGER, WHITE SPIKE, PEACEMAKER, and ECLIPSE across Poland, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Italy, and Greece, or other nations as required.

• Build and sustain a robust opportunity pipeline from initial country engagement through LOR for P&A and LOR for LOA, coordinating with Zone 5 Technologies portfolio program leadership and marketing throughout, and maintaining probability of win (Pwin) and milestone discipline in the enterprise customer relationship management (CRM) system.

• Develop tailored country-level engagement plans that align Zone 5 Technologies capabilities with identified requirements, partner-nation budget cycles, and U.S. security cooperation priorities.

• Represent Zone 5 Technologies at key industry events, defense exhibitions, and bilateral forums relevant to security cooperation markets in Europe, including DSEI, Eurosatory, MSPO, ILA Berlin, the Paris Air Show, and NATO industry forums.

Partner-Nation Stakeholder Engagement

• Establish and sustain senior-level relationships with partner-nation Ministries of Defence, armaments and procurement agencies, military service headquarters, and, where required, Ministries of Commerce and Finance.

• Engage foreign embassies and defense attachés assigned to the United States, and the U.S. corollaries inside partner nations, to build awareness of Zone 5 Technologies capabilities and facilitate early case development.

• Guide sovereign stakeholders through the FMS and DCS processes from requirements identification through case initiation, acting as a trusted advisor on U.S. government procedures, timelines, and Technical Assistance Agreement (TAA), Manufacturing License Agreement (MLA), and export license sequencing.

U.S. Interagency Engagement and Advocacy

• Serve as the Zone 5 Technologies primary advocate within the U.S. interagency, with particular focus on the DoS Bureau of Political-Military Affairs and Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, DSCA, and OUSW(P) International Security Affairs (ISA) for Europe and NATO.

• Build and maintain working-level and senior relationships with Country Directors, Regional Affairs Officers, EUCOM J5, and the in-country Offices of Defense Cooperation (ODCs) and Security Cooperation Organizations (SCOs) to support responsive case processing.

• Engage the U.S. Mission to NATO, NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), and NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) on multinational procurement and framework opportunities for RUSTY DAGGER and WHITE SPIKE.

• Support Ukraine-related pursuits through Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), and coalition mechanisms as directed by executive leadership.

• Track and interpret evolving security cooperation policy, Congressional notifications, Third Party Transfer and re-export decisions, end-use monitoring requirements, and European defense-industrial policy, including the European Defence Fund (EDF), Security Action for Europe (SAFE), and ESSI, that may affect FMS and DCS timelines or case viability.

Market Intelligence and Strategic Planning

• Provide leadership with timely intelligence on partner-nation defense budgets, procurement priorities, political developments, alliance initiatives, and competitor activity across Europe.

• Contribute to Zone 5 Technologies long-range strategic planning by identifying emerging requirements, shifts in security cooperation policy, and new market entry opportunities in Europe, including recommendations on in-region presence, teaming, and industrial participation.

• Monitor legislative and regulatory developments, including Arms Export Control Act (AECA) Section 36(b) notifications and Congressional holds, that may affect FMS and DCS case progress.

Internal Coordination

• Partner with capture, proposal, and program teams to develop FMS- and DCS-compliant offerings and technically credible solutions tailored to partner-nation requirements.

• Coordinate with contracts, pricing, legal, and trade compliance teams to ensure positions are consistent with FMS regulations, International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Export Administration Regulations (EAR), offset and industrial participation obligations, and partner-nation procurement regulations.

• Report regularly to executive leadership on pipeline status, country engagement progress, decisions required, and interagency relationship health.

Export Control and Compliance

• Conduct all partner-nation and foreign-national engagement in strict compliance with ITAR (22 CFR Parts 120 through 130), EAR, and the AECA, including obtaining Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) marketing and technical data authorizations before disclosure, adhering to approved TAA and MLA scopes, and reporting fees, commissions, and political contributions under ITAR Part 130.

• Comply with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions, anti-boycott regulations, and Zone 5 Technologies policies on gifts, hospitality, agents, and consultants; conduct due diligence on in-country representatives and teaming partners.

• Protect classified, controlled unclassified, and proprietary information in accordance with National Disclosure Policy, program security guidance, and clearance obligations, including foreign contact and foreign travel reporting; maintain a clean record of export compliance across all pursuits.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in International Relations, Political Science, Business, Engineering, or related field; advanced degree strongly preferred.

• 7+ years of progressively responsible experience in defense business development, security cooperation, or government service directly supporting FMS or DCS, including at least one director-level or equivalent leadership role.

• Demonstrable experience with and network within partner nations – not just with U.S. agencies or commands.

• Demonstrated expertise across the FMS life cycle (case initiation, P&A, LOA development, and case execution) and the DCS licensing process.

• Established, verifiable relationships with DoS, DSCA, and OUSW(P) personnel at working and senior levels.

• Proven ability to engage and build trust with senior officials in European Ministries of Defence, armaments agencies, and national air force, air defense, and strike commands.

• Working knowledge of NATO capability development, the NATO Defence Planning Process (NDPP), ESSI participation, and allied air force weapons integration and certification roadmaps.

• Experience operating in or alongside foreign embassies, with U.S. or foreign defense attachés, and with in-country SCOs.

• Exceptional writing skills: demonstrated ability to produce clear, precise, and persuasive technical prose, including proposal volumes, white papers, capability statements, and correspondence for general officer, flag officer, and Senior Executive Service (SES) audiences, with minimal editing. Writing samples will be requested.

• Demonstrated ability to work across the priority countries for this role (Poland, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Italy, and Greece), with the understanding that country prioritization may be adjusted based on evolving security cooperation policy, country team guidance, and emerging opportunities, and that the Director must maintain engagement awareness across all of them.

• Working knowledge of and demonstrated adherence to ITAR, EAR, AECA, FCPA, and OFAC requirements and foreign disclosure procedures in prior international defense roles; no history of export compliance violations.

• Active U.S. Secret clearance required; U.S. citizenship required for clearance eligibility and for access to ITAR-controlled technical data.

• Ability to travel 25 to 50 percent, primarily international with some domestic travel; valid U.S. passport required.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Prior U.S. military (uniformed or civilian), Foreign Area Officer (Europe and Eurasia), DoS Foreign Service, or DSCA service in roles directly supporting European security cooperation or FMS case management.

• Prior assignment on a NATO staff, at EUCOM, or in an in-country ODC or SCO.

• Professional proficiency in one or more European languages, including German, Polish, French, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Romanian, Italian, or Greek, and cultural familiarity with the region.

• Prior experience living or working abroad in Europe, including in-country military assignments, embassy, ODC, or SCO tours, NATO staff duty, or industry postings.

• Existing relationships with the Polish Armament Agency, German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw), UK Ministry of Defence Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), Netherlands Defence Materiel and IT Command (COMMIT), the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV), the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (FMA), the Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO), or the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command.

• Experience with industrial participation, offset, and co-production arrangements in European procurements.

• Prior operational military experience employing or defending against precision strike weapons, UAS, or counter-UAS systems is strongly desired in addition to the security cooperation background described above.

• Direct experience managing or supporting high-value FMS cases (greater than $100M) from P&A through LOA signature.

• Familiarity with U.S. arms transfer policy, including the Conventional Arms Transfer (CAT) policy, AECA Section 3, and related Security Assistance Management Manual (SAMM) provisions.

• Experience with DCS structures complementary to FMS programs, including hybrid case structures.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Strategic relationship management: cultivates and sustains influence at senior government and military levels across both U.S. and partner nations.

• FMS and DCS process expertise: thorough command of the security cooperation life cycle from requirements generation through case closure.

• Political acumen: navigates complex U.S. interagency dynamics, alliance politics, and partner-nation sensitivities with skill and discretion.

• Executive communication: synthesizes complex security cooperation issues for senior internal and external audiences, in writing and in person.

• Exceptional writing: produces clear, precise country plans, pursuit summaries, and executive correspondence with minimal editing.

• Initiative and autonomy: self-directed, capable of managing a complex multi-country portfolio with limited day-to-day oversight.

• Integrity and discretion: operates with the highest ethical standards in a sensitive, export-controlled, government-adjacent environment.

This role is eligible for performance bonuses in addition to the base salary.

Pay range for this role (base salary)

$138,000 — $178,000 USD

Pay range with eligible performance bonuses

$241,500 – $311,500 USDUSD with eligible performance bonuses. Bonus components are variable and not guaranteed.

Pay range for this role
$138,000 — $178,000 USD

What's in it for you:

Benefits:

• Competitive total compensation package

• Comprehensive benefit package options include medical, dental, vision, life, and more.

• 401k with company-match

• 3 weeks of paid time off each year

• 40 hours of sick time

• 12 annual company holidays

Why Join Zone 5 Technologies?

• Innovative Environment: Work on cutting-edge technology that is shaping the future of defense and aerospace.

• Collaborative Culture: Join a team of passionate professionals dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

• Career Growth: Opportunities for professional development and career advancement.

If you are passionate about unmanned aircraft technology and want to be a part of a dynamic and growing company, we would love to hear from you. Apply today and join the Zone 5 Technologies team!

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

Zone 5 Technologies is a federal contractor and participates in E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility. As required by law, we will verify the identity and employment authorization of all new employees using the E-Verify system. Learn more about your rights and responsibilities under E-Verify: https://www.e-verify.gov .