Director Business Development

Role: Director of Business Development – Defense & UAS

Industry: Defense Manufacturing

Location: Remote – United States

Estimated 30% travel as needed

Must be a U.S. citizen

Salary Range: $160,000 – $200,000 Base + Target Bonus

Overview:

Our client is expanding its U.S. business development organization and is hiring a Director of Business Development to become an anchor leader in key defense markets for Army / SOCOM (U.S. Army and Special Operations Command). These are hands-on business development roles for experienced defense professionals who can operate independently, develop trusted customer and industry relationships, identify emerging requirements, personally pursue opportunities, shape growth strategy, and ultimately help build a team around the market they own.

Requirements:

• 5+ years of experience with sales/business development with the Department of Defense customer environment and how opportunities move from emerging need to acquisition.
• Meaningful experience within the U.S. Army and/or SOCOM customer environment, aligned to the market the candidate will own.
• Must have experience with UAS, drones, autonomous systems, unmanned systems, or related defense technologies.
• Experience developing trusted relationships with military, government, acquisition, program, and/or defense-industry stakeholders.
• Ability to translate customer knowledge, market insight, emerging requirements, and relationships into focused business opportunities.
• Ability to operate credibly with senior military, government, and industry stakeholders.
• Hands-on, entrepreneurial leadership style with the ability to execute personally rather than rely on a large support organization.
• Ability to operate independently while remaining closely aligned with the broader business development organization.
• Defense industry business development experience is highly valuable.
• Experience working for an OEM selling into the defense market is highly desirable
• Existing Navy/Marine Corps, Army, or SOCOM relationships are highly valuable, depending on the assigned market.
• For the Maritime role, experience with Navy/Marine Corps programs, acquisitions, operations, requirements, maritime platforms, or business-to-business defense partnerships is especially valuable.
• For the Army / SOCOM role, Army acquisition/program experience, Special Operations customer experience, or experience supporting government requirements and technology-development organizations is especially valuable.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own business development strategy for an assigned major defense customer segment: Maritime (Navy/Marine Corps) or Army / SOCOM.
• Identify the strongest near- and long-term opportunities and determine where the company should invest time and resources.
• Understand customer priorities, operational needs, acquisition activity, emerging requirements, and where the company’s capabilities best fit.
• Develop and maintain trusted relationships throughout the assigned military, government, acquisition, program, and industry community.
• Personally move business opportunities from early identification through pursuit and toward orders, remaining engaged throughout the process.
• Identify critical customer stakeholders and develop relationships before formal opportunities emerge.
• Determine where the company should pursue independently and where strategic partnerships provide a stronger path to the customer.
• Develop and grow strategic relationships with defense primes, technology companies, platform manufacturers, integrators, and other industry partners.
• Connect customers, partners, requirements, programs, and opportunities to create a focused and executable market-growth strategy.
• Operate effectively within a lean organization where leaders are expected to execute directly, create structure, and make progress without extensive infrastructure.