Director of Strategic Alliances & Capture

S3 AeroDefense, LLC; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

S3 AeroDefense, LLC is seeking a Director of Strategic Alliances & Capture in Milwaukee to drive OEM partnership capture strategy and growth. You will lead enterprise capture efforts, build long-range relationships, and coordinate cross-functional teams to qualify opportunities and win deals.

You will partner with Business Development, Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, and Leadership to assess viability and craft strategic partnership plans supporting S3's long-term objectives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Aviation Management, Supply Chain, Marketing, or related field required.
• MBA or advanced degree preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute S3's OEM capture strategy to support growth, diversification, and long-term objectives.
• Identify, qualify, and prioritize strategic OEM partnership opportunities across aerospace, defense, MRO, distribution, and technical solutions markets.
• Lead development and execution of capture plans, including win strategies, competitive positioning, risk assessment, and value proposition development.
• Build and maintain executive-level relationships with prospective OEM partners and position S3 as a preferred strategic ally.
• Direct cross-functional pursuit teams through opportunity qualification, business case development, and capture execution.
• Develop financial, operational, and strategic business cases to support investment decisions and partnership pursuits.
• Support negotiation and contract strategy for OEM alliances, licensing agreements, distribution partnerships, and repair authorizations.
• Monitor market trends, competitive activity, emerging technologies, and customer requirements to identify new growth opportunities.
• Provide executive leadership with pipeline visibility, capture status updates, revenue forecasts, and strategic recommendations.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to ensure organizational readiness and successful transition of newly secured OEM partnerships to Strategic Alliance Management and operational teams.

Skills

Strategic Thinking

Capture Management

Executive Presence

Negotiation

Relationship Building

Business Acumen

Financial Analysis

Cross-Functional Leadership

Change Management

Decision Making

Communication & Presentation

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA or advanced degree

Job description

Position Summary

The Director of Strategic Alliances & Capture is responsible for developing and executing S3 AeroDefense's OEM partnership capture strategy, ensuring a disciplined approach to identifying, evaluating, and securing strategic growth opportunities. This role serves as the enterprise leader for OEM capture activities, focusing on long-range relationship development, opportunity qualification, market positioning, competitive strategy, partnership negotiations, and pipeline growth.

Job Type

Full-time

Reports To:

Sr. Vice President

Department:

Strategic Alliance Group

FLSA Status:

Exempt

Position Summary

The Director of Strategic Alliances & Capture is responsible for developing and executing S3 AeroDefense's OEM partnership capture strategy, ensuring a disciplined approach to identifying, evaluating, and securing strategic growth opportunities. This role serves as the enterprise leader for OEM capture activities, focusing on long-range relationship development, opportunity qualification, market positioning, competitive strategy, partnership negotiations, and pipeline growth.

The Director partners closely with Business Development, Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Technical Solutions, Finance, Quality, and Executive Leadership to evaluate opportunities, assess business viability, and develop winning partnership strategies that support S3's long-term growth objectives.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• Develop and execute S3's OEM capture strategy to support growth, diversification, and long-term business objectives.
• Identify, qualify, and prioritize strategic OEM partnership opportunities across aerospace, defense, MRO, distribution, and technical solutions markets.
• Lead the development and execution of capture plans, including win strategies, competitive positioning, risk assessment, and value proposition development.
• Build and maintain executive-level relationships with prospective OEM partners and position S3 as a preferred strategic ally.
• Direct cross-functional pursuit teams through opportunity qualification, business case development, and capture execution.
• Develop financial, operational, and strategic business cases to support investment decisions and partnership pursuits.
• Support negotiation and contract strategy for OEM alliances, licensing agreements, distribution partnerships, and repair authorizations.
• Monitor market trends, competitive activity, emerging technologies, and customer requirements to identify new growth opportunities.
• Provide executive leadership with pipeline visibility, capture status updates, revenue forecasts, and strategic recommendations.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to ensure organizational readiness and successful transition of newly secured OEM partnerships to Strategic Alliance Management and operational teams.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Aviation Management, Supply Chain, Marketing, or related field required.
• MBA or advanced degree preferred.

Experience

• 10+ years of experience in aerospace, aviation, defense, OEM management, strategic partnerships, business development, or capture management.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing complex growth strategies and strategic partnerships.
• Experience building executive-level customer or OEM relationships.
• Proven success leading negotiations and securing new business opportunities.
• Experience working in highly regulated aerospace, defense, aviation, or manufacturing environments preferred.

Travel Requirements

Frequent travel (up to 50%) required to support OEM partnership development, executive relationship management, industry events, customer visits, and strategic capture activities, including occasional international travel.

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic Thinking
• Capture Management
• Executive Presence
• Negotiation & Influence
• Relationship Building
• Business Acumen
• Financial Analysis
• Cross-Functional Leadership
• Change Management
• Decision Making
• Communication & Presentation Skills