Business Developer – Naval Combat & Strategic Systems

Saic; Crane (IN); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

SAIC seeks a Business Developer to drive growth for Naval Surface Warfare Centers, supporting the US Navy portfolio in Crane, IN, with duties across PAEs and related sites. You will collaborate with capture managers, PMs, and SMEs to identify opportunities, shape strategies, and pursue wins while aligning with OTAs, CSOs, and rapid acquisition paths.

Ideal candidates will have deep naval domain understanding, strong relationship-building capabilities, and a growth mindset to advance

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required with extensive related experience (15+ years)
• Military/Navy program exposure or support background valued
• Familiarity with OTAs, CSOs, IDIQs, and pricing strategies would be a plus
• Strong communication skills and strategic mindset for growth initiatives

Responsibilities

• Lead Business Development efforts and collaborate with SMEs, PMs, and capture managers
• Build and maintain NSWC relationships and senior stakeholder engagement
• Identify, qualify, and pursue opportunities; contribute to price-to-win analyses
• Support pipeline health, capture planning, and color reviews with Proposal Manager/Director
• Develop differentiated win strategies and robust teaming approaches

Job description

Description

SAIC is seeking a Business Developer with strong foundational knowledge of Naval Surface Warfare Centers and their support to associated US Navy Portfolio Acquisition Executives (PAE). This position supports Growth activities for our Combat and Strategic Systems Market headquartered in Crane, IN within our Army Navy Business Group ("ANG"), with associated work in Panama City, FL and Dahlgren, VA.

This is an ideal opportunity for a motivated BD professional who is eager to build deep customer relationships, develop winning strategies, and grow into a market leader. You will work alongside experienced capture managers, program managers, and technical SMEs to identify, qualify, and pursue opportunities that support the Group's growth objectives — including pipeline development, submits, awards, investment management, and capability assessments.

We are looking for someone who has a strong desire to learn the Naval combat systems market, compete aggressively, and build a track record of wins.

Key Focus Areas:

• Develop and strengthen relationships with NSWC leaders and technical stakeholders with guidance from senior BD leadership
• Support opportunity identification, qualification, shaping, capture, and proposal development
• Build familiarity with Navy buying behaviors including OTAs, CSOs, rapid acquisition, and commercial procurement paths
• Contribute to winning strategies, competitive assessments, teaming approaches, and price-to-win insights
• Collaborate with Program Managers, SMEs, and technical teams to develop mission-aligned, differentiated solutions
• Support pipeline health, disciplined capture execution, and compelling, compliant proposal development

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Actively participate in and progressively lead Business Development efforts, communicating resource needs and collaborating with subject matter experts, functional leads, and Program Managers
• Work alongside ANG team members including operational leadership and SMEs to build and execute call plans that position SAIC for successful pursuits
• Learn and execute Corporate BD CONOPS while embracing and contributing to SAIC's growth culture
  Support gathering, assessing, and validating customer requirements in close coordination with Program Managers — developing an eye for related needs and constraints that impact winning solutions
• Assist in assessing probable competition and evaluating relative strengths and threats — participate in Black-hats, competitive scenarios, and similar exercises
• Help translate requirements into win strategies with strong value propositions and differentiated bid elements, advancing these to management and technical teams
• Collaborate effectively with internal teams and external partners to sustain operational excellence and achieve customer satisfaction
• Identify gaps and support development of strategies to overcome weaknesses and mitigate risks
• Participate in gate, pricing, teaming, and capture reviews; contribute to and document lessons learned
  Support development of teaming agreements and strategic alliances
• Assist in managing assigned pipeline opportunities and advancing them toward higher win probability
• Support development of critical bid artifacts and contribute to color reviews in coordination with the assigned Proposal Manager/Director
• Build active relationships with NSWC stakeholders and develop the ability to engage and influence at progressively senior levels
• Demonstrate a growth mindset — continuously developing proficiency in capture management based on industry best practices
• Strong interpersonal skills, intellectual curiosity, and a desire to develop business acumen in the Naval domain
• Ability to work effectively in fast-paced, time-sensitive, and often multi-tasking environments
  Willingness to travel as necessary in support of captures
• Developing understanding of Naval Engineering, Integration, and shipboard systems — with a commitment to deepening that knowledge

Qualifications

• Bachelors and fifteen (15) years or more of related experience; Masters and thirteen (13) years or more experience; PhD or JD and ten (10) years or more experience
• Exposure to the full growth lifecycle from opportunity identification to proposal
• Military service background in the Navy or Marine Corps, or prior work supporting Naval programs, is highly valued
• Familiarity with or eagerness to learn OTAs, CSOs, IDIQs, contract types (particularly FFP), and pricing strategies
• OEM/vendor partnership experience or B2B sales background a plus
  Strategic mindset and hunger to compete — you don't need to have won big yet, but you need to want to
• Strong communication skills and an orientation toward solving complex problems
• Ability to manage or support quick reaction task order pursuits
• Active or attainable Top Secret clearance