---
title: 'Business Development Lead, Defense Systems at KH Aerospace'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/business-development-lead-defense-systems-kh-aerospace-reno-nevada-f84dmpm82jdy'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-09'
---

# Business Development Lead, Defense Systems at KH Aerospace

- **Company:** KH Aerospace
- **Location:** Reno Nevada, United States
- **Posted:** 2026-07-30
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-09
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/khaerospace/jobs/4720018005

## Job description

Kraus Hamdani Aerospace (KHA) is an aerospace company specializing in long-endurance unmanned aerial platforms for a wide variety of industries. KHA supports a number of customers to carry out missions involving aerial reconnaissance, survey, communication relay and communications provisioning. Endurance, enabled by effective design, is key to these applications and KHA aircraft utilize cutting-edge aircraft design together with on-board intelligence to deliver value for these customers.

Kraus Hamdani Aerospace (KHA) builds unmanned aerial technologies that save lives and connect the world. KHA delivers intelligent autonomous aerial systems for defense and national security missions, including the K1000ULE ultra-long-endurance UAS, ATNE++ airborne communications and network extension capabilities, and software and AI-enabled multi-domain problem solving, war gaming and teaming solutions. Its systems are designed and manufactured in the U.S.A. and have been tested, deployed, and proven across defense, commercial, and international missions.

Position Summary KHA is seeking a mission-driven Sales and Business Development Lead, Unmanned Defense Systems to lead growth across U.S. defense, national security, and selected allied markets. This individual will own opportunity shaping, account strategy, capture leadership, and specific revenue targets across priority customers including the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, Department of Energy, and selected international partners.

This is not a transactional sales role. It is a hands-on growth role at the intersection of mission need, defense acquisition, technical differentiation, and cross-functional execution. The successful candidate will help KHA scale from individual selling to a disciplined, repeatable business development engine.

Location: Remote, within proximity to Reno, Nevada.

## Responsibilities

- Develop and execute growth strategies for priority defense and national security accounts.
- Identify, qualify, shape, and advance a pipeline spanning prototypes, demonstrations, OTAs, SBIR/BAA pathways, production, sustainment, and follow-on expansion.
- Build trusted relationships with operators, requirements owners, PMs/PEOs, labs, test communities, acquisition officials, primes, integrators, and partner organizations.
- Translate customer mission needs into compelling positioning for KHA’s K1000ULE, ATNE++, and AI-enabled autonomy offerings.
- Lead capture planning, account plans, contact plans, white papers, partner strategies, proposal support, and win themes.
- Partner with engineering, product, finance, contracts, flight operations, and executive leadership to align pursuit strategy with product roadmap and company priorities.
- Represent KHA at customer sites, demonstrations, exercises, trade events, and industry engagements. Build repeatable operating rhythm for pipeline reviews, forecast updates, competitive intelligence, and capture decision-making.
- Help KHA selectively expand with allied and international defense customers where strategically aligned and compliant.

Requirements:

- 6+ years in defense business development, capture, strategic accounts, or related growth leadership roles.
- Track record of winning or materially advancing business with the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, DOE, border/security, or allied defense organizations.
- Understanding of defense acquisition environments and the pathways from mission problem to funded program.
- Ability to sell complex technical capabilities rather than commodity products.
- Strong executive presence and the ability to engage credibly with military operators, acquisition professionals, technical leaders, and partner executives.
- Experience collaborating cross-functionally in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.
- Willingness to travel extensively.

Preferred:

- Prior military service or direct support experience in aviation, ISR, UAS, communications, or networked operations.
- Experience with autonomy, AI-enabled systems, tactical communications, JADC2/Next Gen C2, or multi-domain operations.
- Experience with OTAs, BAAs, rapid prototyping efforts, or operational demonstrations.
- Exposure to allied and international defense business and relevant export-control environments.
- Active clearance or eligibility to obtain one.

## Why Join KHA

- Opportunity to help scale a category-defining company in ultra-long-endurance, fully electric autonomous systems.
- Mission with real-world relevance: protect, save lives, connect, and monitor in contested or infrastructure-denied environments.
- Ability to shape the company’s growth model at a pivotal inflection point.
- Work closely with founders and technical leaders on products with clear operational differentiation.

What Success Looks Like:

- Qualified pipeline built and segmented by priority account, mission area, and funding path.
- Documented account plans for top customers and partner pathways.
- Consistent operating rhythm for pipeline review, capture decisions, and forecast updates.
- Reduced dependency on the CEO for day-to-day pursuit leadership. Meaningful opportunity progression: demos, white papers, partner agreements, downselects, proposals, and awards.
- Improved visibility into near-term wins versus strategic bets.

Who We Are: KHA develops the world’s longest endurance fully electric Unmanned Aerial System ("UAS") in our size and weight category. We solve large-scale worldwide problems by providing persistent overhead services to help our soldiers remain safe in theater, provision rapid emergency communications for disaster relief efforts, enable search-and-rescue services to assist emergency response efforts, help anti-poaching to protect the world’s most endangered species and provide geospatial data to assist in slowing climate change.

https://krausaerospace.com/

Compensation: Competitive base salary plus a significant performance-based incentive opportunity. Final compensation will be based on experience, qualifications, and the agreed incentive structure.

How to Apply: Please submit your resume and a brief cover letter detailing your relevant experience. We look forward to hearing from you!

Kraus Hamdani Aerospace, Inc. (“Company”) collects and uses Personal Information (as defined by the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”)) for human resources, employment, health and safety, and business-related purposes and to be in legal compliance. For more information, please read the full [notice](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZYLxxUzH5V5Vew7FmM4ho5og3Jr9gHVr/view?usp=sharing).

If you are an EU applicant, by sharing your personal information with Kraus Hamdani Aerospace, Inc. you hereby (a) acknowledge and consent to the international transfer of your personal information to the United States, despite the risks associated due to the absence of an adequacy decision and appropriate safeguards, and (b) acknowledge that you have carefully read and understood this [notice](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A2YkRHyWbcV_nMnOQry2vXHvKLQvb-Ul/view?usp=sharing).

## EEO Statement

Kraus Hamdani Aerospace is committed to providing Equal Opportunity in Employment, to all applicants and employees regardless of, race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, military status, veteran status, handicap, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by law.

## About KH Aerospace

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Kraus Hamdani Aerospace (KH Aerospace) develops ultra-long-endurance, fully electric, AI-powered unmanned aerial systems for persistent airborne infrastructure, defense, and emergency response missions.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Seed stage; total funding $2.3M)
- **Headquarters**: Emeryville, California, United States (with offices in Hayward, CA; Reno, NV; and Glasgow, UK)
- **Founded**: 2016
- **Founders**: Stefan Kraus (CTO) and Fatema Hamdani (CEO)

## Core Business
- **Primary Industry**: Defense & Space / Aerospace Manufacturing
- **Target Customers**: U.S. and allied military, national security agencies, emergency response organizations, critical infrastructure operators, and commercial geospatial/data customers (B2G, B2B)
- **Mission Statement**: “To empower the people responsible for national security, critical infrastructure, and emergency response with the trusted autonomous systems and persistent connectivity they need to operate with confidence in any environment.”

## Products & Services
- **K1000ULE**: Ultra-long-endurance, fully electric, AI-enabled unmanned aerial system (UAS). Proven in operational environments (world record flight of 75 hours, 53 minutes). On DIU’s Blue UAS Cleared & Select Lists. No runway required, no fuel logistics.
- **ATNE++ (Aerial Tier Network Extension ++)**: Airborne communications mesh that provides self-healing, multi-waveform voice and data bridging across legacy and modern tactical data links. Supports connectivity across sea, land, air, and space.
- **MD-ACT (Multi-Domain Autonomous Collaborative Teaming)**: AI-driven coordination of manned and unmanned platforms across domains, reducing operator cognitive load and optimizing mission outcomes.
- **Autonomous Tasking / Persistent Monitoring**: Real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance for defense, oil & gas pipeline monitoring, environmental data collection, and disaster response.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Total Funding**: $2.3 million (Seed round of $1.5M in March 2016; government grant of ~$799k in January 2021)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Integrated into U.S. Army’s Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) ecosystem via Anduril’s Lattice platform. Listed on DIU Blue UAS Cleared & Select Lists. Partners include U.S. Customs, AEWE (Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment).
- **Growth Signals**: 45 employees (as of mid-2025), with offices in the US, UK, Switzerland, and Australia. LinkedIn follower growth of +41.4% year-over-year. Proven operational deployments with government and commercial customers (over 6k hours flown globally). Team includes many military veterans and former defense/aerospace engineers.

## Competitive Advantages
- **World’s longest endurance fully electric UAS** in its size/weight class (75+ hour flight record).
- **No runway required** – vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capability.
- **Solar-assisted, zero-emissions** – onboard AI enables silent gliding and energy harvesting.
- **Self-healing mesh network** (ATNE++) ensures resilient comms in contested/denied environments.
- **Blue UAS Cleared & Select status** accelerates military procurement.
- **Operator cognitive offload** through AI-driven multi-domain teaming.

## Strategic Focus
- Continue scaling production and fielding of the K1000ULE for defense and national security missions.
- Expand ATNE++ integration across joint and allied forces to become a standard airborne communications bridge.
- Develop autonomous teaming capabilities (MD-ACT) for manned-unmanned collaboration.
- Pursue commercial applications (pipeline monitoring, environmental sensing, disaster communications) while maintaining core defense focus.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven culture**: “Mission First. Team Built.” – many employees are engineers, technologists, and military veterans united by a purpose to save lives and support critical missions.
- **Impactful work**: Build next-generation autonomous aerospace systems that are already deployed and battle-tested.
- **Growth environment**: Privately held with a dedicated team (~45 people across multiple locations); opportunities to take ownership in engineering, manufacturing, and operations.
- **Work locations**: Offices in Emeryville/Hayward, CA; Reno, NV; and Glasgow, UK. Engineering roles are on-site (manufacturing, technician, supply chain). Remote/hybrid policy not specified.
- **Perks**: Working on cutting-edge AI, UAS, and communications tech with a small, agile team; direct exposure to leadership and real-world customer missions.

## Sources
1. [khaero.com](https://www.khaero.com/)
2. [khaero.com/about](https://www.khaero.com/about)
3. [LinkedIn - Kraus Hamdani Aerospace](https://www.linkedin.com/company/kraus-aerospace)
4. [Greenhouse - KH Aerospace Jobs](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/khaerospace)

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