Business Development Manager, SOCOM

Primordial Labs; Oregon; Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity stake in the company

100% Remote: nationwide US residents

Comprehensive Health Coverage

Job summary

Primordial Labs seeks a SOF business development lead to grow our presence with U.S. Special Operations Command and related units.

This fully remote role requires navigating SOF acquisition processes, building capture plans, and coordinating with aviation, ground, and UxS teams to shape opportunities and partnerships. You will own the capture lifecycle, maintain pipelines, and engage operators to translate mission needs into actionable requirements, while representing the company at industry

Qualifications

• 4+ years in business development, capture, or government sales.
• Direct experience with SOCOM customers and SOF acquisition processes.
• Demonstrated success owning and winning opportunities across the full capture lifecycle.
• Established relationships across SOF acquisition, components, or industry partners.
• Prior SOF service or SOF acquisition experience is a major plus.

Responsibilities

• Own the full capture lifecycle for SOF opportunities, from early shaping through proposal submission and contract award.
• Build and run capture plans: win strategy, competitive assessment, teaming, pricing, and gate reviews.
• Maintain the SOF pipeline and forecast, including component‑level and unit‑level funded efforts.
• Use the fast acquisition paths SOF relies on (CSOs, OTAs, and unit‑level purchases) and build follow‑on paths from early buys.
• Work with platform and payload partners already fielded with SOF to find integration and teaming opportunities.
• Build relationships across SOF acquisition, science and technology, component headquarters, and operational units.
• Engage operators directly to understand mission workflows and how they want to task uncrewed systems, then shape requirements and demo plans around that.
• Support user evaluations, technical experiments, and exercise participation.
• Represent Primordial Labs at SOF industry events, tech experimentation events, and customer meetings.
• Track SOF budget documents, solicitations, and capability priorities, and turn them into capture strategy.
• Monitor competitors and partners in autonomy, robotics, and human‑machine teaming in the SOF market.
• Identify adjacencies with interagency and allied SOF partners where appropriate.
• Partner with engineering, product, and field teams to make sure commitments are deliverable on SOF timelines.
• Feed operator feedback into product priorities.
• Lead or support proposal writing, reviews, and teaming coordination.
• Coordinate with the other domain leads on SOF‑relevant aviation, ground, maritime, and small UxS work.

Skills

SOF sales

Capture lifecycle

Government acquisitions

CRM proficiency

MS Office

Job description

About Primordial Labs

We're building the next generation interface for commanding autonomous systems in the real world. Our core product, Anura, translates spoken or typed intent into structured actions across drones, sensors, and mission software—enabling faster, more intuitive control in high-stakes environments. We’re a distributed team of engineers, operators, and technologists focused on deploying reliable autonomy at the tactical edge.

The Opportunity

We are looking for a SOF business development lead to grow Primordial Labs across U.S. Special Operations Command, its components, and the Theater Special Operations Commands. Small teams that operate far forward with limited people are exactly where one operator directing many robots matters most. You'll own captures across SOF acquisition portfolios and the units that experiment and field new capability fast, and you'll be the person SOF customers call when they want to try something. This role works closely with our aviation, ground, maritime, and tactical UxS leads since SOF buys across all of them.

What You'll Do

Capture Management and Pipeline Ownership

Own the full capture lifecycle for SOF opportunities, from early shaping through proposal submission and contract award.

Build and run capture plans: win strategy, competitive assessment, teaming, pricing, and gate reviews.

Maintain the SOF pipeline and forecast, including component‑level and unit‑level funded efforts.

Use the fast acquisition paths SOF relies on (CSOs, OTAs, and unit‑level purchases) and build follow‑on paths from early buys.

Work with platform and payload partners already fielded with SOF to find integration and teaming opportunities.

Customer Engagement and Shaping

Build relationships across SOF acquisition, science and technology, component headquarters, and operational units.

Engage operators directly to understand mission workflows and how they want to task uncrewed systems, then shape requirements and demo plans around that.

Support user evaluations, technical experiments, and exercise participation.

Represent Primordial Labs at SOF industry events, tech experimentation events, and customer meetings.

Market and Competitive Intelligence

Track SOF budget documents, solicitations, and capability priorities, and turn them into capture strategy.

Monitor competitors and partners in autonomy, robotics, and human‑machine teaming in the SOF market.

Identify adjacencies with interagency and allied SOF partners where appropriate.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Partner with engineering, product, and field teams to make sure commitments are deliverable on SOF timelines.

Feed operator feedback into product priorities.

Lead or support proposal writing, reviews, and teaming coordination.

Coordinate with the other domain leads on SOF‑relevant aviation, ground, maritime, and small UxS work.

About You

Experience

• 4+ years in business development, capture, or government sales
• Direct experience with SOCOM customers and SOF acquisition processes.
• Demonstrated success owning and winning opportunities across the full capture lifecycle.
• Established relationships across SOF acquisition, components, or industry partners.
• Prior SOF service or SOF acquisition experience is a major plus.

Skills

• Strong understanding of government acquisition pathways and contract vehicles.
• Strong writing and briefing skills, with experience presenting to senior military and civilian leaders.
• Able to run multiple active captures at once.
• Comfortable in CRM platforms and Microsoft Office.
• Works with autonomy and ownership in a small, fast team.

Security Clearance

Active TS/SCI preferred; ability to obtain and maintain one required.

Desirable Qualities

• Familiarity with autonomous systems, human‑machine teaming, and multi‑domain uncrewed operations.
• Experience capturing robotics, unmanned systems, or tactical software programs.
• Experience supporting technical experimentation or rapid fielding events.
• Prior startup or early‑stage defense tech experience.

Important Qualification Note

Due to the nature of our work and federal compliance requirements, this position strictly requires U.S. Citizenship and current residency within the United States. Please note that Permanent Residency (Green Card status) or visa sponsorship cannot satisfy these specific regulatory requirements.

Compensation & Travel

Travel up to 50%.

Compensation for this position includes a target base salary of $150,000 - $200,000 annually, plus incentives and equity, with the final offer determined by the candidate's experience level.

We’re committed to fair and equitable compensation and are happy to explain how we determine our salary ranges, just ask!

Our Benefits

• Beyond a Competitive Salary, we provide a significant equity stake, aligning your growth with ours.
• 100% Remote: This role is fully remote, open to residents across the US. We believe that talent knows no borders (well, except for the US in this case!).
• Comprehensive Health Coverage: We provide comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans so you and your family can stay healthy and worry free.
• Retirement Planning: Plan for tomorrow with our 401(k) package, complete with a generous 6% company match.
• Generous DTO: Our generous Discretionary Time off (DTO) policy is all about helping you take the breaks you deserve and live your healthiest, most fulfilling life.
• Elite Technology Package: Enjoy an elite technology package to make your work effortless and efficient.

Our Interview Process

• Conversation with the People Team: Lets get to know one another first!
• Manager Conversation: A chat with the hiring manager to discuss responsibilities, team dynamics, and your relevant experience.
• Team & Process Deep Dive: A 60 minute discussion with cross-functional team members currently supporting our BD efforts. You'll learn about our day to day operations, and we'll discuss your past experience.
• Strategy Discussion: A 45 minute conversation with our Director of Strategy to align on our growth objectives, market opportunities, and long term vision.
• Q&A with our CEO: Final call with our CEO to discuss company culture and get all of your lingering questions answered.

We are committed to a low-stress interview experience. No trick questions or brain teasers!

Primordial Labs is an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating a welcoming and respectful environment for everyone. Discrimination and harassment have no place here. We firmly believe that a diverse team enriches our problem‑solving capabilities, sparks greater creativity, and ultimately leads to a better product and a more vibrant company. We understand that great talent comes from various paths and that passion and transferable skills are invaluable. At Primordial Labs, what truly matters is your ability to make an impact, your dedication to our mission, and your capacity to thrive in a fast‑paced, collaborative atmosphere. We are dedicated to fostering an inclusive workplace where you can contribute your unique talents, expand your skills, and learn continuously.