Chief Revenue Officer
Mandate
Own all business capture and revenue across defence programs and commercial product lines; build the U.S. and international BD network
About DEFSEC Technologies
DEFSEC Technologies Inc. (formerly KWESST Micro Systems, renamed June 2025) is an Ottawa-headquartered defence-technology company developing and commercializing next-generation tactical systems for military, security, and law enforcement customers. The Company is dual-listed on the TSX Venture Exchange and the Nasdaq Capital Market (DFSC).
DEFSEC's business spans two complementary engines. First, a long-term Canadian defence programs business under the DSEF (Directorate Land Command Systems Program Management Software Engineering Facility) contract and the Land C4ISR series — the latter delivered as a subcontractor to Thales Canada — supporting digital modernization of the Canadian Armed Forces. As of Q2 FY2026, the Company reported 43 resources staffed across these programs, with go-forward annualized program billings of approximately CAD $9.4M and a clear trajectory toward cash-flow-positive operations. Second, a product portfolio including ARWEN® (37mm less-lethal munitions and launchers with a deep installed base across North American law enforcement), PARA SHOT™ (next-generation less-lethal cartridge technology, including ARWEN-compatible training rounds), DEFSEC Lightning™ (TAK-enabled real-time situational awareness SaaS for first responders and military users), and BLISS™ (battlespace laser identification, delivered at present in prototype to customers for qualification).
The Company is at an inflection point: programmatic revenue is scaling against the backdrop of Canada's increase in sovereign defence spending (Canada’s Industrial strategy and long-term defence policy, CANSEC 2026 announcements, ITB Policy modernization, Strategic Partnership Framework), international interest in DEFSEC’s capabilities, and the commercial portfolio is moving from product introduction into commercial scale-up.
The Role
DEFSEC is hiring its first Chief Revenue Officer to own all business capture and revenue across the Company's defence programs and product portfolio in both the military and public safety sectors in Canada, U.S. and internationally. The CRO is a member of the executive leadership team and is accountable for both top-line growth and the discipline of how that growth is forecasted, reported, and delivered.
This is a roll-up-your-sleeves role at a growth-stage public company. The successful candidate is equally comfortable in a CANSEC sidebar conversation with a prime, on a customer demo of BLISS or Lightning, building a U.S. and international agent network from a blank sheet, or sitting with the CFO reconciling pipeline to forecast. The mandate is to scale revenue while building the BD organization that can sustain it.
Key Responsibilities
Executive leadership and strategic direction
- Sit on the executive leadership team and contribute to overall corporate strategy, capital allocation, and product roadmap prioritization alongside the CEO, CFO, COO, and CLO.
- Translate corporate strategy into a multi-year revenue plan across defence programs and commercial products, with clear quarterly milestones tied to capture, bookings, and revenue recognition.
- Represent the revenue function to stakeholders as required, including in support of the Company's TSXV and Nasdaq disclosure cadence.
Business capture and revenue ownership
- Own end-to-end capture for Canadian defence program revenue — including proposals, teaming, and pricing for DSEF, Land C4ISR (under Thales Canada), and future program opportunities aligned with Canada's sovereign defence build-out, U.S. opportunities and international expeditionary priorities.
- Own capture and proposal management for BLISS, working with the two external BD agencies (Canada and U.S.) and directly with prime contractors and end users.
- Own commercial BD for DEFSEC Lightning™ — driving SaaS adoption across police, fire, EMS, and military end users, and stewarding pilots through to paid deployments.
- Own commercial BD and customer success for ARWEN® and PARA SHOT™ — expanding the installed base, converting training-cartridge demand into recurring munition pull-through, and building a U.S. BD network to accelerate ARWEN product-line growth.
Team leadership and external BD agency management
- Lead the BD and CSR function — at hire, the team comprises a CSR for ARWEN, a consultant BD specialist for Lightning, a consultant BD specialist for ARWEN, and two external BD agencies for BLISS (one in Canada, one in the U.S.).
- Manage the two BLISS BD agencies as accountable principals — set objectives and KPIs, review pipeline weekly, approve pursue/no-pursue decisions, and renegotiate scope and economics as the program matures.
- Build the team out as growth requires — additional BD hires for ARWEN U.S. expansion and CSR coverage for the growing ARWEN and Lightning installed bases.
Strategic partnerships and prime relationships
- Maintain and expand relationships with existing Canadian defence industry partners on large programs (e.g., Thales Canada, joint-venture partners on DSEF) to drive incremental workshare and new program capture.
- Build new prime and integrator relationships in Canada, the U.S., the U.K., and allied markets aligned to ARWEN, Lightning, and BLISS opportunity sets.
- Position DEFSEC within Canada's evolving procurement landscape — including the Strategic Partnership Framework, ITB Policy modernization, and CAF digital modernization priorities — to convert policy tailwind into pipeline.
- Own DEFSEC's conference and trade-show footprint across the public safety and defence sectors — set the annual calendar (CANSEC, AUSA, IACP, Shot Show, Eurosatory, Milipol, and equivalent regional events), coordinate executive and product-team attendance, align booth presence and demonstrations with active capture pursuits, and ensure every dollar of conference spend ties back to qualified pipeline and named customer engagement.
U.S. and international market expansion
- Design and stand up the U.S. BD network for ARWEN — direct hires, manufacturer's reps, and channel partners — sized to convert the existing North American law enforcement installed base into accelerated munition and platform pull-through.
- Identify, qualify, contract, and oversee agents in strategically important international markets across both public safety (ARWEN, PARA SHOT, Lightning for first responders) and defence (Lightning, BLISS, defence services).
- Hold international agents to disciplined performance and regulatory compliance standards — territory plans, qualified pipeline, milestone-based commercials, and quarterly business reviews.
Reporting and cross-functional partnership
- Own all revenue and BD reporting — pipeline, weighted forecast, bookings, backlog, win/loss, and agency/agent performance — delivered on a cadence that supports both internal decision-making and public-company disclosure requirements.
- Partner with the CFO on revenue forecasting, deal economics, and the reconciliation of pipeline to recognized revenue and program billings.
- Partner with the COO on fulfillment and the preparation of bids and proposals — ensuring captured work is deliverable on the committed cost, schedule, and quality envelope, and that customer success activity on ARWEN and PARA SHOT is tightly coupled to operations. Work with operations team to produce profitable and executable bids.
- Partner with the CLO on contracting vehicle mechanisms and contract structures, ensuring optimized contract terms and limiting managed risk.
- Partner with the CEO and Investor Relations to ensure the revenue narrative the Company tells the market is anchored in the pipeline the CRO is running.
Must-Have
- QualificationsDemonstrated business capture experience in the Canadian defence sector — directly accountable for winning multi-year program work with the Canadian Armed Forces, DND, or as a tier-one subcontractor to a Canadian defence prime.
- A motivated, entrepreneurial mindset — comfortable operating at a growth-stage public company where the CRO is both architect and operator, and where the BD machine is being built while it is being run.
- Willingness and ability to roll up the sleeves — personally lead capture on key pursuits, write portions of major proposals, sit on customer calls, and travel to customers, partners, and trade events.
- Proven track record building and managing distributed BD organizations — direct hires, consultants, agencies, and international agents — against accountable performance standards.
- Eligibility for, or current holding of, a Government of Canada security clearance at the NATO Secret level (or higher).
- Fluency in the Canadian defence procurement ecosystem — primes, integrators, PSPC, DND program offices, ITB/ICBP, and the Strategic Partnership Framework.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience selling into U.S. DoD, federal law enforcement, or first-responder markets, and standing up U.S. channel/agent networks from Canada.
- Background spanning both defence services/program work and commercial defence or public-safety product sales — the dual-engine nature of DEFSEC's business.
- Exposure to less-lethal munitions, situational awareness / C4ISR, and/or counter-threat prod
- uct categories.Experience as a public-company executive (TSXV, TSX, or U.S. listings) including investor and Board interaction.
- Prior service as a uniformed member of the CAF, allied military, or law enforcement is an asset.
- Bilingual (English / French) is an asset for federal procurement engagement.
