Director, Business Development - Middle East & North Africa

FMS Business Development & Pipeline

• Identify, qualify, and develop FMS opportunities across UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Morocco, Jordan, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) or other nations (a/r).
• Build and sustain a robust opportunity pipeline from initial country engagement through LOR for P&A and LOR for LOA, coordinating with Zone 5 portfolio program leadership and marketing throughout.
• Develop tailored country-level engagement plans that align Zone 5 capabilities with identified requirements and U.S. security cooperation priorities.
• Represent Zone 5 at key industry events, defense exhibitions, and bilateral forums relevant to MENA security cooperation markets.

Partner-Nation Stakeholder Engagement

• Establish and sustain senior-level relationships with partner-nation Ministries of Defence, military service headquarters, and — where required — Ministries of Commerce and Finance.
• Engage foreign embassies and defense attachés assigned to the United States, and the US corollaries inside partner nation, to build awareness of Zone 5 capabilities and facilitate early case development.
• Guide sovereign stakeholders through the FMS process from requirements identification through case initiation, acting as a trusted advisor on U.S. government procedures and timelines.

U.S. Interagency Engagement & Advocacy

• Serve as Zone 5's primary advocate within the U.S. interagency, with particular focus on DoS (PM Bureau, NEA), DSCA, and OuSD(P).
• Build and maintain working-level and senior relationships with Country Directors, Regional Affairs Officers, and Security Cooperation Officers to support responsive case processing.
• Maintain awareness of evolving security cooperation policy, Congressional notifications, and end-use monitoring requirements that may affect FMS timelines or case viability.

Market Intelligence & Strategic Planning

• Provide leadership with timely intelligence on partner-nation defense budgets, procurement priorities, political developments, and competitor activity across the MENA region.
• Contribute to Zone 5's long-range strategic planning by identifying emerging requirements, shifts in security cooperation policy, and new market entry opportunities.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory developments — including Section 36(b) notifications and Congressional holds — that may affect FMS case progress.

Internal Coordination

• Partner with capture, proposal, and program teams to develop FMS-compliant offerings and technically credible solutions tailored to partner-nation requirements.
• Coordinate with contracts, pricing, and legal teams to ensure positions are consistent with FMS regulations, ITAR, and EAR requirements.
• Report regularly to executive leadership on pipeline status, country engagement progress, and interagency relationship health.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in International Relations, Political Science, Business, Engineering, or related field; advanced degree strongly preferred.
• 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 required
• Ability to travel internationally approximately one week per month; valid U.S. passport required.

Priority Country Focus

• UAE · Qatar · Bahrain · Oman · Kuwait · Morocco · Jordan · KSA

Paid Time Off

• 4 weeks of paid time off each year

Annual Company Holidays

• 12 annual company holidays

Benefits

• Competitive total compensation package
• Comprehensive benefit package options include medical, dental, vision, life, and more.
• 401k with company-match
• 12 annual company holidays

Pay Range

$138,000 - $178,000 USD