Director of Navy Business Development

Detroit Defense; California (MD); On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental & Vision Benefits

401k with Company Match

Paid holidays, vacation, and sick days

Job summary

Detroit Defense is seeking a Director of Navy Business Development for our Mission Services division. This leadership role combines business development with hands-on services expertise, focusing on Navy software and systems engineering programs.

You will shape opportunities, build relationships across Navy offices, and drive capture activities to win new work. The role requires extensive DoD acquisition knowledge, Shipley process familiarity, and the ability to travel 20%–30% to customer and

Qualifications

• 14+ years in business development and defense services delivery.
• 5+ years of related business development experience.
• Track record of identifying and shaping opportunities that became captured business.
• Established relationships and credibility within customer and operator communities.
• Ability to obtain/maintain US Secret clearance up to Top Secret.
• Familiarity with major acquisition vehicles and structured capture processes such as Shipley.
• Working knowledge of the DoD acquisition lifecycle and contract types.

Responsibilities

• Identify, qualify, and shape new business opportunities leveraging domain expertise.
• Develop customer intelligence to drive portfolio growth.
• Build relationships across program offices, operators, and the community to gain credibility.
• Lead Navy software and systems engineering offerings aligned to mission needs.
• Collaborate with capture teams on win strategy, capability gaps, teaming, and staffing.
• Lead captures on opportunities identified and shaped through customer engagements (under $15M).
• Coordinate with PMO, Engineering, Contracts, and Finance to craft solutions and staffing.
• Lead solution content for RFIs, white papers, and RFPs; attend trade shows and industry days.
• Monitor portfolio delivery to ensure services meet customer needs and adjust as needed.

Skills

Leadership

Relationship-building

Strategic thinking

Proposal development

Capture management

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

Tools

Shipley

Job description

Description

Elevate your career with Detroit Defense! Join a dynamic team dedicated to national security through cutting-edge technology. Since 2008, Detroit Defense has led in delivering advanced solutions to the Department of Defense (DoD). Dive into innovation in Systems Engineering, Combat Vehicle Integration, Digital Transformation, Cybersecurity, IT, Data Analytics and Software Development. Your journey to impactful work and rapid growth starts now—Behind the Mission Beyond the Challenge!

Detroit Defense is seeking a Director of Navy Business Development for our Mission Services division. This growth-focused leadership role combines business development with hands‑on services expertise, with an emphasis on Navy Software and Systems Engineering programs. This Director of Navy Business Development position will be key in the development of customer relationships across the Navy and identify, shape, and win new opportunities. Additionally, close collaboration with the Business Development team, to drive opportunities through capture.

Location

Pax River, MD or the Washington, DC area is the preferred location.

Travel Requirement

20% to 30% travel to customer sites, partner sites, conferences, and corporate locations will be required.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Identify, qualify, and shape new business opportunities, using domain expertise and community relationships to position Detroit Defense ahead of formal requirements.
• Develop and maintain customer intelligence, including mission, budgets, buying patterns, and operational needs, to drive portfolio growth.
• Build relationships across customer program offices, operators, and the broader community; engage customers directly where technical credibility advances the opportunity.
• Serve as the division's expert on portfolio services and solutions, with emphasis on Navy software and systems engineering; shape offerings to customer mission needs.
• Partner with Division Business Development throughout capture: solution development, win strategy, capability gap analysis, teaming, and PWin improvement.
• Lead captures on opportunities that have been identified and shaped through customer engagements, under $15M
• Collaborate with functional departments, including the PMO, Engineering, Contracts, and Finance, to develop sound solutions, realistic estimates, and executable staffing plans.
• Lead solution content and technical narrative for RFI, white paper, and RFP responses; attend trade shows, industry days, and customer engagements.
• Monitor portfolio delivery to confirm services meet or exceed customer needs; collaborate with Program Managers and Functional Leads to correct courses when they do not.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in a relevant field of study.
• A minimum of fourteen (14) years of progressive experience in business development and defense services delivery, including five years of related business development experience.
• Track record of identifying and shaping opportunities that resulted in captured new business.
• Established relationships and credibility within the customer and operator community.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a United States Secret clearance, up to Top Secret.
• Familiarity with major acquisition vehicles and structured capture processes such as Shipley.
• Working knowledge of the DoD acquisition lifecycle and multiple contract types, including cost plus fixed fee, firm fixed price, award fee, and performance-based.

Detroit Defense offers an impressive compensation and benefits package including

• Medical, Dental & Vision Benefits
• Company Paid Life and AD&D
• Company Paid Short Term and Long-Term Disability
• Flexible Spending & HSA Accounts
• Legal & ID Shield Services
• 401k with Company Match
• Paid holidays, vacation, and sick days

Why Detroit Defense

At Detroit Defense, we deliver mission-critical solutions that enhance national security, protect the warfighter, and enable readiness through innovation, technical excellence, and end-to-end lifecycle support.

Remaining steadfast in our core values of Trustworthy, Mission Driven, Creative, and Agile we are a complex systems integrator for the U.S. Government, Detroit Defense provides solutions to meet the technical and programmatic challenges faced by our customers. Our proven success in multi-domain cross-platform system-of-systems integration results in fielded capability for warfighters. From R&D to production, fielding, and sustainment, Detroit Defense provides services and solutions to Empower Those That protect Us.

Veterans Encouraged to Apply

Detroit Defense proudly supports those who have served. We welcome applicants with military experience, including those transitioning to civilian careers. Your leadership, adaptability, and mission-focused mindset are valued here. Detroit Defense is a proud recipient of the Hire Vets Gold Medallion Award since 2022.

Detroit Defense is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity or gender expression), age, mental or physical disability, creed, ancestry, citizenship, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, medical condition, genetic trait or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.