Head of Defense and National Security

About the Role

Echelon is seeking a Head of Defense and National Security to join its team in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This full-time role reports to the Chief Revenue Officer and involves a dual mandate: commercially opening the defense vertical by securing initial deals for partner software and concurrently building the thesis and business model for Echelon Defense Industries. The position requires regular travel within the Kingdom and internationally to engage with customers and partners.

Key Responsibilities

• Sell Partner Software: Establish relationships with defense and national security entities, identify their needs, and develop a qualified pipeline to secure initial deals for partner software, starting with Applied Intuition. Position partner software for specific defense use cases in collaboration with partners and deployment teams. Engage partners and advisors with clear briefs and translate agreements into tangible progress. Develop account plans for defense clients in conjunction with the CRO's team and deployment strategists.
• Build the Echelon Defense Industries Thesis: Maintain continuous intelligence on evolving defense technology shifts (*, autonomy, counter-drone, AI-enabled command and control). Define the applications Echelon Defense Industries will focus on, testing them against customer needs and partner roadmaps. Develop the business model beyond software, including IP strategy, manufacturing partnerships, economics, and a path to the first contract. Ensure compliance with defense procurement and export-control rules, working with Legal and Compliance. Recruit and develop the Echelon Defense Industries team as the business grows.

Qualifications and Experience

• Deep experience in defense and national security, ideally from both an end-user perspective (armed forces or government) and industry (defense technology company).
• Understanding of software applications in defense and the requirements for hardware development and manufacturing.
• Demonstrated commercial drive, including the ability to open doors, qualify opportunities, and close deals.
• Capacity to analyze defense technology trends and translate them into a testable thesis and business model.
• Proven ability to handle sensitive matters with discretion and judgment.
• Experience building a team, program, or business from inception to operational status.
• Ability to attract and develop talent.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with autonomous and uncrewed systems, AI-enabled command and control, or simulation.
• Familiarity with defense procurement, offsets, localization programs, and export-control regimes.
• Professional fluency in Arabic.
• Established relationships with defense authorities, armed forces, and the defense industry.

Company Values

• Customer-first approach, prioritizing work based on customer outcomes.
• Ownership mentality, taking responsibility for end-to-end outcomes and proactively addressing issues.
• Clear communication, explaining complex systems simply to diverse audiences.
• Comfort with ambiguity, making progress with incomplete information and solving unstructured problems.
• Long-term builder mindset, investing in Echelon's sustained success.
• Focus on developing others and building capabilities with customers.

Working Principles

Candidates should approach problems directly, demonstrate curiosity, and adapt to evolving environments. The role requires speed in moving from brief to results, rigor in testing claims and verifying deliverables, and a balance of confidence and humility. Autonomy in decision-making, resourcefulness in overcoming challenges, and situational leadership are essential. The ideal candidate will be a force multiplier for the team and possess AI-native depth, integrating AI tools into workflows and explaining their impact to defense customers. This role is suited for a defense insider with commercial instinct and an industrial mindset.