Director of Business Development - Airlines

The role

The Director of Business Development will win new airline customers and expand commercial presence globally. This hands-on individual contributor role involves identifying opportunities, building relationships with decision-makers, and leading the commercial process from engagement to signed agreements.

What you will do

• Build and execute a focused business development plan for new airline customers.
• Develop new relationships and advance existing prospects through outreach, industry events, and customer visits.
• Build relationships across airline operations, ground support equipment, finance, procurement, and executive leadership.
• Develop business cases that connect solutions to measurable customer value.
• Lead proposals, paid feasibility engagements, tenders, and commercial negotiations.
• Qualify funding, executive sponsorship, procurement timelines, and customer commitments.
• Work with Product, Engineering, and Operations to assess technical fit and delivery capacity.
• Maintain accurate opportunity plans and forecasts.

Required qualifications

• 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.
• Strong financial and commercial judgment.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication, including executive presentations, commercial proposals, and negotiation.
• Strong follow-through and the ability to manage several complex opportunities independently.
• Willingness to travel regularly, domestically and internationally.

Nice to have

• 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.

About the company

AeroVect is a Series A company transforming ground handling with autonomy. Their customers include some of the world's largest airlines and ground handling providers.