Senior Business Development Director, DoD

NODA AI, Inc.; Washington (District of Columbia); Remote; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

NODA AI, Inc. is seeking a Senior Business Development Director to lead growth across the U.S. Department of Defense.

This is a builder's role, not account management; you will identify emerging mission needs, establish trusted relationships across the defense enterprise, and drive opportunities from initial engagement through contract award. You will work with operators, acquisition professionals, program offices, prime contractors, and industry partners to position NODA where our autonomous

Qualifications

• 8+ years of DoD business development or related experience.
• Proven success from initial engagement to award.
• Strong understanding of DoD acquisition and budget cycles.
• Experience with FAR-based contracting and OTAs, CSOs, SBIR/STTR, IDIQs.
• Technical fluency in autonomous systems and AI-enabled software.
• Established relationships across DoD components and program offices.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute NODA's DoD business development strategy across DoD components, PEOs, and adjacent mission organizations.
• Build trusted relationships with operators, mission planners, acquisition professionals, contracting officers, laboratories, and senior government stakeholders.
• Identify, qualify, shape, and capture strategic opportunities from early customer engagement through proposal, negotiation, award, and transition to execution.
• Develop and maintain a healthy multi-quarter pipeline with accurate forecasting and disciplined CRM management.
• Lead capture planning including customer engagement strategy, competitive assessments, solution shaping, teaming strategies, pricing support, win themes, proposal development, bid/no-bid, and gate reviews.
• Influence future customer requirements through regular engagement with operators, mission planners, acquisition professionals, and program offices.
• Partner with Engineering, Product, Mission Operations, Contracts, and Executive Leadership to align customer priorities with product roadmap and growth strategy.
• Navigate FAR-based contracts, OTAs, CSOs, SBIR/STTR, IDIQs, and rapid acquisition mechanisms.
• Identify and cultivate strategic partnerships with prime contractors, systems integrators, academia, and mission partners.
• Represent NODA at demonstrations, exercises, and industry events including NDIA, AUSA, AFA, Sea-Air-Space, Modern Day Marine.
• Monitor mission priorities, acquisition strategies, funding, competitive activity, and capability gaps to inform executive decision-making.
• Develop executive briefings, capability presentations, white papers, and strategic communications.

Skills

DoD domain knowledge

Acquisition strategy

Executive relationship building

Customer engagement

Technical fluency: autonomous systems

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in relevant field

Job description

Senior Business Development Director, DoD

Location: Remote, US. Preference for East Coast / Washington, D.C. area (approximately 30% travel supporting customer engagements, demonstrations, and industry events)

Clearance Requirement: U.S. Citizen with the ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance

About NODA

NODA is a Veteran-owned, venture-backed technology company transforming how unmanned systems collaborate in complex, mission-critical environments. We are developing next-generation solutions that enable the autonomous orchestration of heterogeneous unmanned systems across air, sea, land, and space, with vital applications in the defense, intelligence, and commercial sectors.

Our Business Development team plays a critical role in shaping how autonomous systems are adopted across the defense enterprise, influencing requirements before they are written, shaping acquisition strategies before they are released, and accelerating the transition of next-generation autonomy capabilities from concept to operational deployment.

Joining NODA means working on meaningful technology that pushes the boundaries of autonomy alongside a team that thrives on innovation, rapid iteration, and collaboration.

The Role

We are seeking a Senior Business Development Director to lead growth across the U.S. Department of Defense. This is not an account management role. This is a builder's role.

You will identify emerging mission needs, establish trusted relationships across the defense enterprise, influence acquisition strategies, and lead opportunities from initial engagement through contract award. You will work directly with operators, acquisition professionals, Program Executive Offices, prime contractors, and industry partners to position NODA where our technology creates operational advantage.

Success in this role requires initiative, sound judgment, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to operate independently in a fast-moving startup environment where priorities evolve quickly and opportunities are often created rather than assigned. The ideal candidate is equally comfortable discussing operational challenges with end users, technical integration with engineers, and acquisition strategy with senior government leaders.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute NODA's business development strategy across DoD components, Program Executive Offices, and adjacent mission organizations

• Build trusted relationships with operators, mission planners, acquisition professionals, contracting officers, laboratories, innovation organizations, prime contractors, and senior government stakeholders

• Identify, qualify, shape, and capture strategic opportunities from early customer engagement through proposal, negotiation, award, and transition to execution

• Develop and maintain a healthy multi-quarter pipeline while delivering accurate forecasting, opportunity qualification, and disciplined CRM management

• Lead capture planning including customer engagement strategy, competitive assessments, solution shaping, teaming strategies, pricing support, win themes, proposal development, bid/no-bid recommendations, and executive gate reviews

• Influence future customer requirements through regular engagement with operators, mission planners, acquisition professionals, and program offices

• Partner closely with Engineering, Product, Mission Operations, Contracts, and Executive Leadership to align customer priorities with NODA's product roadmap and growth strategy

• Navigate FAR-based contracts, OTAs, CSOs, SBIR/STTR, IDIQs, DIU, AFWERX, DARPA, and other rapid acquisition mechanisms

• Identify and cultivate strategic partnerships with prime contractors, systems integrators, emerging technology companies, academia, and mission partners

• Represent NODA at demonstrations, operational exercises, and industry events including NDIA, AUSA, AFA, Sea-Air-Space, and Modern Day Marine

• Monitor mission priorities, acquisition strategies, funding, competitive activity, and capability gaps to inform executive decision-making

• Develop executive briefings, capability presentations, white papers, and strategic communications

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of business development, capture management, military, government, or related DoD experience

• Demonstrated success winning new business from customer engagement through contract award

• Strong understanding of the DoD enterprise, acquisition organizations, budget cycles, and procurement processes

• Experience with FAR-based contracting and non-traditional acquisition pathways including OTAs, CSOs, SBIR/STTR, IDIQs, and rapid acquisition efforts

• Technically fluent in autonomous systems, unmanned platforms, and AI-enabled software, with the ability to bridge operational requirements and engineering capabilities in customer conversations

• Established relationships across DoD components, program offices, and defense innovation organizations

• Ability to engage credibly in technical discussions involving autonomy, AI-enabled software, robotics, interoperability, and unmanned systems

• Experience developing account strategies, capture plans, competitive positioning, and win strategies

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of military, government, and industry experience

• Ability to travel approximately 30%

• U.S. citizenship required due to ITAR regulations, with the ability to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior military service or extensive experience supporting DoD organizations across one or more services or combatant commands

• Existing relationships across OSD, service acquisition executives, combatant commands, DARPA, DIU, AFWERX, NavalX, or other defense innovation organizations

• Experience supporting autonomous systems, AI-enabled software, unmanned systems, ISR, C5ISR, robotics, mission autonomy, or adjacent defense technologies

• Experience working within