The Opportunity: Business Development Director (USA)

Location: United States — Remote

Reports to: Executive Leadership

Company Overview

Our client is a rapidly growing, venture-backed defense technology company developing advanced solutions for U.S. national security and government customers.

Operating at the intersection of emerging technology and mission-critical maritime defense applications, the company partners with government agencies, military organizations, and industry stakeholders to address complex operational challenges. The business is entering a significant growth phase and is expanding its presence across key defense programs and strategic customer accounts. The culture is entrepreneurial, mission-driven, and highly collaborative. This is an opportunity to help shape the company’s growth strategy, influence product direction, and deliver meaningful impact to national security customers.

Position Overview

The Business Development Director will lead the identification, development, capture, and closing of strategic opportunities across the Department of Defense and broader federal market. This is a role for a proven closer—not simply someone who opens doors or manages partnerships. The successful candidate will own the full lifecycle of the deal, from initial customer engagement and strategic positioning through capture, proposal development, negotiation, and contract award. The role requires the startup hustle to build processes where they do not yet exist, paired with the defense-sector polish required to navigate complex stakeholders and secure high-value federal contracts. This individual will work closely with Executive Leadership, Product, Engineering, and Operations to translate customer requirements into actionable growth and product strategies.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify, qualify, capture, and close strategic opportunities across the DoD and federal government
• Own the end-to-end business development lifecycle, from early customer engagement through contract award
• Develop and execute account and market-entry strategies aligned with company growth objectives
• Build trusted relationships with military stakeholders, acquisition organizations, government customers, prime contractors, and industry partners
• Lead opportunity-shaping efforts, including customer engagement, teaming strategies, competitive assessments, and win-strategy development
• Build strategic partnerships that lead directly to revenue and mission impact
• Coordinate with Product, Engineering, Operations, and Executive teams to align customer requirements with company capabilities
• Translate government and operational requirements into actionable feedback for internal product and technical teams
• Support proposal development, pricing strategy, negotiations, and pursuit execution
• Maintain disciplined pipeline management, opportunity tracking, and forecasting
• Represent the company at customer meetings, demonstrations, conferences, exercises, and industry events
• Monitor emerging defense priorities, funding opportunities, acquisition pathways, and competitive activity

Qualifications

The ideal candidate is a commercially driven defense business development leader with a documented history of securing complex government contracts.

Strong candidates will combine strategic thinking with hands-on execution. They will know how to shape opportunities early, navigate the federal acquisition environment, build trusted customer relationships, and drive pursuits through final award. Direct experience in a startup or high-growth environment is essential. This individual must be comfortable operating with limited infrastructure, creating processes from the ground up, and moving quickly in an evolving organization.

Required Qualifications

• 2+ years of Federal Sales experience, with significant focus on the defense and government markets (Navy / Maritime)
• Documented success closing complex contracts with DoD or federal customers
• Experience owning the full business development and capture lifecycle
• Direct experience working within a startup or high-growth environment
• Strong understanding of federal acquisition processes, stakeholders, and contracting pathways
• Demonstrated ability to engage effectively with technical, operational, acquisition, and executive audiences
• Strong communication, presentation, negotiation, and strategic-planning skills
• Must be based in the United States

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in shipbuilding, naval systems, autonomous maritime platforms, or maritime defense
• Previous experience with a venture-backed, high-growth defense technology company
• Director-level or senior individual-contributor experience owning capture, strategic partnerships, and new business wins
• Existing relationships across the DoD, federal government, maritime community, or defense industrial base
• Familiarity with OTAs, SBIRs, RFIs, RFPs, and other defense acquisition pathways
• Experience collaborating with engineering and product teams to shape customer-driven solutions
• A history of sustained tenure, increasing responsibility, and building within organizations

Work Environment & Travel

This is a flexible/hybrid position requiring regular engagement with customers, partners, and internal stakeholders. Travel will be required to support customer meetings, demonstrations, conferences, and business development activities.

Compensation: Low-$200K's base w/ OTE $400K + equity