About the Role:

We are looking for a recently retired Lieutenant Colonel / Wing Commander (or equivalent) with a strong technical and operational background to lead engagement with the Indian defence ecosystem.

- A strategic leadership role responsible for driving business development, strategic partnerships, customer engagement and defence programmes.

- Works closely with the CEO and Board to identify new opportunities, build trusted relationships across the Armed Forces and government organisations, and capture operational requirements from users.

- Translates captured requirements into commercially successful technology products.

- Requires travel across India to engage with military establishments, DRDO laboratories, Defence PSUs, government organisations and strategic partners.

Key Responsibilities:

- Lead business development across the Army, Navy, Air Force, DRDO, Defence PSUs, Ministry of Defence and other government organisations.

- Build long-term strategic relationships with senior military leadership, procurement agencies, user directorates, programme offices and key decision-makers.

- Identify operational challenges and emerging capability gaps that can be translated into technology solutions and commercial opportunities.

- Gather operational requirements and customer feedback to continuously enhance products and product roadmap.

- Serve as the first level of technical engagement with customers by understanding, articulating, presenting and demonstrating technology solutions.

- Support product demonstrations, technical presentations, Proofs of Concept (PoCs), user interactions and field evaluations.

- Lead participation in defence procurement programmes, RFPs, tenders, technical documentation, proposal submissions and commercial engagements.

- Coordinate and drive user trials with relevant stakeholders through to successful induction.

- Develop strategic partnerships with DRDO laboratories, Defence PSUs, academic institutions, defence startups, system integrators and industry partners.

- Identify and pursue collaborative research programmes, innovation initiatives, government-funded projects and defence technology grants.

- Work closely with engineering and product teams to ensure customer requirements are translated into product enhancements.

- Monitor upcoming procurement opportunities, defence modernisation programmes, technology trends and competitive developments.

- Represent the company at defence conferences, seminars, industry forums and strategic engagements across the country.

Desired Profile:

- Recently retired Lieutenant Colonel / Wing Commander (or equivalent).

- Technical arm / background or significant experience in defence technology, engineering, systems or capability development.

- Strong understanding of defence procurement, acquisition and project execution processes.

- Experience working with DRDO, Defence PSUs, defence technology programmes, system integration or capability development projects will be an advantage.

- Ability to understand complex technology products and confidently present them to defence users, technical teams and senior leadership.

- Strong network across the Armed Forces, DRDO, Defence PSUs and the broader defence ecosystem.

- Excellent stakeholder management, communication and programme execution skills.

- Commercial mindset with the ability to identify opportunities, build strategic partnerships and convert engagements into business.

- Entrepreneurial attitude with the ability to work in a fast-paced technology company.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

- Strategic relationships established across the Armed Forces, DRDO, Defence PSUs and Government organisations.

- Qualified business opportunities identified and converted into active engagements.

- Product demonstrations, Proofs of Concept (PoCs), field trials and evaluations successfully initiated.

- Participation and success in defence RFPs, procurement programmes and strategic projects.

- Supply orders, contracts and revenue generated through defence engagements.

- Successful implementation and customer adoption of awarded projects.

- Customer requirements translated into measurable product improvements.

- Strategic partnerships established with DRDO, Defence PSUs, academia, system integrators and industry partners.

- Research collaborations, innovation programmes and government-funded projects secured.

- Contribution towards positioning the company as a trusted sovereign technology partner for the Indian defence ecosystem.