Deployment Strategist
Foundry Robotics
ABOUT US Foundry Robotics is building an AI-native robotics manufacturing company focused on deploying advanced assembly and production capability for leading robotics companies and national-security-critical hardware. Basically, we're building robots that build robots. Our mission is to rebuild American manufacturing as an AI-first, assembly-focused, dual-use contract manufacturer that makes the industrial base scalable, resilient, and competitive again. THE ROLE We are hiring a Deployment Strategist to open, own, and grow our most important defense relationships. You will be the human face of Foundry inside the Department of War, the primes, and the neo-primes reshaping the industrial base. Our Deployment Strategists run the full lifecycle: prospecting, capture, close, deployment, and expansion. The relationship is yours from the first call to the next contract, whether the customer is a commander in the field or a defense executive. You will be handed a market, an intent, and the keys to our most senior customer relationships. Closing matters here. So does the judgment to know which accounts to chase, which to walk away from, and which deserve a full-court press. We are not looking for someone who needs a playbook or weekly direction. We are looking for someone who can walk onto a prime's production floor, into an SES briefing, a KO's office, a Captain's wardroom, or a congressional meeting and know what to do. You should be equally comfortable walking a plant floor, structuring a multi-million-dollar contract, briefing an Admiral, and partnering with PhD roboticists to translate field feedback into product priorities. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Revenue Ownership & Capture - Carry a number against defense accounts; own forecast accuracy and pipeline hygiene - Run the full capture lifecycle from identify to close, converting pilots into programs of record and single cells into full production lines - Set deal structures for pilots, deployments, and contract manufacturing relationships Account Strategy - Build account plans for the Department of War, defense primes (Lockheed, RTX, Northrop, GD, BAE, HII, L3Harris), and neo-primes (Anduril, SpaceX, Palantir, Shield AI, Saronic) - Decide where to invest, where to wait, and where to walk - Drive multi-stakeholder cycles end-to-end, from first conversation to signed contract Stakeholder Navigation - Build executive relationships across program managers, contracting officers, senior uniformed leaders, and prime executives - Drive demos and briefings that make the technology real for the people who sign the contract - Navigate the Hill and the Department when required Customer & Field Deployment - Own commercial outcomes through deployment, not just signature - Identify manufacturing pain points and assembly bottlenecks where Foundry creates asymmetric advantage - Partner with engineering to translate field feedback into product priorities - Develop reference accounts that become the foundation of expansion Travel: 50% across US customer sites, prime facilities, and DoW installations WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR Senior Defense Closer - 5+ years in defense capture, BD, or commercial / GTM roles with a track record of personally closing multi-million-dollar deals - Proven ability to land and expand within DoW program offices, primes, and neo-primes - Deep working knowledge of how DoW programs are funded and contracted, and the difference between a prime and a neo-prime Hardware DNA - Background selling physical hardware into industrial or defense environments: robotics, automation, weapon systems, sensors, or similar - Direct production exposure: manufacturing, sustainment, depot operations, or weapon system production - Understands the difference between selling software and selling systems that have to work on a factory floor Operator Mentality - Operates on intent: takes a one-line objective and returns with a plan, a customer, and a path to revenue - Full commercial accountability: pipeline,