Business Development Manager: Pacific

First Order Effects; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

First Order Effects seeks a seasoned Business Development Manager for the Pacific region. You will own end-to-end capture leadership across the Pacific Rim portfolio, beginning with Japan, the Philippines, and Singapore, and expanding to Korea, Taiwan, and others as the portfolio matures.

You will travel ~30%+, build U.S. Embassy ODC relationships, navigate ITAR and FMS processes, and develop country-specific capture plans to progress opportunities toward award by end of 2026.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of Pacific Rim defense BD experience.
• Direct ownership of an FMS case from LOR through notification.
• Working-level relationships with U.S. Embassy ODC in at least two countries.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end capture leadership across the Pacific Rim portfolio.
• Select the 2026 proof-point Pacific market and write a country-specific capture plan.
• Navigate the FMS pathway including LOR development and congressional notification.

Skills

Pacific Rim BD

FMS case ownership

Embassy ODC relationships

AI-native BD workflow

Security clearance readiness

Job description

Business Development Manager: Pacific

Location: Washington, DC / Arlington, VA (30%+ travel to the Pacific region)

Employment type: Full-time

Reports to: Chief Growth Officer

Target start: Q3 2026

Who We Are

First Order Effects (FOE) is building America’s Infrastructure Prime for the robotic era. Autonomous ships, drones, and robots are rewriting how the world moves, fights, and builds - but none of them work without infrastructure to power them, connect them, and launch and recover them. That’s what we build.

We’ve Built Cutting Edge Systems at Legendary Companies

Our team comes from SpaceX, Anduril, Saronic, Lockheed Skunk Works, Forterra, and Fuse Energy. Before founding FOE, we built satellite ground stations that closed a national comms gap in days, deployed multi-megawatt power systems at commercial speed, and shipped autonomous surface vessels into Navy fleet production. We’ve built infrastructure at lightspeed before - now we’re applying that playbook to an entire company.

The Role

FOE has multiple active international pursuits across the Pacific Rim, specifically in Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, and Hawaii. These are ready to convert from early-stage opportunities into full captures with country-specific strategies. Our Pacific growth plan names this role as the structural precondition for that conversion. Until this hire exists, those pursuits will not move. Once you’re in the seat, they become actionable captures and you will own them.

If you are the right hire, you have done Pacific Rim defense BD for at least six years, you have personally walked an FMS case from Letter of Request through congressional notification, and you have existing relationships with at least two U.S. Embassy Office of Defense Cooperation offices in Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, Korea, or Australia.

What You’ll Do

• Own end-to-end capture leadership across the Pacific Rim international portfolio. This initially includes Japan, the Philippines, and Singapore, with expansion to Korea, Taiwan, and other partners as the portfolio matures.
• Select the 2026 proof-point Pacific market. This involves selecting one country, authoring a country-specific capture plan, and showing demonstrable progress toward award by the end of 2026.
• Navigate the FMS pathway, including Letter of Request development with host nation counterparts, the congressional notification process, and ITAR licensing strategy, as applicable.
• Build and hold U.S. Embassy ODC relationships in-region, Defense Attaché engagements, and country-team coordination.
• Build host nation defense ministry relationships by facilitating working-level engagements that hold beyond your tenure.
• Develop INDOPACOM J-staff working-level relationships supporting our Hawaii pursuit, which carries demands distinct from the rest of the portfolio.
• Travel for 30% or more of your time in-region. Expect quarterly trips at minimum, which may occur more often during active captures.

What You’ll Be Measured On

• Pacific portfolio progression: by the end of 2026, at least one Pacific Rim opportunity should be advanced through our capture gates to an approved bid decision.
• Country-specific capture plans authored and gate-reviewed for at least two of Japan, the Philippines, and Singapore.
• U.S. Embassy ODC engagements documented and tracked in the BD pipeline for at least three countries.
• Pacific revenue contribution by the end of 2027, with a minimum of one closed contract attributable to this role.

What We’re Looking For

• Six or more years of Pacific Rim defense BD experience, including direct ownership of at least one FMS case from initial Letter of Request through congressional notification.
• Working-level relationships in at least two of: U.S. Embassy ODC Tokyo, Manila, Singapore, Seoul, or Canberra.
• Demonstrated cultural and operational fluency; you understand that Pacific BD is relationship-driven, multi-year, and requires showing up in person.
• Existing host nation defense ministry relationships at a working level, such as JMSDF acquisitions, AFP Modernization staff, Singapore DSO/DSTA, Korean ADD, or Australian CDIC.
• Bilingual English plus Japanese strongly preferred; Tagalog, Korean, or Mandarin secondary preference.
• Comfort spending 30%+ of your time in-region. You are not running this from a Beltway desk.
• An AI-native BD workflow. You use AI to compress customer intelligence aggregation, capture plan iteration, and FMS case documentation. You should be able to articulate, in an interview, how you use AI today to outpace peers while maintaining AI usage compliance according to policy.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. DoD Secret clearance at minimum; active Secret or TS/SCI at hire a strong plus.

Bonus Points

• Prior military service — Pacific theater preferred (USFJ, USFK, INDOPACOM J-staff, 7th Fleet, III MEF).
• State Department Political-Military Affairs or DSCA Regional Center experience.
• Background in a major prime’s or defense‑tech company’s Pacific regional BD organization.
• Existing relationships with partner‑firm regional BD teams in the Pacific.

Compensation

$140,000–$190,000 base + founding-team equity sized for the role + benefits. If you’re an outlier, we’ll pay like it.

ITAR requirement

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations (ITAR/EAR), applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3). Candidates must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance; active clearance not required.

FOE is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with FOE is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

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