Head of Defence Sales – Germany

About us

A unique opportunity to help build an entirely new category of aerospace capability.

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Dawn Aerospace is building a scalable and sustainable space transportation network with the ambition of making access to space as routine as aviation, connecting Earth and space economies through reliable, high-frequency operations.

Unlike many space companies still developing future concepts, Dawn Aerospace is delivering capability today. Our non-toxic, refuellable propulsion systems are already operating on more than 50 satellites in orbit, with over 200 Dawn thrusters deployed in space. Meanwhile, our rapidly reusable rocket-powered spaceplanes are achieving record-breaking flight milestones and creating new opportunities for defence, civil, and commercial space operations.

As Head of Defence Sales – Germany, you will play a pivotal role in establishing Dawn Aerospace as a strategic partner to Germany's defence, security and space sectors. This is far more than a sales role; it is an opportunity to build a new market, develop sovereign partnerships, influence national capability development, and help shape the future of German access to space.

Tasks

Dawn Aerospace builds reusable, high-cadence space transportation systems. Since 2021, we have delivered non-toxic, refuellable propulsion systems to customers globally, with hardware now operating on over 50 spacecraft. Concurrently, our rocket-powered spaceplanes are actively breaking aviation records and being delivered to government programs across the USA and Europe.

We have achieved these goals through a culture of relentless innovation and a drive to deliver results for our customers, while expanding the value we all get from space.

To support our expansion in Germany, we are establishing a presence in Dusseldorf or Bremen and are seeking a talented Head of Defence Sale in Germany to lead this strategic initiative. This is a unique opportunity to combine technical insight with strategic commercial leadership in one of the most exciting and fast-growing sectors of the space industry.

This role reports to the Chief Revenue Office, based in Delft, The Netherlands.

Profile

Key Responsibilities

Regional Business Development 

• Own the commercial rollout for Dawn in the Germany and be accountable for signed contract value, pipeline quality, and long-term market position. 
• Identify, qualify, and pursue opportunities across defence, government, commercial, and research sectors.
• Translate customer requirements into compelling technical and commercial proposals.
• Build senior relationships across government, defence primes, and research institutions.
• Lead complex, multi-stakeholder defence and aerospace sales campaigns.

Strategic Growth 

• Establish Dawn Aerospace as a trusted partner within Germany's defence, civil and research sectors.
• Develop strategic partnerships, operating locations and sovereign capability initiatives.
• Negotiate commercial and contractual agreements with support from legal and technical teams.
• Provide market intelligence to inform Dawn's global growth strategy. 

Requirements

• 10+ years' experience in business development, sales, or programme leadership within aerospace, defence, aviation, or deep-tech.
• Established network across organisations such as Rheinmetall, OHB, DEU SpCmd, BAAINBw and DLR.
• Proven success securing and managing complex government or defence programmes.
• Strong communication, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• Fluent German and English.
• Ability to operate independently and build a market from the ground up..

Preferred Skills 

• Experience working directly with customers in aerospace research, defense, or government space agencies. 
• Background working with primes, Tier-1 suppliers, or sovereign capability programmes. 
• A strong understanding of general aerospace principles such as flight mechanics, mission planning, and project lifecycles. 
• Familiarity with HubSpot, or similar CRM suite. 
• Ability and willingness to travel both domestically and internationally 
• Experience in leadership roles.

We offer

• A senior role establishing a new category of scalable and sustainable space transportation, focused on delivering solutions to empower German and European strength and resilience.
• A fast-paced, collaborative team environment with a shared vision for the future of space access. 
• This role offers a competitive executive compensation package, including participation in Dawn Aerospace’s equity incentive plan. xbzrezb This is a unique opportunity to join a high-growth space startup at an early stage and share in the creation of substantial long-term value, with equity structured to reflect the seniority, responsibility, and market-building impact of the role.

Heather Kinghorn