Aquila is building the world's first wireless energy network powered by light. And we're looking for our founding Business Development Lead. Come work with us!
Location: Sydney, Canberra or remote US. Talk to us about what will work for you.
Aquila is building the future of energy, and it's made of light.
We're a fast-growing deep tech company based in Sydney on a mission to democratise energy accessibility. How? By building the world's first wireless energy network powered by light. Think of the internet, but instead of data, we're transmitting power. Our first frontier: laser beams that keep drones flying indefinitely and factory robots charging without ever stopping.
We're backed by world-class investors who believe in what we're building, with over $10 million (AUD) in funding from Blackbird, Possible, Icehouse, Startmate and the Australian Government. 2026 is shaping up to be our biggest year yet as we commercialise our technology and raise our Series A. If you're reading this, your timing is impeccable.
We're a team of builders, engineers and dreamers solving problems no one has solved before. Everything we do is guided by five core values:
Move at lightspeed: We test, iterate and ship fast. Speed is a feature.
Physics over precedent: The only limits we accept are the laws of physics.
Design THE network: We're here to build the largest energy infrastructure the world has ever seen.
Care deeply, own fully: We operate with a founder mindset where every person drives real business outcomes with empathy and accountability.
Laser set to max: We take calculated risks to push the frontier forward, because playing it safe won't change the world.
At Aquila, we shape roles around exceptional people. If the mission excites you but you don't tick every box below, apply anyway. We'd love to hear from you.
The role
As our first and only (for now!) Business Development Lead at Aquila, you will be responsible for unlocking and securing the partnerships that allow us to deploy at scale. Aquila is building an infinitely scalable energy network - and that means working with the most sophisticated and risk-sensitive customers in the country. Defence. Federal agencies. Grid operators. Infrastructure bodies. You will be the person who makes sure they feel they are in exceptionally safe hands.
Your mission is simple: Turn world-class technology into billion dollar government partnerships.
Your work will span three core areas:
Own and build our B2G engine. You will design and execute Aquila's government and defence growth strategy from the ground up. This means:
* Identifying and qualifying large-scale defence opportunities at the federal and international level
* Navigating complex procurement environments
* Managing long-cycle enterprise sales processes
* Positioning Aquila as credible, reliable and technically exceptional
* Structuring and negotiating high-value contracts
You will speak fluently about energy systems, infrastructure, resilience, and grid dynamics - translating deep technical capability into outcomes that matter to government: security, sovereignty, reliability, scale. You will build and maintain relationships across bodies such as the Department of Climate Change, ARENA, AEMO in Australia or DARPA/Defence Innovation Unit in the US. You will understand how to work within the bound of grant and tender processes and how to win within them.
Make government feel safe. Government and defence partners need trust more than pitch decks. You will become the face of Aquila in high-stakes environments.
* Build long-term relationships across senior stakeholders, proactively sharing Aquila's safety strategy and related technology to build high levels of trust
* Lead grant writing and structured submissions
Build partnerships that shape the future
Beyond pure sales, this role is about positioning. You will:
* Develop infrastructure and energy ecosystem partnerships
* Explore pilot deployments with defence or critical infrastructure bodies
* Identify co-funding and grant pathways
* Advise leadership on regulatory and geopolitical considerations
* Help shape our roadmap based on real institutional demand, helping us determine where we deploy first, and why.
Who we're looking for
We are looking for someone who can operate in defence and infrastructure environments—while moving at startup speed.
A high-performing defence or government operator who wants to build rather than sit inside bureaucracy.
A consultant with deep defence or infrastructure exposure.
A B2G leader from energy or critical infrastructure.
A government relations specialist who understands commercial outcomes.
What matters most:
Strong experience navigating government procurement or defence environments.
Ability to accelerate past slow government processes and think outside the box.
Ability to speak energy and infrastructure comprehensively.
Deep comfort with long sales cycles and complex stakeholder mapping.
Experience working on $10M+ (ideally $50M+) contract environments.
Strong written capability (grants, tenders, submissions, funding).
High agency and bias toward action.
Energy industry experience (generation, grid, resilience, infrastructure) would be a huge plus.
Understanding of regulatory or compliance-heavy environments.
Responsibilities
Current state
Build and own Aquila's B2G pipeline.
Close and manage $50M+ government contracts.
Identify, qualify and progress defence and government contracts.
Develop relationships across relevant federal and state bodies.
Lead tender responses and grant applications.
Shape pricing and commercial structures in partnership with leadership.
Represent Aquila in strategic forums and stakeholder meetings.
Maintain disciplined pipeline forecasting and reporting.
Future state
Establish new, B2G opportunities across the world—launching Aquila in 5x international markets by 2029.
Build from scratch Aquila's B2B pipeline and strategic go-to-market in Australia in 2028.
Establish Aquila as a trusted partner across defence and infrastructure.
Influence product and deployment strategy based on institutional demand.
Everyone is an owner. In addition to excellent base compensation, every 'eagle' owns equity in the company, so we all benefit from our hard work and future success.
Generous paid parental leave: we offer eight weeks of parental leave above the government-allocated amount.
Relocation budget & support: support for interstate or overseas team members and their families (including pets!).
Flexible working hours and location: While we often enjoy shooting lasers around in our fully decked-out laser facilities, if there are days when we can work from anywhere, then we feel free to work from anywhere!
Generous Personal Leave: At Aquila, we recognise that sometimes you need time off to recuperate, look after your mental health, or deal with an emergency. We provide unlimited (within reason) personal leave to empower you to bring your best self to work every day, and you are always paid for days taken off as personal leave.
We care about our people: At Aquila, we don't focus on what our people can do for us; we focus on what we can do for our people. As part of our commitment to our people, we provide an annual $1k budget for side projects, health, gizmos and gadgets you want to develop, skills you want to learn, and ways you want to grow outside work.
Company-wide social events: offsite hiking and/or skiing through beautiful Australian landscapes, annual end-of-year celebrations, and much more!
Great, decked-out office! An inclusive community and culture in a welcoming office with lasers, cutting-edge hardware, snacks, and actual tech you can go tinker with (within the bounds of safety).
If you're a budding world-class mind, hungry to make a massive impact, we want to hear from you! Aquila welcomes applicants from all backgrounds and has around 40% female representation on our team (which for deep tech is better than most!). Join our team and help us build an infinitely scalable energy network that powers a more abundant, limitless, and sustainable future.
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