International Capture Director

Varda; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 215,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Long-term incentives

ISO plans

Job summary

Varda in Huntsville, AL seeks an International Capture Director to drive global defense opportunities and cross-border campaigns from the on-site office. You will own end-to-end capture lifecycle, coordinate with mission management, pricing, and legal teams, and secure multi-million dollar international contracts.

You will maintain deep relationships with foreign governments, embassies, and defense partners, shaping discriminatory value while navigating ITAR/EAR and export regimes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor-level degree required in a technical or global affairs field.
• 7+ years in international capture management or business development with aerospace/defense exposure.
• Demonstrated ITAR/EAR export control navigation and cross-border tech transfers.

Responsibilities

• Identify, qualify, and capture high-value international defense solicitations from allied governments and aerospace R&D entities.
• Own end-to-end international proposals from handoff to contract award, ensuring US regulatory compliance.
• Lead regulatory compliance efforts for export controls and cross-border collaborations.

Skills

Global capture management

Cross-functional leadership

ITAR/EAR compliance

Security clearance

US citizenship

Proposal development

International diplomacy

Education

Bachelor’s degree in international business/marketing, Engineering, Science, Global Affairs

Job description

Low Earth orbit is open for business. Varda is accelerating the development of commercial space infrastructure, from in-orbit pharmaceutical processing to reliable and economical reentry capsules.Varda’s W-Series vehicles are built, designed, and operated by Varda in-house, including the pharmaceutical processing payloads, the capsules, the C-PICA heat shields, and the satellite buses.

From life-saving pharmaceuticals to more powerful fiber optics, there is a world of products used on Earth today that can only be manufactured in space. Varda is accelerating innovation in the orbital economy by creating both the products and infrastructure needed so space can directly benefit life on Earth. Our mission is to expand the economic bounds of humankind.

Our team is uniquely suited to accomplishing this goal, with leadership and staff comprised of veterans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, major pharmaceutical companies and Silicon Valley. Varda was founded in January 2021 by Will Bruey and Delian Asparouhov with significant backing from world class investors including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, Founders Fund, Caffeinated Capital, General Catalyst, and Also Capital.

Varda is headquartered in El Segundo, California, where we have offices and a production facility where our vehicles, equipment, and materials are built, integrated, and tested. Varda also has offices in Washington, DC and Huntsville, AL.

Join Varda, and work to create a bustling in-space ecosystem.

About Varda

Varda Space Industries is pioneering the future of space-based manufacturing and terrestrial reentry technologies. We support a diverse portfolio of customers, from pharmaceutical companies leveraging microgravity for novel product development to domestic and international defense partners utilizing our Hypersonic and Reentry testbed. Our Reentry Targets offerings validate cutting-edge missile defense capabilities for the U.S. government, allied nations, private industry, and elite academic institutions globally.

The Role

As the International Capture Director , you will serve as the strategic bridge between global Business Development and Mission Management, driving Varda’s expansion across the international defense, aerospace, and space intelligence markets. Based on-site in Huntsville, AL , you will own the end-to-end capture lifecycle for foreign opportunities, orchestrate complex cross-border campaigns, and continuouslyoptimizeour international capture processes and toolsets.

In this role, you will lead formal Color Team reviews, execute "Black Hat" competitive assessmentsforforeign and domesticcustomers, and architect sophisticated international Price-to-Win (PTW) strategies. You will directly accelerate the growth ofVarda’s,Hypersonic Test Bed,Targets-as-a-Service (TaaS), and Orbital Cargoportfolio by securing multi-million dollarcontracts with allied ministries of defense, international aerospace conglomerates, and global R&D entities.

What You\'ll Do

• Global Opportunity Management: Identify, qualify, and capture high-value international defense solicitations across allied foreign governments, international defense agencies, and commercial aerospace R&D entities.
• Lifecycle Ownership: Assume full accountability for international proposals at the handoff gate, driving the strategy throughUSregulatory compliance, multi-nation evaluations, contract negotiation, and closure.
• Export & Regulatory Compliance: Apply deepexpertisein Foreign Military Sales (FMS), Direct Commercial Sales (DCS), ITAR/EAR regulations, and international space treaties to structurecompliantand secure international testbed, orbitalcargoand target pursuits.
• Organic Global Growth: Partner with Mission Management to execute global "keep-sold" strategies, deepening penetration within existing international accounts and cross-border defense partnerships.
• Gate Reviews: Conduct rigorous global go/no-go assessments, evaluating international customer alignment, geopolitical risk, competitive positioning, and financial ROI.
• Competitive Intelligence: Analyze allied nations' defense budgetdocuments and processes, procurement cycles, and geopolitical threat landscapes to map program schedules and funding profiles.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Coordinate with engineering, pricing, legal, and mission management to translate complex technical specs into winning proposal frameworks tailored for international clients.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Cultivate trusted, high-level relationships across foreign government agencies,USmilitary attachés,US Embassies,and global private defense industry leaders to embed key discriminators into Varda's offerings.
• Market Visibility: Represent Varda as a global thought leader at premier international defense conferences, air shows (e.g.,Paris, Farnborough), and global symposia to expand the brand's international footprint.

Basic Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in international business/marketing, Engineering, Science, Global Affairs, or a related technical discipline.
• Experience: 7+ years of dedicated capture management or business development experience within the international aerospace, defense, or national security technology sectors.
• Proventrack recordleading end-to-end international defense captures via FMS or DCS tracks from opportunity identification through contract award.
• Regulatory Mastery: Demonstratedexperience navigating ITAR, EAR, export control compliance, and cross-border technology transfers.
• Leadership: Experience directing matrixed, cross-functional proposal teams, including engineering, pricing, legal, and international trade compliance officers.
• Communication: Exceptional written skills with a demonstrated ability to author compelling white papers, executive summaries, and technical proposals accessible to a global audience.
• Clearance: Active TS/SCI security clearance (or the ability to be fast-tracked for one).
• Travel: Ability to travel 35% – 50% of the time, including extensive international travel.
• Citizenship: U.S. Citizenshiprequiredto conform with ITAR and U.S. space technology export control regulations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Business Administration(MBA), Strategic Studies, Global Security, or Engineering.
• Established professional network within allied defense ministries (e.g.,Japan MoD,UK MoD, Australian DoD, NATO), global hypersonic communities, or international missile defense agencies.
• Familiarity with international space frameworks, multilateral defense agreements, and academic research funding mechanisms.
• Experienceutilizingmodern AI-driven capture tools and advanced prompt-engineering techniques tooptimizeinternational proposal workflows.
• Base Salary Range: $215,000.00 - $240,000.00 / year (Final leveling and salarydeterminedby skills, experience, and education).
• Incentives: Eligible for long-term incentives including stock options and/or long-term cash awards.
• Investment: Access toIncentiveStock(ISO/NSO)plans.
• Classification: Full-time, Exempt.

Consider your benefits covered for launch.