Director, Business Development - Defense

Socket.dev; McLean (VA); Hybrid; USD 185,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental &amp

Retirement Plan (401k)

Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary &

Paid Time Off

Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)

Short Term & Long-Term Disability

Training & Development

Job summary

Aretum is seeking an experienced Director of Business Development to drive strategic growth across the Defense market. The role focuses on building a strong pipeline, developing customer relationships, and shaping opportunities from early identification through pursuit.

The ideal candidate has deep federal marketplace knowledge, a proven ability to open doors, and the capacity to collaborate across Capture, Proposal, Solutions, Pricing, and Operations teams.

Qualifications

• Master's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Active Top Secret Clearance required.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification required.
• 8+ years of federal GovCon experience with defense focus.
• Proven success identifying and advancing new federal opportunities.
• Established Defense customer relationships with ability to open doors.
• Strong understanding of Defense market and contracting landscape.
• Ability to engage customers early and shape opportunities.
• Experience building and managing a qualified pipeline.
• Ability to work across Capture, Solutions, Pricing, Proposal and Operations teams.
• Strong executive presence and communication skills.
• Willingness to travel ~25% and maintain in-person presence in DMV region.

Responsibilities

• Drive new business growth within federal markets by identifying, developing, qualifying, and advancing opportunities.
• Build and manage a qualified pipeline aligned with growth priorities and revenue objectives.
• Maintain a visible presence in the federal market through customer visits, meetings, and industry events in the DMV region.
• Open doors with relationships to gain customer intelligence and position opportunities.
• Develop strategic teaming with large and small partners and evaluate fit and access.
• Gather market, competitive intelligence to shape opportunities and strengthen position to win.
• Lead pipeline reviews, capture activities, pricing discussions, and executive pursuit reviews.
• Recommend bid/no-bid and pursuit strategies based on access and competitiveness.
• Translate intelligence and strategy into compelling pursuit and proposal plans with Capture/Proposal teams.
• Coordinate pursuit activities across executives, Pricing, Contracts, Recruiting, Proposals, and external partners.
• Support strategic proposal efforts including win themes and staffing strategies.
• Maintain accurate Salesforce data for customers, pipeline, and opportunities.

Skills

GovCon experience

Federal market knowledge

Executive presence

Relationship building

Travel readiness

Salesforce proficiency

Education

Master's degree or equivalent

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Aretum is seeking an experienced Director of Business Development to drive strategic growth across the Defense market. This role is responsible for building and advancing a qualified pipeline, developing strong customer and industry relationships, identifying and shaping new opportunities, and positioning Aretum for long-term growth. The ideal candidate brings a strong understanding of the federal marketplace, a proven ability to open doors and develop new business, and the ability to collaborate across Capture, Proposal, Solutions, Pricing, and Operations teams to move opportunities from early identification through pursuit.

Responsibilities

• Drive new business growth within assigned federal markets by identifying, developing, qualifying, and advancing opportunities
• Build and manage a qualified pipeline aligned with Aretum’s growth priorities, capabilities, and revenue objectives
• Maintain a highly visible, active presence in the federal marketplace through frequent customer-site visits, in-person meetings, industry events, conferences, networking, and other customer engagements throughout the DMV and National Capital Region
• Build and leverage relationships to open doors, gain early customer intelligence, identify emerging requirements, and position Aretum for the right opportunities
• Develop strategic teaming relationships with large and small business partners, evaluating capability fit, customer and contract vehicle access, past performance, and workshare value
• Gather customer, market, and competitive intelligence to shape opportunities and strengthen Aretum’s position to win
• Lead and participate in pipeline reviews, gate reviews, capture activities, solutioning sessions, pricing discussions, and executive pursuit reviews
• Recommend bid/no-bid, investment, teaming, and pursuit strategies based on customer access, competitive position, solution strength, and probability of win
• Partner with Capture and Proposal teams to translate customer intelligence, win strategy, and competitive differentiators into compelling pursuit and proposal strategies
• Coordinate pursuit activities across executives, technical leaders, Pricing, Contracts, Recruiting, Operations, Proposals, and external partners
• Support strategic proposal efforts as needed, including win themes, solution and staffing strategies, past-performance positioning, executive summaries, and oral presentations
• Maintain accurate and timely customer, pipeline, and opportunity information in Salesforce

• Master's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience
• Active Top Secret Clearance required
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification required
• 8+ years of federal business development, growth, capture, or related GovCon experience, with significant experience supporting Defense customers
• Proven success identifying, developing, and advancing new business opportunities within the federal market
• Established Defense customer and industry relationships, with demonstrated ability to open doors and develop new customer relationships
• Strong understanding of the Defense market, including agency missions, acquisition processes, funding priorities, contract vehicles, and competitive landscape
• Demonstrated ability to engage customers early, uncover requirements, gather actionable intelligence, and help shape opportunities before solicitation
• Experience developing and managing a qualified pipeline and progressing opportunities from early identification into capture
• Ability to work across Sector, Capture, Solutions, Pricing, Proposal, and Operations teams to advance strategic pursuits
• Strong executive presence, relationship-building, communication, and presentation skills
• Ability and willingness to maintain an active in-person customer presence throughout the DMV and travel approximately 25%, with additional travel as business needs require

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years of Defense business development and growth experience
• Established relationships within Defense agencies aligned with Aretum’s target markets
• Demonstrated success growing accounts, penetrating new customers, and converting customer relationships into qualified opportunities and new business
• Experience pursuing technology, digital transformation, cloud, cybersecurity, data and analytics, professional services, or mission-support opportunities
• Experience with major GWACs, IDIQs, BPAs, and task-order environments commonly used across the Defense market

Travel Requirements

This is a hybrid position with approximately 25% travel throughout the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia region, with additional travel required based on business needs. Travel may include customer site visits, in-person client meetings and engagements, industry events, and other business development activities. Work will otherwise be performed remotely or at designated corporate locations, as needed.

• Anticipated Salary Range: $185,000–$200,000 annually. Final compensation will be determined based on factors including education, experience, qualifications, skills, and applicable contract requirements.

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)

• Retirement Plan (401k)

• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)

• Paid Time Off

• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)

• Short Term & Long-Term Disability

• Training & Development