Director, Business Development - Space & Defense

Location: Primarily DC Area

Reporting to: Executive Director, Business Development

Employment Type: Full-time, or Contractor

Security Clearance: U.S. Citizen. Active or prior Top Secret/SCI clearance (or eligible) is preferred.

Position Summary

NorthStar is seeking an entrepreneurial leader to directly build, shape, and commercialize advanced Space Domain Awareness (SDA) services and capabilities suited for U.S. government customers, with a focus on the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community. This is a hands‑on business development role that demands direct engagement and participation in the heavy lifting of shaping and closing new business. You will have prior experience with target customers, be able to identify mission pain points, develop solution concepts, write and shape proposals, and deliver technically credible pitches to operators, engineers, and acquisition professionals. The position is ideal for a candidate with systems engineering or technical program roots who has moved into customer‑facing roles and is motivated by solving problems that are not yet easily solvable, including the commercialization of near‑real‑time SDA capabilities. You carry direct responsibility for commercialization outcomes, including pipeline development and new business awards, while working closely with internal engineering, product, and R&D teams.

What You Will Do

• Directly identify, shape, and pursue U.S. government opportunities from early technical discussions through proposal submission and award.
• Conceive, write, co‑author, and directly contribute to proposals, white papers, concept notes, and technical responses.
• Lead technical and operational pitches to government engineers, mission operators, and acquisition teams.
• Engage customers to surface unarticulated or emerging mission pain points, particularly where existing SDA solutions fall short.
• Translate complex mission needs into credible, executable system‑level solution concepts.
• Build early partnerships where required, while remaining personally accountable for opportunity progression and outcomes.
• Represent NorthStar at industry events, government forums, and defense innovation engagements, including targeted technical forums and customer working sessions.

Additional Responsibilities

• Lead pipeline growth and capture plans for SDA products, with full accountability for new business awards and strategic market penetration.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams (multiple disciplines in engineering, as well as operations, finance, legal).
• Analyze industry trends, competitor activities, and customer needs to inform strategic planning and pipeline prioritization.
• Contribute to technology investment decisions and advocate for Internal Research and Development (IRAD) funding to deliver cutting‑edge solutions for emerging customer needs.Ensure compliance with applicable regulations, policies, and procedures during the capture process.

Important Role Characteristics

• This role is not a large‑team management or staff‑oversight position.
• Success requires personal execution, including proposal development and direct technical customer engagement.
• The U.S. organization will be built deliberately over time; the initial phase requires a leader who is comfortable doing the work directly before delegating.
• The role is well‑suited to individuals who enjoy building new capabilities from first principles and engaging deeply with technical customers.

Required Qualifications

• Background in systems engineering, space systems, mission operations, or technical program leadership, with subsequent experience in customer‑facing or commercialization roles.
• Demonstrated ability to directly communicate complex technical concepts to U.S. government customers.
• Experience developing solution architectures, CONOPS, or system‑level narratives in response to mission needs.
• Hands‑on experience contributing to proposals, white papers, or technical responses.Familiarity with SDA / SSA challenges and limitations, including latency, coverage, and data fusion.
• Understanding of DoD acquisition processes and common contracting vehicles (e.g., FFP, IDIQ, T&M).
• Minimum 10 years' experience in the U.S. space or national security space ecosystem.
• U.S. citizenship; active or eligible TS/SCI clearance.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, physics, astronomy, mathematics, or a related technical field; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• Exceptional written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in orbit dynamics, mission design, and mission operations.
• Established relationships within the DoD, Intelligence Community, or National Security Space ecosystem.
• Experience transitioning capabilities from R&D into operational use.

Ideal Candidates

• Have an entrepreneurial spirit to build and commercialize new technical capabilities with a meaningful mission.
• Enjoy working at the intersection of systems engineering, customer problems, and business creation.
• Are motivated by solving hard, real‑world mission problems that lack clean or mature solutions.

Not Well‑Suited Candidates

• Staff management.
• Capture oversight without direct execution.
• Large‑organization leadership without hands‑on responsibility.

Compensation & Benefits

NorthStar offers a competitive compensation package, including base salary, performance incentives, comprehensive health benefits, retirement plans, paid time off, and opportunities for professional development. Salary range and benefits are commensurate with experience and market standards.

NorthStar is an equal opportunity employer. We provide equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment and do not and will not discriminate against employees or applicants on the basis of any category protected under local, state or federal law.

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