About UsSaildrone is a defense company delivering maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance products to military, homeland security, and commercial customers. Our unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) are extreme‑endurance platforms equipped with advanced sensors and proprietary AI to provide persistent insights above and below the sea surface. With more than 2,000,000 nautical miles sailed and 50,000 days at sea, Saildrone USVs are trusted by governments worldwide. Our vehicles set the standard for cost‑efficient maritime intelligence in the world’s harshest environments. Backed by legendary investors, including: Capricorn, Social Capital, BOND, and the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark, Saildrone is on track to become the market leader in USVs for tomorrow’s navies. With the establishment of Saildrone Denmark in Copenhagen, we are creating the hub for our European operations—providing regional business development, government relations, mission planning, local support, training, and integration capabilities to European allies and customers across the Baltic and North Seas.Backed by legendary investors, including: Capricorn, Social Capital, BOND, and the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark, Saildrone is on track to become the market leader in USVs for tomorrow’s navies.With the establishment of Saildrone Denmark in Copenhagen, we are creating the hub for our European operations—providing regional business development, government relations, mission planning, local support, training, and integration capabilities to European allies and customers across the Baltic and North Seas. The Role The European Head of Defense Business Development will lead Saildrone’s defense market engagement across Denmark and broader Europe, with primary responsibility for identifying, capturing, and growing defense-related revenue. Based in Copenhagen, you will develop and execute a targeted defense sales strategy, build deep relationships with defense stakeholders, and secure major programs in maritime domain awareness and ocean survey for military customers. Key Responsibilities1. Defense Business Development Strategy &amp; Pipeline Development Develop and own the defense business development strategy for Denmark and key European defense markets.<ul><li>Build and maintain a robust sales pipeline across ministries of defense, navies, coast guards, and allied defense organizations (e.g. NATO and the European Union).</li><li>Align European defense sales initiatives with Saildrone corporate targets and product roadmaps.</li></ul> 2. Stakeholder Engagement &amp; Account Leadership<ul><li>Serve as Saildrone’s primary interface with senior defense decision-makers in Denmark and other European nations.</li><li>Develop trusted relationships with acquisition authorities, program managers, and military end-users.</li><li>Represent Saildrone in European defense industry associations, NATO working groups, and key maritime defense forums.</li></ul> 3. Capture &amp; Proposal Management<ul><li>Lead end-to-end capture activities: opportunity identification, bid strategy, teaming, proposal management workflows, and contract negotiations.</li><li>Partner with Saildrone corporate proposal and engineering teams to ensure offerings are compliant with European defense procurement requirements and tailored to local operational needs.</li></ul> 4. Market Intelligence &amp; Competitive Positioning<ul><li>Monitor European defense budgets, procurement timelines, and modernization priorities.</li><li>Analyze competitive offerings and position Saildrone as the market leader in uncrewed maritime domain awareness and mapping solutions.</li><li>Provide feedback to program management and product teams on evolving operational needs and emerging technology requirements.</li></ul> 5. Coordination with Regional &amp; Global Teams<ul><li>Collaborate closely with global Saildrone operations to ensure consistently successful program delivery.</li><li>Work with the corporate defense business development team to share best practices, intelligence, and resources. </li></ul>Qualifications<ul><li>Proven track record in defense sector sales with significant experience selling to ministries of defense, naval forces, or maritime security agencies in Europe.</li><li>Strong understanding of European defense procurement frameworks, offset requirements, and industrial participation models.</li><li>Minimum 8–10 years of experience in defense business development or sales leadership.</li><li>Military experience is desirable. Background in maritime systems or defense technology strongly preferred.</li><li>Skilled negotiator with experience managing large, complex contracts.</li><li>Bilingual in English and Danish</li><li>Eligible for Danish and NATO security clearance.</li><li>Willingness to be based in Copenhagen and travel extensively within Europe. </li></ul>Why Saildrone? <ul><li>Be part of a high-growth, mission-driven company transforming maritime intelligence through uncrewed surface vehicles that have sailed over 2 million nautical miles and accumulated more than 50,000 days at sea.</li><li>Play a critical role in expanding autonomous maritime capacity for Europe’s defense and ocean survey capabilities at a pivotal moment of geopolitical urgency</li><li>Join a multidisciplinary team where innovation, resilience, and operational agility define our technology and culture.</li></ul><div> </div> Catch up on the latest news about us:<a href="https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/technology/article/the-british-engineer-behind-the-us-navys-high-tech-ocean-drones-vnr5lvhf7">The British Engineer Behind the US Navy’s High-tech Ocean Drones – The Times of London</a><a href="https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2025/05/08/denmark-to-field-unmanned-vessels-for-monitoring-busy-shipping-routes/">Denmark to Field Unmanned Vessels for Monitoring Busy Shipping Routes – Defense News</a><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/counter-drug-sea-drones-utilized-navy-trump-ramps-up-military-resources-border">Counter-drug Sea Drones Utilized by Navy as Trump Ramps Up Military Resources at the Border</a><a href="https://breakingdefense.com/2025/03/saildrone-palantir-partner-to-use-ai-to-streamline-usv-manufacturing-operations/">Saildrone, Palantir Partner to Use AI to Streamline USV Manufacturing, Operations – Breaking Defense</a><a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/climate/article/underwater-mountain-california-alaska-17852430.php?utm_source=marketing&amp;utm_medium=copy-url-link&amp;utm_campaign=article-share&amp;hash=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2ZjaHJvbmljbGUuY29tL2NsaW1hdGUvYXJ0aWNsZS91bmRlcndhdGVyLW1vdW50YWluLWNhbGlmb3JuaWEtYWxhc2thLTE3ODUyNDMwLnBocA==&amp;time=MTY4Mzg0MjA4OTIzNQ==&amp;rid=YWRjMTllMzgtYzkzNi00OGQ2LTljMzgtMTQ2OGNlMThiZWY4&amp;sharecount=MQ==">An Underwater Mountain was Newly Discovered off California Coast – San Francisco Chronicle</a><a href="https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2023/august/usvs-could-deter-iuu-fishing">USVs Could Deter IUU Fishing – USNI Proceedings</a><a href="https://time.com/6978988/saildrone/">TIME 100 Most Influential Companies 2024: Saildrone</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeNeAwBccKamrUbEQxoygLQ">Saildrone Featured Videos Playlist</a> Individual compensation packages are based on geographic location, scope of the role, relevant experience, and the ability to deal with complexity and problem solve within our organization, among other factors.We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Any unsolicited resumes/candidate profiles submitted through our website or to personal email accounts of employees of Saildrone are considered property of Saildrone and are not subject to payment of agency fees.

Saildrone designs and manufactures wind and solar powered autonomous surface vehicles called Saildrones, which make cost-effective ocean data collection possible at scale. We are working with governments, civic agencies, foundations, universities, and private companies around the globe to drive better information about our oceans and seas - be it in mapping out the ocean floor, collecting new CO2 data in hard-to-reach areas, counting biomass to establish fishing quotas, or detecting and stopping illegal fishing and trafficking. We believe that better inputs in planetary models in turn yield better outputs and that the new insights gained in weather forecasting, carbon cycling, global fishing and climate change will have tremendous impact on humanity. We are based in Alameda, CA.

European Head of Defense Business Development

About the Job

About the Company

Saildrone

Similar Jobs

Business Development Manager Nordics (EV Charging)

Business Development Manager Nordics (EV Charging)

Business Development Director (M/F/D)

Business Development Director (M/F/D)

Commercial Director (gn) – Defence @ Stealth DeepTech Venture (Belgium)

Commercial Director (gn) – Defence @ Stealth DeepTech Venture (Belgium)

Military Sales Director

Military Sales Director

European Managing Director

European Managing Director

Business Development & Sales Director, Europe

Business Development & Sales Director, Europe

Head of Business Development (f/m/d)

Head of Business Development (f/m/d)

Director of Sales EMEA

Director of Sales EMEA

Commercial Director BeNeLux

Commercial Director BeNeLux

Business Development Director, Americas

Business Development Director, Americas