Minimum Qualifications:
– Impeccable character and enduring integrity
– Ability to deal with ambiguity, adapt quickly to changing demands and work with emerging
technologies, methodologies and solutions
– Demonstrated independent critical problem solving skills and executive presence
– Experience working in the private sector, specifically with Robotics and Automation (Small
Unmanned Aerial Systems, Industrial Automation, Maritime Robotics, Ground Vehicle
Autonomy, etc.) at a fast-paced organization. Example prior roles include: program
management, product management, engineering, business development/sales leadership,
finance, or corporate development.
Preferred Qualifications:
– Interest in both advancing national security and personal growth
– A minimum of 7+ years experience within tech environments, preferably assessing
technological capabilities and gaps
– History of having confronted significant hurdles and excelled at them
– Demonstrated ability to shape ambiguous environments into successful outcomes
– Thorough understanding of startup company culture and operations
– Start-up experience highly desirable
– Executive leadership is a plus
– VC/PE ecosystem experience is a plus
– Prior military, intelligence community (IC), or USG experience is a plus
– Prior Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition experience (i.e. program management) is a
plus
Responsibilities for the role:
The Commercial Engagement Executive will provide support to the Autonomy Portfolio by
assessing prospective customer needs, understanding the market landscapes for applicable
technology components, sourcing companies/technologies to deliver the necessary solution(s),
evaluating commercial viability and supporting the scaling of capabilities across relevant DoD
mission partners alongside the Portfolio Managers and Defense Engagement Team. Additionally,
this individual will act as the Autonomy portfolio’s main interface with private sector capital
allocators across asset classes The role requires working level knowledge of the Robotics and
Automation space, along with an understanding of the intricacies in building and deploying
complex hardware / software solutions. This individual will be entrusted with generating deep
market analysis and building a critical ecosystem of commercial partners for transformative DoD
programs. This role is key to maintaining the United States’ national security posture and
delivering critical capabilities directly to warfighters.
The Commercial Engagement Executive for Autonomy reports directly to the Head of the
Commercial Engagement Team (CET). The role also reports to the Autonomy Portfolio Director, in
a dotted line capacity. The CET is tasked with delivering a compelling procurement experience to
partner companies and with establishing, furthering, and managing DIU’s relationships with the
private sector. The CET is composed of multiple executives who are responsible for commercial
strategy (including delivering the right experiential product for acquisitions), outreach (business
development and marketing), general relationship management, and market intelligence. The
executive in this role will work closely with the Autonomy Portfolio Director & Members. Below
are the responsibilities of this role:
– Advising the Autonomy Portfolio Director & broader Autonomy Portfolio on any and all
commercial considerations/topics
– Supporting Autonomy Portfolio throughout government solicitation processes, to include:
– Providing ongoing insights into emerging technologies
– Productizing problem sets
– Providing broad market snapshots
– Identifying and establishing relationships with relevant vendors
– Leading company viability analyses
– Maintaining ongoing communication with a broad and diverse group of vendors
and capital allocators
– Delivering a consistent, on-brand DIU procurement experience to private sector partners,
including VCs and partner companies – candidate must be comfortable interacting at the
senior executive level
– Developing subject matter knowledge of key industry focus areas
– Participating in industry conferences, forums, and other events
– Integrating into ongoing (CET) business development and marketing activities seamlessly
– Maintaining market vigilance to be able to identify relevant technologies
– Cultivating broad company level relationships across Robotics and Automation vectors
– Fostering deep personal relationships with executives across the ecosystem
– Representing the DIU brand with appropriate gravitas and poise in all situations
About our client:
Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)
We are changing how the Department of Defense (DoD) approaches commercial technology
adoption. Through our agile processes, contract authorities, and diverse team of experts, we have
reduced the time it takes the DoD to identify a problem, prototype a commercial solution, and
implement it into the field to two years or less. Our DoD partners represent every Service and we
engage at the highest levels to identify national security challenges that can be solved with
commercial technology. Companies on contract with us are backed by top tier investors and
represent $>30 billion in private investment capital.