Director of Business Development - U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM)

SES Space & Defense; Reston (VA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

SES Space & Defense is seeking a Director of Business Development for U.S. Special Operations Command to lead engagement, pipeline development, and growth strategy with USSOCOM, its components, and the broader SOF enterprise.

You will identify, qualify, and capture opportunities across secure comms, resilient networking, managed services, and space-enabled capabilities for globally deployed SOF missions in DDIL environments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; relevant advanced degree preferred.
• Proven track record in business development, capture management, strategic sales, or growth leadership in defense/aerospace/government tech sectors.
• Experience building executive-level customer relationships and influencing decisions.

Responsibilities

• Identify, develop, and execute strategic BD initiatives within USSOCOM and the SOF enterprise.
• Cultivate a qualified pipeline across USSOCOM HQ, SOF AT&L, SDA, PEO SOF Warrior, and Component Commands.
• Lead opportunity qualification, competitive positioning, account planning, and customer engagement strategies.
• Develop customer engagement plans aligned with SOF modernization priorities and multi-domain command concepts.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams for solution development, technical responses, and proposals.
• Maintain accurate CRM data, pipeline forecasts, and customer engagement activities.

Skills

Strategic business development

Executive engagement

USSOCOM experience

Capture management

Proposal development

Federal acquisition

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, IR, Political Science or related field

Job description

Who We Are

At SES Space & Defense, we deliver secure, resilient connectivity and integrated space solutions for customers operating in the world’s most demanding environments. As part of SES S.A., a global leader in satellite-enabled communications, we combine capabilities across all orbits with extensive global ground infrastructure, managed networks, hosted payload solutions, and mission integration services to support communications, sensing, data transport, and operational resilience worldwide.

Our vertically integrated space and ground capabilities bring together satellite capacity, terrestrial infrastructure, advanced network technologies, and deployed user terminals to support mission-critical government operations around the world. We are a trusted partner to the U.S. Federal Government and national security community, allied governments, NATO, NASA, and other civilian agencies, delivering reliable, high-performance solutions when mission success is critical.

At SES Space & Defense, our people are our competitive advantage. You’ll work alongside a mission-driven team committed to integrity, innovation, accountability, and delivering real-world impact for customers whose missions matter most.

What You'll Do

The Director of Business Development – U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) leads customer engagement, pipeline development, and growth strategy focused on U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), its Component Commands, and the broader Special Operations Forces (SOF) enterprise. This role is responsible for identifying, qualifying, and capturing new business opportunities aligned with SES Space & Defense's secure communications, resilient networking, managed services, and space-enabled capabilities that support globally deployed SOF missions in denied, degraded, intermittent, and limited (DDIL) environments. Working closely with executive leadership, engineering, product management, capture, and program teams, you will shape long-term growth strategies, cultivate executive-level customer relationships, and position the company for success across a dynamic and evolving defense market. The ideal candidate combines deep knowledge of the SOF community, technical credibility, and a proven track record of growing and capturing complex Department of Defense opportunities.

Key Responsibilities

Business Development & Growth Strategy

• Identify, develop, and execute strategic business development initiatives supporting company growth objectives within USSOCOM and the SOF enterprise
• Build and maintain a qualified pipeline of opportunities across:
  • USSOCOM Headquarters
  • SOF AT&L
  • PEO SOF Digital Applications (SDA)
  • PEO SOF Warrior
  • SOF Component Commands:
    • U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC)
    • Naval Special Warfare Command (NAVSPECWARCOM)
    • Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC)
    • Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC)
  • Theater Special Operations Commands (TSOCs)
  • Geographic Combatant Commands
  • Allied Special Operations organizations
• Lead opportunity qualification, competitive positioning, account planning, and customer engagement strategies
• Develop customer engagement plans aligned with SOF modernization priorities, Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2), Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2), Integrated Deterrence, and the evolving needs of globally deployed Special Operations Forces
• Conduct market analysis, competitive intelligence, technology assessments, and customer research to identify emerging mission requirements and acquisition opportunities
• Collaborate with executive leadership to develop long-term growth strategies supporting the SOF mission and adjacent defense markets

Customer Engagement & Relationship Management

• Establish and maintain trusted relationships with senior leaders across USSOCOM, Component Commands, SOF acquisition organizations, Combatant Commands, defense agencies, and industry partners
• Represent SES Space & Defense at SOF conferences, industry days, customer meetings, exercises, experimentation events, and government-sponsored forums
• Develop strategic partnerships, teaming arrangements, and technology collaborations that strengthen competitive positioning
• Serve as the primary interface between customers and internal Engineering, Operations, Product Management, and Program teams to align operational needs with technical solutions

Capture & Proposal Support

• Support capture activities from opportunity identification through contract award
• Develop customer-informed win strategies, value propositions, competitive positioning, pricing strategies, and discriminators
• Coordinate cross-functional teams supporting solution development, technical responses, and proposal execution
• Contribute to proposal reviews, executive briefings, white papers, customer presentations, and technical exchanges
• Maintain accurate opportunity data, pipeline forecasts, and customer engagement activities within CRM systems

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Collaborate closely with Engineering, Operations, Finance, Legal, Contracts, Product Management, and Program Management teams
• Provide market intelligence and customer feedback to influence product strategy, service innovation, and technology investment decisions
• Mentor junior business development professionals while fostering a collaborative, high-performing growth culture focused on mission success

Who You Are

You are a strategic business development leader with a deep understanding of the Special Operations community and the ability to translate customer mission needs into long-term growth opportunities. You excel at building trusted executive relationships, navigating complex defense acquisition environments, and developing strategies that position your organization for success. Equally comfortable engaging with operators, acquisition professionals, and technical teams, you bring both the customer insight and technical credibility needed to shape compelling solutions for mission-critical communications challenges. You are energized by building new business, influencing strategy, and delivering capabilities that support some of the nation's most demanding missions.

Key Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, International Relations, Political Science, or a related field
• Proven track record of success business development, capture management, strategic sales, or growth leadership within the defense, aerospace, satellite communications, or government technology sectors
• Demonstrated success developing and winning business opportunities with USSOCOM, SOF Component Commands, Combatant Commands, Department of Defense organizations, or allied Special Operations partners
• Strong understanding of USSOCOM acquisition processes, rapid capability development, OTA agreements, FAR-based procurements, contract vehicles, and the federal acquisition lifecycle
• Proven ability to establish executive-level customer relationships and influence strategic decisions
• Experience managing multi-million-dollar opportunity pipelines and achieving revenue growth objectives
• Strong presentation, negotiation, communication, and executive briefing skills
• Ability to communicate effectively across technical and non-technical organizations
• Active U.S. Secret security clearance required; Top Secret/SCI clearance strongly preferred, or the ability to obtain and maintain one
• Experience supporting SOF communications, tactical SATCOM, resilient networking, expeditionary communications, ISR, edge computing, space systems, Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT), or managed communications services preferred
• Familiarity with SOF communications architectures, Tactical Assault Kit (TAK) ecosystems, mesh networking, multi-domain operations, cloud-enabled mission systems, and space-enabled operational capabilities preferred
• Prior military service within the Special Operations community or experience supporting USSOCOM acquisition organizations highly desirable
• Existing relationships within USSOCOM Headquarters, SOF AT&L, PEO SOF Digital Applications, PEO SOF Warrior, Component Commands, Theater Special Operations Commands, Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), DARPA, or other defense innovation organizations preferred
• MBA or other advanced degree preferred

SES Space & Defense is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law