Director, Business Development (japan)

Director, Business Development (Japan)

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century's most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril's family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.

About The Team

The Business Development (BD) team at Anduril identifies, shapes, captures, and grows new opportunities. The team seeks to deeply understand user problems, how current solutions fail to solve them, and how Anduril capabilities and products can address these gaps to deliver more effective mission outcomes. BD is the bridge between customers and the broader Anduril team - we convey customer perspectives internally while serving as an ambassador for Anduril externally. We have ambitious objectives, but create actionable pathways and take calculated risks to achieve them, while measuring progress against clear interim milestones. We are intellectually curious about technology, mission problems, and our customers, to include their organizational dynamics and acquisition processes. We partner with Anduril's Business Lines to ensure our products exceed customer expectations and mission demands, and continuously improve to adapt to ever-changing operating environments.

About The Job

Anduril Japan seeks a Business Development Director to support the expansion of our defense capabilities. This role is critical to Anduril's growth in Japan. As BD Director, you will partner with the Head of Anduril Japan to drive on-the-ground customer engagement. You will possess a comprehensive understanding of, and ability to engage with, Japanese government ministries, Self-Defense Forces, the Diet, and other relevant government entities. This includes a detailed understanding of Japanese government procurement and budget cycles, trading company roles, and domestic industry dynamics. Intimately familiar with Japanese Security and Defense policy doctrine – including the National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy, and Defense Buildup Program – your analytical thinking and technological awareness will identify gaps and opportunities to enhance Japan's security and defense with Anduril products. Using strong, bilingual communication skills (English and Japanese), you will work closely with customers at all levels to effectively advance Anduril opportunities through the procurement cycle.

What You'll Do

Drive Growth & New Business: Support Anduril's Global Defense organization and country team in developing, adapting, and executing our growth strategy in Japan. Identify, generate, and capture new business opportunities by deeply understanding Japan's security and defense requirements, technical roadmaps, and competitive landscape. Inform capture strategies, revenue forecasts, and product development.

Expand Existing Business: Partner with our Mission Operations teams, which executes existing contracts, to grow business with current customers and explore new opportunities. Build deep, trusted relationships with customers and B2B partners to enhance resilience and performance.

Strategic Communication & Product Advocacy: Leverage technical product understanding to translate customer needs to internal teams, craft compelling presentations and proposals, manage critical external events, and provide clear internal communications to inform strategic decision-making.

Champion Anduril's Value: Represent Anduril to customers, partners, and the public, embodying our ethos and effectively communicating our innovative approach to next-generation defense technology and competitive advantages.

Required Qualifications

• Ability to travel up to 50%
• Professional fluency in English and Japanese
• Familiarity with Japanese culture
• Experience working with the Japanese Ministry of Defense or other Japanese government ministries
• Robust knowledge of Japan's government procurement processes and U.S. Foreign Military Sales and Direct Commercial Sales processes
• Ability to create and maintain professional relationships with senior level Japanese customers and partners
• At least 10-years' experience working with Japanese government and industry
• Must be able to work effectively as part of an integrated, international team
• Authorization to work and reside in Japan
• "On site" candidates only

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with complex systems involving hardware and software
• Technical acumen and deep familiarity with AI and autonomous systems
• Extensive experience working with the Japanese Coast Guard and/or Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry
• Experience managing technical government projects
• Ability to obtain and hold a local government security clearance