Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.  Job Description: Aechelon is seeking a Simulation Specialist to help drive growth of the Aechelon simulation portfolio across the AMER defense, aviation, and synthetic training markets. This role serves as a specialist seller and business development resource within the Go-To-Market team, partnering with sales leaders, account owners, program leadership, product, and technical teams to identify, qualify, shape, and advance simulation opportunities with U.S.-based customers, primes, simulator OEMs, integrators, and partners.  The Simulation Specialist combines simulation and training market knowledge, visual systems and geospatial awareness, and disciplined commercial execution. The role requires a customer-facing professional who can translate Aechelon capabilities into mission-relevant value, support complex pursuits, and help build a credible pipeline while maintaining accurate forecasts and strong internal alignment.  Why this role matters: Simulation is a key growth lever for Aechelon and Shield AI. Customers rely on high-fidelity simulation, visual systems, terrain databases, sensor simulation, and mission rehearsal tools to improve readiness and mission outcomes. This position provides dedicated specialist sales and business development support to accelerate Aechelon simulation growth across accounts and programs. What you'll do: • Serve as the specialist business development resource for the Aechelon simulation portfolio across assigned accounts and priority pursuits. • Partner with sales leaders, account owners, business development, program management, product, marketing, contracts, and technical teams to identify, qualify, and advance simulation opportunities. • Support achievement of annual sales goals by helping develop new customers, partners, and opportunities aligned with current and planned product offerings. • Maintain visibility into a two-year sales forecast and opportunity funnel, including named programs, estimated value, budget timing, customer stakeholders, procurement path, technical fit, competition, risks, and next steps. • Actively pursue new customers and partners outside Aechelon's traditional customer base while supporting existing customer relationships. • Participate in customer meetings, capability discussions, demonstrations, trade events, and follow-up actions to progress opportunities. • Articulate Aechelon's simulation value proposition in a clear, mission-relevant, and customer-oriented manner. • Help connect customer requirements to product capabilities and coordinate technical support for demonstrations, solution definition, and pursuit shaping. • Manage or support preparation of customer-facing materials, presentations, proposals, quotations, white papers, and competitive positioning. • Provide regular opportunity updates and reports to senior management, including pipeline status, forecast changes, customer engagement activity, and support needs. • Contribute market, customer, and competitive insight to improve messaging, campaign focus, product positioning, and win probability. • Drive disciplined follow-up across active opportunities and ensure internal stakeholders are aligned on priorities, owners, schedules, and customer commitments. • Exercise sound commercial judgment, protect Aechelon from poorly scoped commitments, and avoid overpromising on technical, schedule, or contractual matters. Customer and partner engagement: • Build trusted working relationships with U.S.-based defense, government, aviation, simulation, prime contractor, OEM, and integrator stakeholders. • Support account strategy and opportunity planning for assigned customers and pursuits. • Represent Aechelon professionally in customer briefings, industry events, demonstrations, and partner discussions. • Understand customer budgets, constraints, operational needs, and training objectives in order to focus the team on value-added opportunities. Cross-functional alignment: • Partner closely with GTM, Product, Marketing, Programs, Contracts, Finance, Engineering, and Operations to support simulation growth initiatives. • Translate field feedback into actionable input for messaging, enablement, product positioning, demos, and campaign planning. • Support operating cadence, forecast reviews, opportunity reviews, and pursuit coordination as needed. • Ensure customer engagement plans, demonstration requests, proposal support, and internal actions are clearly communicated and tracked. What success looks like (1st year): • Develops strong fluency in Aechelon's simulation, geospatial, visual, sensor, and defense training value proposition. • Builds a prioritized AMER territory and account plan covering target customers, primes, OEMs, integrators, programs, partners, and near-term opportunities. • Creates and maintains a qualified pipeline with realistic opportunity values, budget timing, customer stakeholders, incumbent competitors, procurement paths, technical fit, and next steps. • Improves Aechelon visibility through customer engagement, events, demonstrations, partner discussions, and professional follow-up. • Advances multiple opportunities into active customer evaluation, demonstration, RFI, RFP, proposal, quotation, capture, or teaming stages. • Provides strong specialist support to sales and business development teams for Aechelon-related customer discussions, positioning, and pursuits. • Clearly connects simulation capabilities to training, rehearsal, readiness, mission outcomes, and customer value. • Maintains disciplined forecasts, timely CRM or reporting updates, and clear internal coordination across active pursuits. Required qualifications: • 5+ years of experience in simulation, sales, business development, capture support, account management, overlay sales, or related customer-facing roles. • Experience supporting or driving complex technology sales in enterprise, government, defense, aerospace, simulation, training, or mission-systems environments. • Demonstrated ability to identify and qualify new business opportunities, manage key accounts or pursuits, and contribute to sales targets. • Strong communication, presentation, public speaking, active listening, and interpersonal skills. • Commercial acumen and ability to position technical solutions in terms of customer value, mission relevance, and operational outcomes. • Strong analytical, problem-solving, negotiation, organizational, and follow-through skills. • Ability to work cross-functionally, influence stakeholders, and manage multiple active opportunities and customer needs. • Familiarity with Microsoft Office tools, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Project or equivalent planning tools. • Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, aviation, defense, a technical field, or equivalent practical experience preferred. • Prefer software engineering experience related to training simulation. • Must be eligible to work in the United States and meet company, customer, and program access requirements as applicable. • Ability to comply with applicable export-control, security, confidentiality, and customer-site requirements. Preferred qualifications: • Experience in simulation and training, visual systems, geospatial databases, mission rehearsal, sensor simulation, autonomy, aerospace, or defense technology. • Experience building relationships with partners, contractors, end users,…