Director of Business Development – Defense Programs
Location: Remote (US-based) with regular travel to Las Vegas and Michigan
Travel: ~25–35% (customer meetings, industry days, trade shows, on‑site collaboration)
Reports to: CEO
Works closely with: Director of Engineering, Engineering Team
About the Company
We are a growing advanced materials technology company with a strong IP foundation and proven manufacturing capabilities. Our near‑term focus is supporting defense and aerospace programs — including applications in hypersonics, armor, braking systems, and energy storage — while building a platform that can expand into additional industries over time.
We work directly with the U.S. Department of Defense, DoD prime contractors, and OEM partners. In parallel, our technology enables solutions for industrial and commercial markets that have historically been constrained by cost, lead time, or supply chain limitations.
Our strategy is to scale first where performance, speed, and domestic supply chains matter most, while maintaining flexibility to pursue adjacent markets as opportunities mature.
Our Technology
We specialize in rapid manufacturing of advanced materials that traditionally require weeks to months to produce — delivering finished materials in less than a day, at a fraction of the traditional cost.
Our current capabilities include:
- Ultra‑high‑temperature ceramics (UHTCs) such as carbides, borides, and oxides
- Carbon–carbon composites, produced in one day instead of traditional multi‑month processes
- Carbon fiber–reinforced ceramics
- Advanced battery materials, including synthetic graphite for energy storage applications
Using a proprietary spark plasma sintering (SPS)–based process, we achieve:
- Extremely rapid densification and production cycles
- High material densities with controlled and customizable material properties
- Improved material performance compared to conventional manufacturing approaches
These capabilities enable:
- Resilient, domestic supply chains
- Made‑in‑USA production using domestically sourced materials
- Order‑of‑magnitude reductions in cost and lead time
- High‑performance materials accessible to applications that previously could not justify them
While these technologies are currently deployed across defense, aerospace, and energy applications, the underlying platform is extensible and applicable across a wide range of industries.
The Role
We are hiring a Director of Business Development to own and drive growth with an initial focus on DoD programs as a prime contractor, while helping shape a longer‑term strategy for OEM and prime‑to‑prime partnerships.
This is a senior role accountable for winning funded programs, shaping opportunities early, and converting technical capability into revenue‑generating contracts. Defense is the priority today; OEM and partner sales are a secondary growth vector that will scale as the business matures.
This is not a pure sales role and not a proposal‑writing factory job. Success will be measured by contract awards, pipeline quality, and strategic positioning — not proposal volume.
Key Responsibilities
Defense Capture & Growth (Primary Focus)
- Own end‑to‑end capture for DoD opportunities as a prime contractor
- Pursue opportunities across SBIR/STTR (Phase I–III), OTAs, DPA Title III, IBAS/ICAM, and select FAR‑based programs
- Lead bid/no‑bid decisions in coordination with leadership and engineering
- Engage customers early to shape opportunities prior to solicitation release
Proposal Leadership
- Define win strategies, themes, and technical positioning
- Translate engineering capabilities into compelling, compliant proposals
- Coordinate engineering inputs while protecting technical bandwidth
OEM & Partner Development (Secondary Focus)
- Support OEM and prime‑to‑prime opportunities across braking systems, armor, hypersonics, and advanced battery materials
- Engage major DoD prime contractors (e.g., Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman) and OEM partners
- Inform leadership when traction justifies dedicated commercial BD support
Internal Alignment
- Align pursuits with engineering roadmap and capacity
- Help define when contract wins justify team growth
- Establish repeatable BD and capture processes
Qualifications
Required:
- 8+ years of defense business development or capture experience
- Demonstrated success winning DoD contracts
- Strong understanding of traditional and nontraditional acquisition pathways
- Proven experience working with engineering teams
- Willingness to travel regularly
Preferred:
- SBIR/STTR and OTA experience
- Familiarity with DPA Title III, IBAS, ICAM
- OEM or prime‑to‑prime partnership experience
- Existing relationships in defense or industrial markets
- Active or prior security clearance (not required)
What Success Looks Like
- Improved win rates and disciplined bid/no‑bid decisions
- Funded starts and contract awards within 12–18 months
- Early OEM or partner traction aligned with TRL progression
- Reduced proposal burden on engineering
- A scalable growth engine supporting defense and future markets
Why This Role Matters
This role is central to our next phase of growth. The right candidate will have the authority to shape strategy, the responsibility to deliver results, and the opportunity to help define the future of a growing prime contractor and advanced materials platform company.
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