Senior Manager, Business Development - Defense (Navy & U.S. Marine Corp)

Roboticsconnected; Arlington (VA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Wellness

401(k) retirement plan

Professional development allowance

Paid time off

Job summary

Advanced Navigation seeks a Senior Manager of Business Development for Navy & USMC to bridge advanced navigation tech with defense customers and drive long-term adoption of maritime and autonomous platforms. You will lead pipeline generation and engage primes and OEMs to advance key contracts.

This role blends technical insight with sales leadership, requiring defense domain knowledge, strong writing skills, and collaboration across product, support, and engineering teams.

Qualifications

• 4–7 years in Defense Business Development or Sales, with experience promoting sub-component level products to Primes/OEMs
• Ability to engage deeply with engineers regarding inertial navigation and the APNT ecosystem
• Familiarity with USN/USMC organizations and their operational footprints
• Excellent writing and communication skills with the ability to be both technical and analytical
• STEM degree preferred

Responsibilities

• Pipeline Generation: identify and qualify leads within Prime/OEM groups and Navy R&D centers
• Technical Sales: support the full sales cycle from opening the door to demonstrations and closure
• Bids & Proposals: lead technical writing for White Papers, Sources Sought, and RFIs
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: partner with Product and Support to reflect customer requirements in roadmaps
• CRM Management: ensure Salesforce accuracy for pipeline health and forecasts
• Team Contribution: collaborate across BD, Marketing, Sales Ops, and Engineering to accelerate GTM

Skills

Defense Sales

Technical Sales

Naval Knowledge

Communication

Education

STEM degree (Engineering or related)

Job description

Senior Manager, Business Development - Navy & U.S. Marine Corp

Advanced Navigation is the world’s most determined innovator in AI robotics and navigation technologies across land, air, sea and space applications. Founded on a culture of research and discovery, Advanced Navigation's mission is to be the catalyst of the autonomy revolution. Fields of expertise include artificial intelligence, underwater sonar, GNSS, radio frequency systems, inertial sensors, robotics, quantum sensors and photonics.

Today, Advanced Navigation is a supplier to some of the world's largest companies, including Airbus, Boeing, Google, Tesla, NASA, Apple, and General Motors. Discover it for yourself: https://youtu.be/F7uAqs1gtuk

Location: Hybrid onsite in Huntsville, AL or Remote from: California, DC Metro Area, Florida

Overview of Position

The Business Development Senior Manager is an individual contributor "hunter" role focused on tactical execution and pipeline growth. You will bridge the gap between technical innovation and customer acquisition by promoting AdNav’s hardware directly to Defense Primes and OEMs that support the Navy and Marine Corps. Your mission is to secure long-term adoption (2–4 year horizon) across maritime domains, specifically focusing on Vessel Navigation, and autonomous platforms (UxV//UxS).

Essential Functions

• Pipeline Generation: Proactively identify and qualify leads within Prime/OEM engineering groups and Navy Research/Warfare Centers (ONR, NSWC, NAWCAD, MARCORSYSCOM).
• Technical Sales: Support the execution of the full sales cycle for navigation products, moving from "opening the door" to technical demonstrations and final contract closure with Industry partners.
• Bids & Proposals: Lead the development of technical writing for White Papers, Sources Sought, and RFI responses to position AdNav technology as the preferred solution provider.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Product and Support teams to ensure customer technical requirements (e.g., Radar stabilization or UUV autonomy) are reflected in internal roadmaps.
• CRM Management: Ensure 100% accuracy in Salesforce for tracking pipeline health, customer touchpoints, and long-term order forecasting.
• Team Contribution: Act as a strong team player, collaborating across Business Development, Marketing, Sales Ops, and Engineering to accelerate Go To Market strategies.

Qualification Requirements

• Experience: 4–7 years in Defense Business Development or Sales, with experience in promoting sub-component level products to Primes/OEMs, or recently retired / separated from Navy or Marine Corps.
• Technical Fluency: Ability to engage deeply with engineers regarding inertial navigation, the APNT ecosystem, and autonomous platforms.
• Naval Knowledge: Familiarity with USN/USMC organizations and their operational footprints (e.g., Pax River, China Lake, Quantico).
• Communication: Excellent writing and communication skills with the ability to be both technical and analytical.
• Education: STEM degree (Engineering or related technical field) preferred.

Attributes

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• A strong team player who is passionate about building and creating in a small-team environment.
• Coach-able and invested in long-term professional development.
• Proven time management skills and a decisive, responsive disposition.
• Adaptable to fast-changing environments and international/distributed team structures.

Physical Demands

List physical demands of the position. Sample physical demands include: Strength, stooping, crawling, fingering, hearing, color vision, climbing, kneeling, reaching, feeling, tasting/smelling, depth perception, field of vision, balancing, crouching, handling, and talking.* Be specific, such as, “Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds frequently.”

Traveling, Supporting Customer locations (CONUS & OCONUS), Hardware Demonstration Support Activities

Work Environment

Describe the work environment. Examples: exposure to weather, extreme heat or cold, noise intensity level, atmospheric conditions, exposure to electrical shock, exposure to radiation, exposure to toxic or caustic chemicals, wet and/or humid, vibration, proximity to moving mechanical parts, working high exposed places, working with explosives, any other applicable environment conditions. Be sure to describe the work duties that are affected by the applicable work environment (for example, “Operates x-ray equipment. Worker is subject to possible bodily injury from exposure to gamma and neutron radiation).

Benefits & Perks

• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance options to support you and your family's well-being.
• Retirement Planning: Generous 401(k) retirement savings plan with a competitive company matching contribution up to 7%.
• Continuous Learning: Professional development allowance and budget allocations to support continuous security certifications, licensing, and education.
• Work-Life Balance: Generous paid time off (PTO), sick leave, and paid company holidays to ensure you rest and recharge.

EEO Statement

Advanced Navigation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

Reasonable Accommodation

It is Advanced Navigations business philosophy and practice to provide reasonable accommodations, according to applicable state and federal laws, to all qualified individuals with physical or mental disabilities.

Disclaimer

The statements contained in this job description are intended to describe the general content and requirements for performance of this job. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all job duties, responsibilities, and requirements. Other duties may be assigned.

This job description is not an employment agreement or contract and does not alter the at-will status of the employment relationship. Management has the exclusive right to alter the scope of work within the framework of this job description at any time without prior notice.

US Operations

Huntsville, AL