Principal Business Development Manager

Company Information:

Twenty-Six Defense, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is a leading provider of high-performance products, system solutions, and aftermarket support services focusing on the defense, homeland security, and commercial aviation markets. With facilities throughout the U.S., Twenty-Six Defense supports those who contribute to the national security of the United States. Twenty-Six Defense is wholly owned by Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ: ESLT and TASE: ESLT), a global high-technology company engaged in a wide range of programs for innovative defense and commercial applications.

Job Summary: The Principal Business Development Manager for the MATR‑X tactical radar system leads complex initiatives to expand market presence, build strategic partnerships, and drive qualified opportunities across defense, homeland security, and critical‑infrastructure sectors. This role applies specialized mission, technical, and market expertise to shape business‑development plans, guide joint pursuit activities with partners, and position MATR‑X solutions against diverse operational needs including Counter‑UAS, force protection, border security, and tactical surveillance. This position independently leads key pursuits, customer engagements, demonstrations, and capture workstreams while providing expert insight to engineering, operations, and executive leadership. Through deep customer interaction, rigorous opportunity qualification, and strong cross‑functional coordination, this role ensures effective alignment between customer mission gaps and MATR‑X capabilities, contributing directly to strategic growth and long‑term program success.

Responsibilities and Tasks:

• Lead the development and execution of a focused business‑development plan for the MATR‑X tactical radar, applying specialized domain expertise to shape priorities, identify opportunities, and drive measurable progress.
• Identify, recruit, qualify, and develop strategic reseller, prime‑contractor, OEM, and system‑integrator partnerships, independently assessing partner capabilities and guiding others in evaluating partnership fit.
• Establish and strengthen partner relationships that enable access to contract vehicles, customer communities, integration resources, field support, and long‑term revenue opportunities, ensuring alignment with business objectives.
• Develop and guide the execution of joint account plans, opportunity pipelines, demonstration strategies, and pursuit approaches with priority partners, leading cross‑functional contributors toward shared outcomes.
• Generate high‑quality new business opportunities across the Department of War, DHS, SLTT agencies, critical‑infrastructure operators, and other qualified customers by applying advanced knowledge of missions, acquisition processes, and market dynamics.
• Lead selected direct‑sales pursuits where 26Defense has strategic advantages, driving the pursuit approach, influencing customer engagement strategies, and coordinating internal resources to position MATR‑X effectively.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with operational users, acquisition organizations, program offices, test entities, prime contractors, and industry partners, serving as a trusted technical and operational resource.
• Identify customer mission gaps and translate them into well‑defined, technically credible MATR‑X solution concepts, collaborating with engineering and product teams to refine requirements and demonstrate feasibility.
• Position MATR‑X for Counter‑UAS, force‑protection, surveillance, border‑security, critical‑infrastructure, and other tactical sensing missions by applying specialized market, mission, and technical insight to shape messaging and solution framing.
• Lead the planning and coordination of customer demonstrations, technical exchanges, operational evaluations, trade shows, and industry events, ensuring alignment with capture strategies and partner/customer expectations.
• Support opportunity qualification, competitive analysis, capture planning, proposal development, pricing coordination, negotiations, and contract transition by leading key workstreams and guiding less experienced team members.
• Ensure CRM data accuracy and completeness by managing customer, partner, and opportunity information at a detailed level and helping define improvements to tracking methodologies where needed.
• Provide management with reliable and insightful pipeline forecasts, market intelligence, partner assessments, and recommended courses of action based on independent analysis and expert judgment.
• Work collaboratively across engineering, operations, contracts, marketing, executive leadership, and Elbit counterparts, often leading cross‑functional efforts related to customer opportunities and product positioning.
• Support generation of follow‑on business by sustaining customer relationships, identifying additional mission applications for MATR‑X, and advising internal teams on emerging operational needs.
• Perform other related duties as assigned by senior management, taking ownership of complex tasks requiring specialized expertise and cross‑functional coordination.

Skills Abilities:

• Strong strategic-partnership and channel-development skills.
• Ability to establish credibility with operational, acquisition, technical, and industry leaders.
• Consultative selling skills and the ability to connect customer mission needs with product capabilities.
• Sound business judgment and disciplined opportunity qualification.
• Strong capture, proposal, presentation, and negotiation skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to communicate technical capabilities accurately and clearly.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate across organizational boundaries.
• Ability to lead cross-functional pursuits without direct organizational authority.
• Self-directed, accountable, and comfortable working in a growth-oriented environment.
• Proficiency with CRM systems, Microsoft Office, pipeline management, and sales forecasting.

Education, Experience, License, or Certification:

• Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education, military service, technical experience, and defense-industry leadership.
• 8 or more years of successful business-development, capture, channel-development, strategic-partnership, or complex technical-sales experience.
• Experience selling to or supporting the Department of War, Department of Homeland Security, prime contractors, OEMs, system integrators, or comparable government customers.
• Demonstrated ability to develop opportunities from initial customer engagement through qualification, demonstration, proposal, negotiation, and award.
• Experience establishing or managing reseller, OEM, prime-contractor, or system-integrator relationships.
• Working knowledge of federal acquisition processes, government contracting vehicles, competitive procurements, demonstrations, and proposal development.
• Ability to understand and explain technically sophisticated products to operational, technical, acquisition, and executive audiences.
• U.S. citizenship and the ability to obtain and maintain the security clearance required for the position.

Travel/Physical Requirements:

• Up to 50% travel expected to support customer meetings, partner development, demonstrations, government assessments, trade shows, and industry events.

Here Are Some of the Great Benefits We Offer:

• Most locations offer a 9/80 schedule, providing every other Friday off
• Competitive compensation & 401(k) program to plan for your future
• Robust medical, dental, vision, & disability coverage with qualified wellness discounts
• Basic Life Insurance and Additional Life & AD&D Insurances are available
• Flexible Vacation & PTO
• Paid Parental Leave
• Generous Employee Referral Program
• Voluntary Benefits Available: Long-Term Care, Legal, Identity Theft, Pet Insurance, and more
• Voluntary Tricare Supplement available for military retirees

This job description does not list all the duties of the job. You may be asked by your supervisors or managers to perform other duties. The employer has the right to revise this job description at any time. The job description is not an employment contract. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position. Twenty-Six Defense is an equal opportunity employer as to all protected groups, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

*For Virginia-based positions only* In accordance with Virginia DOL requirements, the listed salary range reflects the anticipated base pay range for this role. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors including skills, experience, education, certifications, business needs, internal equity, and geographic location. Compensation may vary in different locations based on market conditions and cost-of-labor considerations.

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