Job Summary:The Sr. Sales Director, Aerospace & Defense leads USA Rare Earth's commercial growth within the aerospace and defense market. This senior role owns an end-to-end book of business, from strategic account planning and new program capture through demand forecasting and year-over-year account growth. The ideal candidate brings deep aerospace and defense industry relationships, understands long, technical sales and government contracting cycles, and operates independently while collaborating closely with Product Management, Engineering, Operations, and other internal leaders to win and grow programs with OEMs and integrators.
Primary Target Markets:- Military aircraft (fixed-wing and rotary)
- Unmanned aerial systems (UAS/UAVs)
- Precision-guided munitions and missile systems
- Ground vehicle actuation and targeting systems
- Naval propulsion and sonar systems
- Avionics, radar, and electronic warfare platforms
- Defense-grade electric actuation and control systems
Key Responsibilities:Strategic Sales Leadership & Account Ownership- Identify and engage OEMs and integrators across the focus markets above that integrate rare earth magnets into mission-critical systems.
- Own and grow an end-to-end book of business within these focus markets, serving as the primary relationship owner for key accounts and target programs.
- Lead technical sales efforts and manage the full-cycle government contracting process, from initial engagement through program award.
- Develop and execute account plans aligned to annual revenue targets.
- Build and maintain executive-level relationships with customer engineering, procurement, and program management organizations.
- Guide customers through material qualification and program approval processes, coordinating internal resources to support technical evaluations.
- Lead development of MOUs, joint development agreements (JDAs), and supply agreements to secure multi-year volume commitments with key customers.
- Convert early-stage agreements into production slot orders and purchase orders.
- Represent USA Rare Earth at defense tradeshows, industry briefings, and customer meetings to build brand presence and generate new opportunities.
Demand Planning & Forecasting- Own end-to-end demand planning and forecasting for assigned accounts, coordinating closely with Operations, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing to align production capacity with customer program timelines.
- Deliver monthly forecasting and demand plans, maintaining forecast accuracy of 80% or greater.
- Translate customer program schedules, ramp curves, and volume forecasts into actionable production plans.
- Monitor aerospace and defense demand trends, budget cycles, and program awards to inform company-wide planning.
Customer & Pipeline Management (CRM)- Maintain rigorous CRM discipline ensuring account, opportunity, and pipeline data reflect current status.
- Maintain CRM pipeline coverage of 10 times (10x) annual revenue targets to support consistent, predictable growth.
- Track and report on pipeline health, win and loss trends, and account growth against annual targets.
- Develop and maintain multi-year account plans and pursuit roadmaps for strategic aerospace and defense customers.
Cross-Functional Collaboration & Deal Execution- Collaborate with Contracts, Application Engineering, Program Management, Quality, and Operations to ensure compliance and on-time delivery for customer programs.
- Negotiate and close business under FAR/DFARS-compliant terms, including flow-down clauses and risk mitigation.
- Lead broader contract negotiations, pricing strategy, and commercial terms for new and renewal business.
- Coordinate with Marketing on positioning, messaging, and campaign support for the aerospace and defense segment.
- Partner with executive leadership on strategic planning, market entry, and investment prioritization for the segment.
Market Intelligence & Strategy- Monitor the competitive landscape, program timelines, and industry trends within aerospace and defense.
- Provide voice-of-customer feedback to Product, Engineering, and Leadership to inform roadmap and capacity decisions.
- Contribute to long-range strategic planning for the aerospace and defense segment.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:- Proven track record of building and growing complex, technical accounts within long sales-cycle, highly regulated industries.
- Strong executive presence and communication skills, comfortable engaging with senior customer and internal stakeholders.
- Demonstrated ability to independently manage a full sales cycle, from prospecting through contract negotiation and account growth.
- Skilled in industrial demand planning and forecasting, with the ability to translate customer programs into production-aligned forecasts.
- Proficiency with CRM platforms (Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales preferred; Salesforce.com or Hubspot acceptable), with disciplined pipeline management process.
- Strong collaborator and independent thinker, comfortable operating with autonomy in a fast-paced, growth-stage environment.
- Working knowledge of aerospace and defense procurement processes, including familiarity with prime contractors, Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers, and government contracting practices (FAR/DFARS).
- Understanding of export control regulations (ITAR/EAR) as they relate to defense-related sales activities.
- Familiarity with MIL-SPEC qualification processes and long program qualification cycles.
Qualifications:- Education: Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Communications, Engineering or a related field required. MBA or other advanced degree preferred.
- Experience: 10+ years of progressive commercial or sales experience, including 5+ years focused on aerospace and defense or an adjacent industry.
- Demonstrated success managing complex, multi-stakeholder sales cycles and growing account revenue year over year.
- Experience with industrial demand planning and forecasting in a manufacturing or industrial supply environment.
- Proven CRM proficiency (Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales or Salesforce.com).
- Existing relationships with aerospace and defense primes, Tier 1 or Tier 2 suppliers, or defense agencies strongly preferred.
- Active or prior security clearance is a plus, though not required.
- Ability to travel 60% or more to support customer engagements, tradeshows, and other internal meetings.
Physical DemandsThe work environment will primarily be a home office or typical office environment, combined with frequent customer-site and travel-related environments. Noise level: normal office noises.
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, or skills required of personnel so classified. The reporting relationship may not reflect the most recent changes to the corporate reporting structure.
