Director, Strategy & Business Development

Rendezvous Robotics; Golden (CO); On-site; USD 175,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Medical, vision, dental coverage

Short- and long-term disability

Life insurance

Paid parental leave

Paid vacation and holidays

Job summary

Rendezvous Robotics in Golden, Colorado, is seeking a Director of Strategy & Business Development to lead customer engagement across the full BD lifecycle onsite in Golden. You will build and manage the BD pipeline across DoD, IC, civil space, and commercial customers, shaping opportunities with capability briefings, white papers, and MOUs while negotiating partnerships and driving event strategy.

Collaborate with engineering to translate market needs into product strategy, maintain pipeline

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, physics, business, or related discipline.
• 5+ years in space/defense or adjacent deep-tech with BD, capture, or PM.
• Experience engaging government customers (Space Force / SDA / AFRL / NRO / NASA).
• Understanding of U.S. government acquisition pathways and proposal management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Eligible to obtain a U.S. security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead customer engagement across the full business development lifecycle from qualification through proposal submission and contract award.
• Build and manage the BD pipeline across DoD, IC, civil space, and commercial customers.
• Shape opportunities early through capability briefs, white papers, RFIs, and MOUs.
• Negotiate partnerships and teaming agreements, including partner diligence.
• Develop annual event strategy and post-event follow-up.
• Represent Rendezvous with customers at industry events and on stage.
• Track market intelligence on budgets, timelines, and competitor positioning.
• Collaborate with engineering to align customer and market requirements with product strategy.
• Maintain pipeline health reporting and support revenue forecasting.
• Travel approximately 30% for meetings and conferences.

Skills

Communication skills

Government engagement

Acquisition pathways understanding

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering, physics, or business

Advanced degree in business or engineering

Job description

Director, Strategy & Business Development

Today, everything we send to space is constrained by what fits inside a rocket fairing. That's a fundamental bottleneck to building more capable spacecraft. Rendezvous Robotics is solving this problem with electromagnetic self-assembling tiles: modular spacecraft components that rendezvous, dock, and latch to assemble bigger and more powerful spacecraft than anything that can be folded to fit into a rocket.

We're a small team based in Golden, Colorado, executing on a clear path from flight demonstration to our first operational systems. We're building for national security, civil, and commercial customers who need spacecraft beyond what a fairing allows.We are looking for the best people in the world who want to build the next generation of advanced spacecraft.

The Director, Strategy & Business Development is a full-time, onsite role in Golden, Colorado.

Responsibilities & Ownership

• Lead customer engagement across the full business development lifecycle, develop capture strategy and price-to-win, and manage pursuits from qualification through proposal submission and contract award
• Build and manage the business development pipeline across DoW, IC, civil space, and commercial customers
• Shape opportunities early through capability briefings, white papers, RFI responses, and MOUs
• Negotiate partnerships and teaming agreements, including diligence on prospective partners
• Build our annual event strategy, covering event selection, pre-show meeting plans, and post-event follow-up
• Represent Rendezvous with customers, at industry events, and on stage
• Track market intelligence on customer budget cycles, POM timing, acquisition pathways, and competitor positioning
• Work with engineering to bring customer and market requirements into product strategy
• Maintain pipeline health reporting and support revenue forecasting, operational planning, and investor updates
• Travel approximately 30% for customer meetings, conferences, and industry events

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, physics, business, or a related discipline
• 5+ years relevant experience in the space, defense, or adjacent deep-tech industries, with experience in business development, capture, or program management
• Demonstrated experience engaging government customers or programs (e.g. Space Force/SDA/AFRL/NRO/NASA)
• Understanding of U.S. government acquisition pathways and experience with proposal management, development, and writing
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including experience presenting to external audiences
• Eligible to obtain a U.S. security clearance

Preferred Qualifications

• A strong personal network across government agencies, defense primes, and space companies, actively built and maintained through industry events and direct customer engagement
• Experience with government proposals including SBIRs, STRATFI/TACFI, OTAs, and CRADAs
• Prior engineering or program management experienceExperience directing external consultants, subcontractors, or partners against deliverables and deadlines
• Advanced degree in business or engineering

Compensation and Benefits

Director, Strategy & Business Development: $175,000 - $200,000

Your actual base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience. In addition to the base salary, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of stock options. Relocation assistance is available for candidates moving to the Denver metro area. You will receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, short- and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, and paid parental leave. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year.

ITAR Requirements
To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Equal Opportunity
Rendezvous Robotics is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Rendezvous Robotics is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.