Director of Business Development - Army / Special Forces

About Urban Sky: 

Urban Sky is a venture-backed aerospace startup that pioneers utilization of the stratosphere and reimagines the way humans view and analyze the earth. We design, build, operate, and sell stratospheric balloon systems, and the data we collect supports a wide range of applications, from real-time wildfire monitoring to urban mapping. Our technology is also employed by government customers including the Department of Defense (DoD), NASA, and others. Urban Sky sends flight vehicles to the stratosphere on a weekly basis. 

Our team consists of engineers, makers, developers, and doers who believe in the power of human potential when passion meets utility within a small, supportive team. At Urban Sky we strive to create a team culture grounded in candor, inclusion, respect and empowerment. 

We aim to build the next chapter of stratospheric history in Denver and are seeking self-starting, open-minded, and hard-working team members. 

About the Role: 

Urban Sky is seeking a highly motivated and experienced Director of Business Development to lead the company's sales and go-to-market efforts in defense and national security markets, with a specific focus on the U.S. Army and Special Forces communities. This key role will be responsible for driving go-to-market strategy, commercialization efforts, business development, and sales activities tailored to DoD clients. Urban Sky is already shipping low-cost, rapidly deployable, tactical stratospheric balloon systems and control software to several DoD agency customers. This role was designed to help accelerate those activities in order to establish Urban Sky as the leading provider of tactical stratospheric-balloon-based solution for DoD customers. As the primary DoD/Army business development lead, this role will be responsible for developing and executing sales strategies to promote Urban Sky’s stratospheric balloon-based C4ISR solution and achieve top-line revenue KPIs. This person will work hand-in-hand with Urban Sky's VP of Sales & Urban Sky’s CEO to drive all commercialization efforts, both strategic and transactional. This person will be a key leader at Urban Sky, responsible for defining government business strategy, driving customer engagements, and shaping and delivering government-related business milestones.  

 

Key Functions: 

• Develop and execute a comprehensive market strategy targeting U.S. Army, defense, and national security sectors. 

• Manage relationships with key DoD personnel and customer stakeholders.  

• Identify key opportunities, customer needs, and emerging trends in government markets. 

• Lead all aspects of the Government/DoD sales process, from prospecting to closing deals.  

• Establish and nurture relationships with key industry players, potential clients, and partners. 

• Collaborate with the executive team to define and refine Urban Sky's government-focused product and service offerings. 

• Responsible for developing and delivering against commercial KPIs to include quarterly and annual targets for bookings, top-line revenue, in-bound lead generation, and funnel velocity.   

• Provide insights into market trends, customer needs, and product development opportunities. 

• Represent Urban Sky at industry events, conferences, and networking gatherings. 

• Identify, analyze, and prioritize strategic partnership, major account, and channel partnership opportunities. Initiate discussions and evangelize Urban Sky’s value proposition with target partners. 

• Stay informed about government regulations, policies, and procurement processes. 

• Ensure Urban Sky's offerings comply with all relevant government requirements. 

• Ensure excellent post-sales support to maintain strong customer relationships. 

 

Skills & Experience: 

• Bachelor's degree in either 1) a relevant technical (i.e., aerospace or mechanical engineering) field or 2) a relevant business field (i.e., an MBA). Alternatively, applicants may have no formal degree but, in exchange, should have specific and relevant U.S. Army or Special Operations military programmatic or technical leadership experience. 

• Deeply technical background (i.e., ability to digest, interpret and understand complex technical requirements from DoD customers).  

• Proven track record of successfully selling complex technology solutions to government clients. 

• Strong understanding of the U.S. Army, defense, and national security markets, particularly related to C5ISR.  

• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills. 

• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced and rapidly changing environment. 

• Strategic thinker with an entrepreneurial mindset and a flair for identifying new business opportunities. 

• Skilled in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly MS Excel modeling and PowerPoint 

• Occasional travel and conference attendance (less than 20%)   

• Experience with CRMs (Hubspot, Pipedrive, Salesforce, etc.)   

• Technical proficiency and excitement (i.e. a willingness to understand deep technical constraints and effectively communicate a clear, simple value proposition to customers) 

• Thorough understanding of government procurement and government agency contract mechanisms.  

• Thorough understanding of the U.S. Army organizational and programmatic structure(s). 

• Experience with the SBIR process (from Phase I through to Phase III transition of defense technology).  

• A “no job too big and no job too small” attitude.  

 

Nice-to-Haves:  

• Early-stage startup experience, directly related to driving product-market-fit. 

• Experience establishing Programs of Record within a U.S. Government Defense agency.  

• Experience as a U.S. Army operator, ideally in a Special Forces role.  

Requirements: 

• Must be US Citizen or Permanent Resident 

• Preferably located near Denver, CO 

Benefits: 

• Base Salary $140,000 - $180,000 per year. Annual On Target Earnings (OTE) of greater than $250,000 with sales-based commission incentives. 

• Equity Compensation in the form of Company Stock Options 

• Medical, Vision and Dental 

• Flexible PTO – you're going to be working hard so enjoy time off with no cap!  

• Cell Phone Bill Stipend 

• Maternity/Paternity Leave 

NOTE: Research suggests that women and BIPOC individuals may self-select out of opportunities if they don’t meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage anyone who believes that they have the skills and the passion necessary to succeed here to apply for this role. 

This position may require the candidate to deal with commodities, software, technology, defense articles, and/or technical data which are subject to the Export Administration Regulations and/or the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Additional information may be requested so as to determine whether export authorization is required from the Bureau of Industry and Security and/or the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls. If authorization is required, employment will be contingent upon the Company successfully obtaining such authorization from the relevant government agency. 

Urban Sky is an equal opportunity employer, and we value diversity. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.