Director of Business Development - Airlines

WHO WE ARE Aero. Vect is transforming ground handling with autonomy, redefining how airlines and ground service providers around the globe run day-to-day operations. We are a Series A company backed by top-tier venture capital investors in aviation and autonomous driving. Our customers include some of the world’s largest airlines and ground handling providers.

For more information, visit www.aerovect.com http://www.aerovect.com. We are hiring a Director of Business Development to win new airline customers and expand Aero. Vect’s commercial presence globally. You will identify and develop opportunities, build relationships with customer decision-makers, and lead the commercial process from initial engagement through signed, funded agreements.

You will work directly with Aero. Vect’s leadership and our Product, Engineering, Operations, Finance, and Legal teams. This is a hands-on individual contributor role. You will personally lead customer conversations, develop proposals and business cases, and manage the details required to move complex opportunities forward.

You Will

• Build and execute a focused business development plan for new airline customers. Prioritize opportunities based on fleet potential, customer readiness, commercial value, and fit with Aero. Vect’s deployment capabilities.
• Develop new relationships and advance existing prospects through direct outreach, introductions, industry events, and customer visits.
• Build relationships across airline operations, ground support equipment, finance, procurement, and executive leadership.
• Understand customer workflows, operations, and deployment requirements. Work with internal teams to develop business cases that connect Aero. Vect’s solutions to measurable customer value.
• Lead proposals, paid feasibility engagements, tenders, and commercial negotiations with support from Aero. Vect’s leadership, Finance, and Legal. Establish a clear path from initial deployment to fleet expansion.
• Qualify funding, executive sponsorship, procurement timelines, and customer commitments early. Establish clear success criteria and commercial next steps for each engagement.
• Work with Product, Engineering, and Operations to assess technical fit, implementation effort, and delivery capacity. Align scope and timing internally before making customer commitments.
• Maintain accurate opportunity plans and forecasts, including next steps, owners, decision dates, expected revenue, and commercial risks. You Have - 10+ years of experience in business development, enterprise sales, or commercial roles, with direct responsibility for winning new enterprise customers.
• A track record of personally originating and closing complex agreements involving multiple stakeholders, complex buying processes, and significant implementation requirements.
• Experience navigating customer budgets, procurement processes, business cases, and contract negotiations.
• The ability to build credibility with frontline operating teams and senior executives, and lead substantive discussions about operational performance and investment decisions.
• Strong financial and commercial judgment. You can evaluate customer economics, develop an ROI case, and distinguish early interest from an opportunity with a credible path to funding.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication, including executive presentations, commercial proposals, and negotiation.
• Strong follow-through and the ability to manage several complex opportunities independently. You are comfortable personally preparing materials and handling the details needed to advance a deal.
• Willingness to travel regularly, domestically and internationally. We Prefer
• Experience selling to airlines and airports, with an established network in aviation.
• Experience commercializing robotics, industrial automation, or other technology deployed in industrial operations at scale.
• VC-backed startup experience.