Business Development Director

Responsibilities

• Build and manage a qualified DoD pipeline aligned to WSUS growth priorities, with a focus on professional services, strategic communications, behavior change, marketing, research, creative, digital, analytics, and advisory opportunities.
• Identify, qualify, and advance opportunities across the Department of Defense, including military departments, defense agencies, combatant commands, and other DoD components, excluding health-focused DoD markets.
• Develop account and partner strategies that expand WSUS beyond its current customer set and position the organization for near-term and long-term growth.
• Build and maintain relationships with government buyers, influencers, industry partners, primes, small businesses, and specialist firms that can help WSUS access, shape, and win priority opportunities.
• Support both prime and subcontracting strategies, with particular emphasis on building strong partner relationships and identifying roles where WSUS can add differentiated value.
• Lead business development activities for smaller opportunities and subcontracting pursuits, including opportunity qualification, partner coordination, early capture planning, response strategy, and data-call management where appropriate.
• For larger and more complex pursuits, conduct strong front-end qualification, contribute to shaping and win strategy, and transition opportunities to capture with clear customer insight, partner context, competitive intelligence, and pursuit rationale.
• Support responses to RFIs, sources sought notices, market research requests, white papers, capability briefings, and industry day follow-up materials.
• Participate in proposal strategy, color team reviews, win-theme discussions, and proposal reviews in partnership with the Proposal Manager, Capture Manager, delivery teams, pricing, contracts, and external partners.
• Track opportunities, customer interactions, partner activity, and next steps with disciplined CRM and pipeline hygiene.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience working in or around the Department of Defense market, including military service, civilian DoD experience, DoD contracting, federal consulting, or adjacent national security work.
• 5+ years of direct DoD business development and/or capture experience.
• Existing knowledge of the DoD market, including customer missions, buying patterns, acquisition pathways, partner ecosystems, and competitive dynamics.
• Demonstrated ability to identify, qualify, advance and win federal opportunities, preferably in the $10M–$50M range.
• Experience supporting both prime and subcontracting strategies, with an understanding of how to position a differentiated small or mid-sized partner within larger pursuit teams.
• Strong relationships with industry partners and a working network of government buyers, influencers, and stakeholders across the DoD ecosystem.
• Familiarity with federal acquisition and procurement processes, including FAR, DFARS, IDIQs, GWACs, OTAs, SBIR/STTR pathways, GSA vehicles, task orders, BPAs, and related contracting mechanisms.
• Experience supporting RFIs, sources sought responses, white papers, capability briefings, call plans, partner briefings, and proposal inputs.
• Familiarity with formal capture methodology and an understanding of capture plans, win themes, competitive assessments, teaming strategies, price-to-win inputs, gate reviews, and color team reviews.
• Strong qualification judgment and the ability to distinguish between interesting activity and realistic, winnable business.

Preferred

• Prior military, civilian DoD, or senior DoD contractor experience.
• Experience selling or shaping strategic communications, behavior change, marketing, research, creative, digital, analytics, public affairs, training, or advisory services for DoD customers.
• Established relationships across multiple DoD components, industry partners, primes, small businesses, or specialized defense firms.
• Experience with partner-led growth strategies, including prime/subcontractor positioning, teaming agreements, small business partnerships, mentor-protégé arrangements, or joint venture structures.
• Experience supporting or leading capture for smaller federal opportunities.
• Experience with APMP, Shipley, or another recognized business development, capture, or proposal frameworks.
• Understanding of information operations, influence, public affairs, or mission-focused communications in a defense context.
• Experience working in an entrepreneurial or growth-stage federal practice.

Benefits

• Family & parental support
• - 12 weeks’ full pay for Primary Carers and 6 weeks for Secondary Carers (after one year of service; return requirements apply for subsequent leave)
• - Applies to birth, adoption, and surrogacy
• - Up to 10 days’ paid fertility leave per year (5 per cycle)
• - 2 days’ paid leave for new grandparents
• - $2,500 annual interest-free parental loan
• - $6,000 interest-free fertility treatment loan
• Healthcare & wellbeing
• - Three medical plans (HSA at $0 cost; EPO 75% employer funded; PPO 65% employer funded)
• - $0 employee-cost dental and vision