CoFounder Chief Defense Partnerships Officer (Co-Founder Position)

Location: Finland / Europe preferred

Stage: Pre-seed

Compensation: Founder equity / milestone-based equity, salary after funding

About Njordyx

Njordyx is building a sovereign, modular autonomy layer for defense and security drones.

We are not building another closed drone platform. We are building the autonomy module: secure onboard logic, resilient mission execution, integration flexibility, and deployment options that fit sovereign and allied procurement realities.

Our defense edition is designed for GPS-degraded and communications-limited missions where offline execution, hardened deployment, trusted supply chains, and interoperable integration matter more than consumer drone economics.

We are building for defense integrators, sovereign operators, border/security actors, and allied partner ecosystems that need trusted modular autonomy rather than another locked full-stack platform.

Why this role exists:

Njordyx is at pre-seed concept stage.

We are now looking for a business co-founder who can help open the right defense-access pathways early: investors, grants, integrators, sovereign buyers, pilot pathways, and program discussions.

This is not a generic sales role.

This is not a passive advisor title.

This is a founder-level execution role for someone who can help turn a strong defense-tech concept into real strategic momentum.

What you will own

• Defense fundraising and strategic capital outreach
• NATO-aligned and dual-use ecosystem access
• Defense integrator and sovereign operator pipeline
• Early pilot, evaluation, and program discussions
• Grant and non-dilutive funding pathways
• Strategic positioning for allied procurement relevance
• Partner and investor materials for defense-oriented conversations
• Support in company-building, market access, and go-to-market shaping

What strong candidates usually have

• Direct experience in defense, dual-use, aerospace, robotics, autonomy, or security technology
• Track record in strategic partnerships, defense business development, or startup fundraising
• Ability to open conversations with defense integrators, sovereign buyers, public-sector stakeholders, or allied partner channels
• Experience with long-cycle, trust-driven, procurement-heavy environments
• Strong understanding of how early defense-tech companies build credibility before full product maturity
• Ability to help shape a defense-facing investor narrative, grant narrative, and partnership strategy
• Comfortable working hands-on in a pre-product startup

Especially valuable

• Prior work with NATO-adjacent, MoD-adjacent, dual-use, or sovereign innovation ecosystems
• Experience with early program capture, pilot access, or capability validation pathways
• Existing network across Finland, Nordics, EU, or allied defense-tech circles
• Experience with grants, accelerator pathways, strategic public funding, or dual-use innovation channels
• Prior founder, first business hire, or senior BD role in a deep-tech or defense-tech company

What success looks like in the first 90 days

• Build a qualified target list of defense-relevant investors, grant paths, and ecosystem entry points
• Open meaningful conversations with defense integrators, sovereign operators, or allied partner channels
• Identify realistic pilot, evaluation, or program-access opportunities
• Improve Njordyx’s defense fundraising and partnership narrative
• Help position Njordyx as a credible Nordic / European autonomy layer for trusted defense deployment
• Create early momentum toward pilot pathways, funding pathways, and procurement relevance

Who this role is for

This role is for someone who wants to help build a defense-tech company from the ground up and earn meaningful upside through execution, access, and strategic momentum.

Who this role is not for

• Passive advisors
• Generic sales profiles with no defense or dual-use exposure
• Consultants seeking founder-level equity only for introductions
• People looking for a title without hands-on execution
• Candidates with no experience in trust-based, long-cycle, procurement-oriented environments