Mission Systems & Onboard Compute
A major focus of this role will be helping customers understand how modern onboard compute architectures can change the way mission capabilities are delivered to aircraft and other aerospace platforms.
The Account Executive should understand concepts such as Open Mission Systems and other modular mission-computing approaches that separate mission applications from tightly coupled platform software.
These architectures can enable mission owners to deploy new applications, algorithms, data-processing capabilities, autonomy, sensor integrations, or mission workflows onto existing platforms without requiring a complete redesign of the underlying aircraft or mission system.
The Account Executive will work with technical teams to identify where Defense Unicorns can support:
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Packaging and deploying mission applications onto onboard compute modules.
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Establishing repeatable and secure software deployment patterns across heterogeneous aerospace platforms.
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Managing software across ground, test, integration, and operational environments.
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Enabling mission owners to rapidly introduce new capabilities while maintaining appropriate platform and security boundaries.
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Reducing the engineering burden associated with porting software independently to every aircraft or mission system.
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Creating a consistent software delivery layer across multiple platforms, compute architectures, and security environments.
Digital Engineering, Model & Simulation
The Account Executive should understand the growing role of digital engineering across aerospace programs.
This includes familiarity with how modeling and simulation, digital twins, hardware-in-the-loop environments, software-in-the-loop environments, integration laboratories, and digital engineering ecosystems contribute to the development and sustainment of aerospace platforms.
The role will identify opportunities where software infrastructure can help connect these environments and create more consistent workflows from development through integration and operational deployment.
The Account Executive should be able to engage customers around questions such as:
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How can software move consistently from a developer environment into model and simulation, integration labs, flight test, and operational systems?
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How can programs reduce differences between engineering, testing, and operational environments?
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How can digital twins and simulated environments support faster development and validation of mission software?
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How can software artifacts be securely promoted between security boundaries and isolated environments?
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How can programs create repeatable DevSecOps pipelines while operating across disconnected or highly controlled networks?
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How can capabilities validated in a digital engineering environment be more easily transitioned onto operational platforms?
DevSecOps & Software Delivery
The Account Executive should be familiar with modern DevSecOps practices and how they apply within aerospace programs.
This includes understanding the challenges of delivering software into environments where traditional enterprise cloud patterns may not apply, including classified networks, disconnected systems, onboard compute, integration laboratories, embedded environments, and aircraft or spacecraft operating at the tactical edge.
The role does not require the Account Executive to be the technical architect, but they must have enough technical fluency to recognize where software delivery, containerization, orchestration, artifact management, security, and automation can materially change the economics and speed of a program.
Working in SAP/SAR & Isolated Environments
Many aerospace programs require development and integration efforts to operate inside highly restricted or isolated environments.
The Account Executive should understand the business and engineering implications of Special Access Programs, Special Access Required environments, classified networks, air-gapped systems, and other restricted development environments.
They should recognize the operational impact when each program or platform requires its own isolated software factory, integration workflow, tooling stack, or engineering team.
A key part of the role will be identifying opportunities to create reusable patterns, software components, deployment approaches, and architectures that allow customers to maintain required isolation while reducing unnecessary duplication across programs.
Partnership With Solutions Architecture
The Account Executive will operate in close partnership with a Solutions Architect.
The Account Executive owns the business and account strategy, including:
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Identifying strategic programs and customers.
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Developing executive and program-level relationships.
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Understanding acquisition and funding pathways.
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Building the opportunity and competitive strategy.
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Navigating partner and prime relationships.
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Driving commercial negotiations and closing business.
The Solutions Architect owns the technical architecture, including:
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Understanding platform and mission-system architectures.
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Mapping software and data flows.
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Evaluating onboard compute environments.
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Designing deployment approaches.
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Working through disconnected and classified architectures.
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Developing demonstrations, prototypes, and reference architectures.
Together, the AE and SA should be capable of engaging with a customer at the platform architecture level and helping them develop both the technical and programmatic path toward a more modular, software-defined aerospace system.
A successful Account Executive in this role will establish Defense Unicorns as a strategic partner to organizations building and modernizing aerospace platforms.
They will understand that the opportunity is not simply to sell software into an aircraft program.
The opportunity is to help customers fundamentally change how mission software is developed and delivered across fleets of aircraft, spacecraft, test environments, and mission systems.
They will be able to identify situations where each platform currently requires unique engineering and help customers envision architectures where common software infrastructure, modular compute, digital engineering, and DevSecOps allow capabilities to move across platforms more rapidly.
Over time, the Account Executive should help customers transition from thinking about software as a tightly integrated component of an individual aircraft to thinking about software as a continuously evolving mission capability that can be securely deployed across a portfolio of platforms.