Business Development & Capture Manager - Help Frontier Tech Founders Win the Contracts That Define Them

Remote | United States

Opportunity Summary

Approach Venture is hiring a Business Development & Capture Manager to help some of the most ambitious space, defense, and deep tech startups in the country turn breakthrough technology into funded programs. Instead of spending years on a single bid inside a large prime, you will run several captures at once for venture-backed founders building autonomy, propulsion, spacecraft, advanced manufacturing, energy, and communications systems. You will find the right opportunities, shape the strategy, lead the proposals, and watch the results land as awards that change a company's trajectory.

This is a high-ownership seat on a small team. You will work directly with CEOs, CTOs, and lead engineers, have a voice in go/no-go decisions, and see your impact quickly. Base salary is paired with commission and a performance bonus, so the business you help win shows up in your pay.

About Us

Approach Venture is a frontier technology consulting firm that partners with aerospace, defense, and deep tech startups across business development, capture and proposals, fundraising, recruiting, and technology scouting. Our clients range from seed-stage teams preparing their first SBIR to growth-stage companies pursuing production contracts and strategic partnerships. We work alongside founders as an extension of their team, helping them navigate government funding pathways, build relationships with customers and partners, and hire the engineers who make it all happen.

Job Duties

• Lead captures end to end for a portfolio of startup clients, from opportunity discovery and qualification through submission, negotiation support, and award
• Track solicitations and funding vehicles across DoW, NASA, DOE, and other agencies, and bring founders a prioritized pipeline matched to their technology and growth plans
• Build capture plans with win themes, discriminators, customer and competitor analysis, and teaming strategy
• Write, edit, and manage proposals across technical, management, and cost volumes, keeping every submission compliant, persuasive, and on time
• Translate dense engineering work into clear narratives that evaluators, program managers, and investors can quickly understand
• Run proposal schedules, compliance matrices, color team reviews, and version control across several concurrent bids
• Prepare supporting documents such as teaming agreements, letters of support, customer memos, white papers, and CRADA packages
• Partner with client teams on pricing approach, milestone structure, and budget justification
• Engage end users, program offices, and prime contractors where appropriate to strengthen positioning before the solicitation drops
• Develop relationships with founders, investors, and ecosystem partners that open new engagements for Approach Venture
• Hold debriefs after every submission and turn the lessons into sharper templates, playbooks, and reusable content
• Support investor decks and growth strategy materials when a client's fundraising and contracting plans overlap

Qualifications

• 5+ years in business development, capture management, or proposal leadership tied to aerospace, defense, or government technology programs
• Track record of winning awards across vehicles such as SBIR/STTR, OTAs, CSOs, BAAs, CRADAs, and RFPs
• Working knowledge of federal acquisition, solicitation structure, and how proposals are evaluated and scored
• Exceptional writing skills and the ability to turn technical detail into a compelling, compliant story
• Comfort managing multiple clients and deadlines at once without losing quality
• Ability to move between strategy (capture planning, positioning) and hands-on execution (writing, editing, formatting)
• Experience working with startups, small businesses, or venture-backed teams
• Strong command of Word, PowerPoint, and Excel
• Self-directed and effective on a fully remote, distributed team

Preferred Experience

• Engineering, physics, or other technical degree, or a hands-on technical background
• Proposal or program experience in autonomy, propulsion, space systems, energy, or advanced manufacturing
• Familiarity with defense innovation organizations and dual-use funding programs such as DIU, AFWERX, SpaceWERX, NavalX, and Army xTech
• An existing network across program offices, primes, or the venture community
• Experience with pricing, cost volumes, or contract negotiation
• Background on a startup founding team or in a small, technical consulting firm

Why Join Us

• Variety you will not find anywhere else: multiple startups, multiple technologies, and multiple captures in motion at any time
• Direct access to founders and a real role in shaping strategy, not just formatting documents
• Visible wins: your proposals fund prototypes, flight tests, and the next stage of a company's growth
• Meaningful upside through commission and a performance bonus on top of base salary
• 100% remote, with flexibility and ownership over how you work
• Quarterly team events and biannual team offsites
• Small, fast-moving team where good ideas get adopted quickly
• Room to grow as the firm expands its capture and business development practice
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits, plus a 401(k) plan
• Unlimited PTO and 11 paid holidays

Compensation Details

$110,000 - $150,000 base + commission + performance bonus