Director of International Growth & Capture

Director of International Growth & Capture

Company Overview

Wild West Systems is an American defense technology company with the mission to equip the civilized world with superior and affordable arms and advanced technologies – to dominate the battlefield of present and future threats, in a new era of asymmetrical warfare. We fuse versatile domain experience with novel approach and creativity to change the paradigm of defense – both for military arenas and civilian soft targets. We're an early stage startup, rapidly moving and growing.

General Qualifications

Love for America and passion for Wild West System's mission. Self-starter, capable of performing tasks as an individual as well as working well in a team. Bias for action. ITAR REQUIREMENT: To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Position Overview

Wild West Systems is seeking a Director of International Growth & Capture to build and own the company's presence in allied and partner nation defense markets. This role spans the full arc of international business development - identifying markets, building government and industry relationships, navigating foreign military sales and direct commercial sale pathways, and driving pursuits to close.

The right candidate understands the complexity of international defense sales: ITAR, export licensing, FMS vs. DCS tradeoffs, in-country relationship dynamics, and the long runway required to build trust with foreign governments. You have done this before, you have the relationships to accelerate it, and you have the discipline to manage a long-cycle pipeline while generating near-term traction. Prior military or government service in a security cooperation, attaché, or advisory role is a significant differentiator.

Responsibilities

• Identify, qualify, and prioritize international market opportunities across allied and partner nations - with initial focus on Five Eyes, NATO, Middle East, and Indo-Pacific customers
• Build and manage a qualified international pipeline, owning opportunities from market entry through contract award
• Develop and maintain relationships with foreign government defense ministries, military end users, in-country industry partners, and U.S. embassy defense attaché offices
• Navigate FMS, DCS, and hybrid export pathways - coordinating with legal, compliance, and U.S. government stakeholders to advance export licensing and TAA/MLA execution
• Lead international capture activities including competitive assessments, teaming with in-country partners, price-to-win analysis, and proposal strategy
• Represent WWS at international defense exhibitions and government forums (DSEI, Eurosatory, IDEX, Indo Defence, etc.) and build WWS brand recognition in target markets
• Plan and execute international product demonstrations and capability assessments in coordination with in-country partners and government evaluators
• Coordinate closely with the Chief Strategy Officer and executive leadership to align international pipeline with company growth strategy
• Provide regular pipeline reporting, market assessments, and capture status to executive leadership

Required Skills and Experience

• 8+ years of international defense business development, security cooperation, or foreign military sales experience - with a demonstrated record of closing international defense contracts
• Direct experience navigating FMS and DCS processes, ITAR/EAR export licensing, and TAA/MLA execution for defense hardware
• Established relationships with defense ministry officials, military end users, or security cooperation stakeholders in two or more priority markets (Five Eyes, NATO, Middle East, Indo-Pacific)
• Proven ability to build and manage long-cycle international pipelines
• Deep understanding of how foreign governments evaluate, procure, and field defense systems - including the role of in-country partners and offset requirements
• S. Citizen required

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Prior U.S. military service in a security cooperation, foreign area officer, attaché, or advisory role - direct credibility with foreign military counterparts is a significant advantage
• Experience selling hardware-centric, novel defense systems to non-traditional or early-adopter allied customers
• Familiarity with counter-UAS, loitering munitions, small rockets, or autonomous systems markets internationally
• Experience working through or alongside DSCA, SATFA, or U.S. embassy country teams to advance foreign military sales
• Existing in-country partner relationships or teaming arrangements in priority markets
• Proficiency in a second language relevant to priority markets (Arabic, French, Hebrew, or Indo-Pacific languages) is a plus

Work Location

This role is remote-based with heavy international and domestic travel required (40–60%). Travel will include customer visits in target markets, international defense exhibitions, U.S. government coordination meetings, and visits to WWS facilities in Leander, TX. Candidates located near Washington D.C.; Austin, TX; or major international airports preferred.