Director Business Development – Defense

Quantam; Falls Church (VA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Quantam is recruiting a Director of Business Development to lead strategic growth and customer engagement initiatives supporting the U.S. Air Force.

The candidate must be local to Linthicum, MD; Newport News, VA; McLean, VA; or Falls Church, VA, with hybrid telework options and travel at 50% of the time. A Secret clearance is required. The role reports to the Senior Director, Strategic Customer Engagement and collaborates with cross‑function teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 10+ years in defense BD/capture or relevant military experience.
• Master’s degree with 8+ years in defense BD/capture or relevant military experience.
• 5+ years leading large multi-disciplinary teams to win.
• Deep knowledge of DoD/USAF acquisition and/or operational processes.
• Active Secret clearance with the ability to obtain SAP clearance after starting.

Responsibilities

• Lead US Air Force account as primary BD lead; drive growth objectives and relationships.
• Manage full account lifecycle from shaping to post‑award stewardship.
• Coordinate divisions to present a unified value proposition to the USAF.
• Build executive-level relationships with AF staff and centers; translate mission needs into solutions.
• Drive a robust pipeline with win strategies and disciplined qualification.
• Collaborate with Capture Leadership and BUs on price‑to‑win and strategy.
• Prepare briefs and call plans for senior leadership with concise decisions.
• Coordinate stakeholder engagement plans across Government Relations and enterprise priorities.
• Synthesize customer feedback to inform roadmaps and priorities.
• Uphold ethics and compliance in all pursuit activities.

Skills

Defense BD

Executive communication

Team leadership

DoD/USAF knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

Job description

Quantam is a leading recruitment firm helping our clients discover top talent. We are recruiting for a Director Business Development – Defense.

Clearance Required for Start:

Yes

Clearance Type:

Secret

Travel:

Yes, 50% Of the Time

Job Description:

Our client is seeking a is seeking an experienced Director of Business Development to lead strategic growth and customer engagement initiatives supporting the U.S. Air Force.

The selected candidate must be local to one of these locations and has the option to hybrid telework: Linthicum, MD, Newport News, VA, McLean, VA, or Falls Church, VA. This position will report to the Senior Director, Strategic Customer Engagement and supports engagements with various Air Force locations as needed. This role will require travel 50% of the time.

Responsibilities:

• Manage the US Air Force account as the primary sector customer-facing business development lead; accountable for meeting growth objectives, pipeline health, win rate, and customer relations.


• Lead the full account lifecycle—early shaping and solution scoping through proposal, award, and post-award relationship stewardship—ensuring seamless handoffs to programs and disciplined execution against account plans.


• Integrate divisions, product lines, and capture teams to present a unified value proposition to the US Air Force; align portfolios and investments to US Air Force priorities and sector growth outcomes.


• Build and deepen executive‑level customer relationships across HAF/SAF staff, AFMC centers (e.g., AFLCMC, AFRL), PAEs, PEOs, MAJCOMs and Numbered Air Forces, and key influencers; serve as a trusted advisor by translating mission needs into actionable solutions.


• Drive an opportunity‑rich pipeline: identify, qualify, and prioritize pursuits; apply business‑case and competitive analysis to focus resources where we can win and sustain target pipeline coverage versus Annual Operating Plan.


• Orchestrate disciplined opportunity qualification, set win strategies and themes, and ensure rapid transitions to capture with clear customer insight, competitive positioning, and decision‑gate readiness.


• Partner with Capture Leadership, Business Units (Profit & Loss owners), and functional teams to shape and execute capture strategies; enable proposal readiness, price‑to‑win integration, and agile decision‑making.


• Prepare and enable senior executives (Sector President, Division General Managers, and Executive Leadership Team) with precise, timely briefs, call plans, talking points, and post‑engagement readouts; synthesize intelligence into concise, actionable decisions.


• Coordinate and mobilize stakeholders: develop and execute integrated customer/stakeholder engagement plans; align sector engagements with Corporate Government Relations and Legislative Affairs to synchronize with enterprise and congressional priorities.


• Capture and synthesize customer feedback and market intelligence to inform product roadmaps, IRAD/R&D priorities, and portfolio strategy; provide sector leadership with timely awareness of senior‑level customer priorities.


• Collaborate with division business unit counterparts to represent customer needs, understand division equities, and integrate division content into executive packages and customer engagements.


• Establish account rhythms and metrics (e.g., quarterly business reviews, pipeline and gate reviews, etc.); communicate status, risks, and recovery actions in a timely manner to sector and division leadership.


• Uphold ethical conduct and compliance in all customer interactions and pursuit activities.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and 10 or more years of defense‑sector business development/capture experience or relevant military experience or a Master's degree and 8 or more years of defense‑sector business development/capture experience or relevant military experience.


• 5 or more years leading large, multi-disciplinary teams to deliver win-focused outcomes.


• Deep knowledge of DoW/USAF acquisition and/or operational processes.


• Exceptional executive‑level communication and briefing skills; experience influencing senior government officials and corporate leadership.


• Current/Active Secret clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain a SAP clearance after starting.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proven track record of owning full cycle account management and improving win rates.


• Ability to translate market intelligence into agile, winning strategies.