Defense Business Development Lead

Catapult Solutions Group; Tampa (FL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

A Tampa-based aerospace and defense company is seeking a Business Development Manager to drive growth in its defense portfolio. You will pursue opportunities with defense agencies, prime contractors, and OEMs, lead negotiations on long-term supply agreements, and translate relationships into contracts and purchase orders.

Responsibilities include opportunity tracking, pipeline forecasting for leadership, coordinating with engineering, production, regulatory, quality, finance, and supply chain to

Qualifications

• 5-10 years of true business development experience with proven, measurable results.
• Business development experience with U.S. Government customers.
• At least 5 years in defense products, energetic materials, ammunition, or related sectors.
• Experience with defense procurement processes and government contracting.
• Understanding of military specifications (MIL-STD) and familiarity with ITAR, export control laws, and defense regulations.
• Strong negotiation and contract management skills.
• Strategic thinking and market analysis capability.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• High integrity and the ability to handle sensitive information.
• Project management and cross-functional leadership in complex regulatory environments.
• Willingness to travel 30-50%, domestic and international.
• U.S. Person status required.

Responsibilities

• Identify and pursue new opportunities in core and adjacent defense, military, and commercial markets.
• Develop and execute growth strategies aligned with company goals, including annual award targets.
• Monitor global defense spending trends, procurement programs, and emerging requirements.
• Map and build relationships with key stakeholders across defense agencies, ministries of defense, armed forces, and prime contractors.
• Serve as the primary commercial interface for customers in your area of responsibility.
• Lead negotiations for long-term supply agreements and strategic partnerships.
• Track U.S. Government budgets, RFPs, RFIs, and tenders through customer relationships, SAM.gov, GovWin, and other tools.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams on proposal development and align product capabilities with military specifications.
• Ensure compliance with ITAR, export controls, hazardous materials handling, and defense certifications.
• Support product qualification, testing, and approval processes with defense authorities.
• Research the market and competitors, including pricing, contract awards, and budget data.
• Work with manufacturing and supply chain to align capacity and raw material sourcing with contract commitments.
• Support leadership with forecasts, pipeline reporting, and strategic planning.
• Deliver against KPIs: new awards and revenue growth, bid/win ratio, expansion into new programs or geographies, strategic partnerships, and pipeline conversion.

Skills

Business development

U.S. Government

Defense industry

Negotiation

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder management

Travel 30-50%

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business/Engineering

MBA preferred

Job description

A Tampa-based aerospace and defense company is seeking a Business Development Manager to drive growth in its defense portfolio. You will pursue opportunities with defense agencies, prime contractors, and OEMs, lead negotiations on long-term supply agreements, and translate relationships into contracts and purchase orders.

Responsibilities include opportunity tracking, pipeline forecasting for leadership, coordinating with engineering, production, regulatory, quality, finance, and supply chain to