---
title: 'Sr Director Business Development - Defense/Government Programs (Autonomy & Navigation Systems) at Anello Photonics'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/sr-director-business-development-defense-government-programs-autonomy-kt1v6pdzgn0n'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-12'
---

# Sr Director Business Development - Defense/Government Programs (Autonomy & Navigation Systems) at Anello Photonics

- **Company:** Anello Photonics
- **Location:** Santa Clara CA Washington District of Columbia, United States
- **Posted:** 2026-04-06
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-12
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/anellophotonics/jobs/4670661006

## Job description

About ANELLO:

ANELLO Photonics is a Silicon Valley-based technology company pioneering high-performance inertial navigation solutions using integrated silicon photonics. Our breakthrough optical gyroscope technology enables precise navigation in GPS-denied and contested environments, supporting next-generation autonomous systems across defense (Land, Air and Sea) and industrial markets.

Position Overview:

ANELLO is seeking a senior business development leader to drive U.S. government and Defense programs and strategic growth initiatives aligned with the rapid transition to autonomous and uncrewed systems. This role will lead engagements with DoD, defense primes, federal agencies and direct to customers to position ANELLO’s navigation solutions as critical infrastructure for GPS-denied operations.

The ideal candidate brings deep experience navigating government acquisition processes, shaping requirements, and winning funding proposals and customer design wins—particularly in autonomy.

1. Government Strategy & Capture

- Develop and execute U.S. government business development and capture strategy across DoD (Navy, Army, Air Force, Marines, SOCOM, DIU etc)
- Identify, qualify, and lead capture of programs in autonomy, uncrewed systems (USV/UUV/UAS/UGV), and GPS denied precision navigation
- Shape early-stage requirements and influence program definitions through direct engagement with program offices and stakeholders
- Drive system-level design wins with primes and integrators delivering autonomous platforms

1. Customer Engagement & Relationships

- Build and maintain senior-level relationships with PEOs, PMs, defense primes, government labs
- Serve as a trusted advisor on navigation and autonomy technologies for GPS contested and denied environments.
- Represent the company in classified and unclassified meetings, industry days, and technical briefings

1. Contracts & Acquisition Execution

- Lead responses to RFPs, BAAs, OTAs, and SBIR/STTR opportunities
- Navigate DoD acquisition and budgeting processes (POM, appropriations) to align strategy with upcoming funding awards
- Negotiate and drive teaming agreements, strategic partnerships, and contract terms

1. Market Development & Internal Leadership

- Drive adoption of silicon photonics-based inertial navigation systems across defense and industrial (dual use) autonomous platforms
- Define and execute go to market strategy in collaboration with product, engineering, and executive leadership
- Provide market intelligence and competitive analysis to inform roadmap decisions and opportunity prioritization

Qualifications:

- 10–15+ years of experience in business development, program capture, government contracts and working defense agencies and primes
- Have or be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance
- Proven track record of winning and managing U.S. government and defense contracts
- Deep understanding of gov acquisition processes (FAR/DFARS, OTAs, SBIRs, etc.)
- Strong network across defense agencies and prime contractors as well as experience engaging with organizations such as DIU, DARPA, NAVSEA, NAVAIR, etc
- Experience in autonomy, robotics, navigation systems, or related defense technologies
- Familiarity with maritime (USV/UUV), aerial (UAS), or ground robotic systems (UGV)
- Experience with GPS-denied nav, inertial systems (IMUs, FOGs), or autonomous

Additional information:

- Applicants must be United States Citizens.

## About Anello Photonics

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: ANELLO Photonics develops the world’s smallest high-precision optical gyroscope (SiPhOG™) and inertial navigation systems that enable autonomy in GPS-denied environments across land, air, sea, and space.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series B‑II, Total Raised ~$73.26M as of May 2026)
- **Headquarters**: Santa Clara, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2018 (some sources list 2020)
- **Founders**: Not publicly named; CEO is Dr. Mario Paniccia (former Intel Fellow, Silicon Photonics pioneer)

## Core Business
- **Primary industries**: Defense, Maritime, Aerial (UAV/drone), Ground Vehicles, Robotics, Construction, Agriculture, Mapping & Surveying, Space
- **Target customers**: B2B – defense contractors, autonomous vehicle OEMs, industrial robotics firms, government agencies
- **Mission**: “Democratize access to high‑performance navigation sensors” by making compact, affordable optical gyroscopes available for every possible application

## Products & Services
All products are hardware‑based inertial navigation systems (INS) and inertial measurement units (IMUs) powered by the proprietary SiPhOG™ optical gyroscope:

- **ANELLO X3 IMU**: Ultra‑compact 3‑axis optical gyro IMU for aerial missions (PX4/ArduPilot compatible)
- **ANELLO AERIAL INS**: High‑performance INS for drones and UAVs operating in GPS‑denied environments
- **ANELLO MARITIME INS**: Rugged, high‑accuracy INS for autonomous maritime operations in unpredictable waters
- **ANELLO GROUND INS**: INS for unmanned ground vehicles, trucks, and commercial/defense autonomous platforms
- **ANELLO GROUND IMU**: Optical gyro IMU for robotics and construction autonomy
- **Mapping & Surveying Solutions**: Precise location/orientation data for surveying in GPS‑denied conditions

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total funding ~$73.26M (includes $25M Series B‑II closed May 2026)
- **Notable Investors**: Lockheed Martin Ventures, New Legacy Ventures, Catapult Ventures, Mana Ventures, IronGate Capital Advisors, MESH, One Madison Group
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Secured $25M in Series B‑II specifically to accelerate production of GPS‑denied navigation solutions (May 2026)
  - 35 issued patents covering interferometry, optical devices, gyroscopes
  - Revenue estimated between $1M–$5M (LinkedIn, 2026)
  - Headcount of 22 employees; 41% yearly LinkedIn follower growth

## Competitive Advantages
- **SiPhOG™ (Silicon Photonic Optical Gyro)**: World’s smallest high‑precision optical gyroscope – combines the accuracy of legacy fiber‑optic gyros with the cost/size advantages of silicon photonics
- **GPS‑denied resilience**: Core differentiator for defense and autonomous systems where satellite signals are jammed or unavailable
- **Strong IP moat**: 35 patents in optical gyroscope design, bias mitigation, and silicon photonics
- **Key strategic partner**: Lockheed Martin Ventures as an investor opens doors to defense contracts

## Strategic Focus
- **Scale production**: Use the new $25M round to ramp manufacturing of SiPhOG‑based systems
- **Expand into space applications**: Leverage high‑precision, radiation‑tolerant navigation for satellites and spacecraft
- **Deepen defense and commercial autonomy verticals**: Maritime, aerial, ground, robotics, and agriculture are all active target markets

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Small, collaborative team (22 people) where founders are actively engaged; described as “creative and collaborative self‑starters” with a passion for pushing boundaries
- **Compensation**: Competitive salary, appreciating equity, fully paid health/dental insurance for employee and family, plus matching 401k
- **Location**: Santa Clara, CA (Silicon Valley) – on‑site presence expected
- **Visa restrictions**: Candidates must be US Persons (US Permanent Residents or US Citizens); no visa sponsorship implied
- **Engineering focus**: High concentration of technical talent (17 of 22 employees in technical roles) – strong hands‑on hacking culture
- **Current openings** (as of mid‑2026): Embedded Device Firmware Engineer, Senior Electrical Engineer, Field Applications Engineer, Senior Photonics Engineer, Senior FPGA Design Engineer, Senior Director Business Development (Government/Defense)

## Sources
1. [anellophotonics.com](https://www.anellophotonics.com/)
2. [anellophotonics.com – Careers](https://www.anellophotonics.com/careers)
3. [anellophotonics.com – Team](https://www.anellophotonics.com/company1)
4. [cbinsights.com – Anello Photonics](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/anello-photonics)
5. [linkedin.com – Anello Photonics](https://www.linkedin.com/company/anellophotonics)

## Other roles at Anello Photonics

- [Senior Opto-Mechanical Design Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-opto-mechanical-design-engineer-anello-photonics-santa-clara-6kk6gh897cqt) — Santa Clara, CA
- [Senior FPGA Design Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-fpga-design-engineer-anello-photonics-santa-clara-mnk9zj3b2y4y) — Santa Clara, CA
- [Sr Photonics Engineer (PIC)](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-photonics-engineer-pic-anello-photonics-santa-clara-ab0ppty2rej9) — Santa Clara, CA
- [Senior Systems Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-systems-engineer-anello-photonics-santa-clara-tjyx2nfns3gc) — Santa Clara, CA
- [Field Application Engineer, Autonomous/Navigation](https://feeny.ai/job/field-application-engineer-autonomous-navigation-anello-photonics-santa-clara-y88e993pq9r8) — Santa Clara, CA
- [Electrical Engineer (HW Systems)](https://feeny.ai/job/electrical-engineer-hw-systems-anello-photonics-santa-clara-w1f5ttg191xq) — Santa Clara, CA