Director, Business Development - Middle East & North Africa
$138,000–$178,000 year
On-siteArlington, Virginia, United States
Job Summary
Lead Foreign Military Sales (FMS) pursuit activities across the Middle East and North Africa, identifying and qualifying opportunities in UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Morocco, Jordan, and KSA. Establish senior-level relationships with partner-nation Ministries of Defence, military services, and U.S. interagency partners including DoS, DSCA, and OuSD(P) to drive engagement from initial contact through Letters of Request for Pricing & Availability and Letters of Request for Letters of Offer and Acceptance. Develop tailored country-level engagement plans, represent the company at defense exhibitions, and provide leadership on market intelligence regarding defense budgets and competitor activity. Report regularly to executive leadership on pipeline status and interagency relationship health while navigating complex security cooperation policies and legislative developments.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in International Relations, Political Science, Business, Engineering, or related field
- 5+ years of progressively responsible experience in defense business development, security cooperation, or government service directly supporting FMS
- Demonstrated expertise across the FMS life cycle: case initiation, P&A, LOA development, and case execution
- Established, verifiable relationships with DoS, DSCA, and OuSD(P) personnel at working and senior levels
- Proven ability to engage and build trust with senior officials in partner-nation Ministries of Defence and military services across the MENA region
- Experience operating in or alongside foreign embassies, with U.S. or foreign defense attachés
- Working knowledge of QME policy frameworks and the U.S. interagency adjudication process
- Active U.S. Secret clearance
- Ability to travel internationally approximately one week per month
- Valid U.S. passport
Desired Qualifications
- Advanced degree
- Prior U.S. military (uniformed or GS), DoS Foreign Service, or DSCA service in roles directly supporting MENA security cooperation or FMS case management
- Direct experience managing or supporting high-value FMS cases (>$100M) from P&A through LOA signature
- Informal Arabic language and cultural familiarity
- Familiarity with U.S. arms transfer policy including AECA Section 3 and related SAMM provisions
- Experience with Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) structures complementary to FMS programs
- Existing relationships with In-Country Security Cooperation Organizations (SCOs) in one or more priority countries
Hiring someone like this?
Get your role in front of qualified candidates on Sorce.