Vice President, Business Development - Defense Engineering Solutions (DES)

Parsons; Chantilly (VA); Remote; USD 230,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

Parsons is seeking a visionary Vice President of Business Development to lead our Defense Engineering Solutions growth and customer relationships. You will translate strategy into actionable plans, build a high-performing BD and capture team, and drive disciplined execution across major defense modernization programs.

You will shape demand, manage pipeline health, and shepherd win strategies from opportunity identification to award, partnering with cross-functional leaders to deliver sustained

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the DES strategic growth plan aligned to the Defense & Intelligence Roadmap and Parsons priorities.
• Define and lead DES growth focus areas, translating strategy into measurable pipeline creation, capture priorities, and conversion plans.
• Drive short- and long-term business and marketing strategies to expand Parsons' market position and customer trust within DES-aligned mission sets.
• Use market intelligence and customer insights to inform investment priorities across R&D, technology differentiation, workforce strategy, and partner ecosystem.
• Own DES sales and bookings performance, meeting or exceeding business plan metrics tied to awards, bookings, and conversion outcomes.
• Establish performance transparency through rigorous forecasting, pipeline analytics, and operating rhythm tied to quarterly and annual targets.
• Lead DES business development and capture management staff, ensuring organization structure, capacity, and capability align to growth goals.
• Build and sustain a high-performance culture with clear accountability, coaching, and measurable outcomes.

Job description

In a world of possibilities, pursue one with endless opportunities. Imagine Next!

At Parsons, you can imagine a career where you thrive, work with exceptional people, and be yourself. Guided by our leadership vision of valuing people, embracing agility, and fostering growth, we cultivate an innovative culture that empowers you to achieve your full potential. Unleash your talent and redefine what's possible.

Remote locations near major Parsons hubs or key customer locations may be considered.

Job Description:

Parsons is looking for an amazingly talented Vice President of Business Development , to join our Defense Engineering Solutions (DES) team! In this role you will be a strategic, mission-driven leader responsible for defining and executing Parsons' growth strategy across defense engineering, modernization, and mission enablement markets. This role requires a leader who can shape demand, build enduring customer relationships, and drive disciplined business development execution, delivering measurable sales outcomes and sustained growth aligned to Parsons' Defense & Intelligence strategy. This leader will operate with a high degree of ownership and accountability for DES sales performance, pipeline health, capture excellence, and conversion outcomes. Success requires strong market instincts, customer credibility, and the ability to translate operational needs into winning strategies and differentiated solutions. The VP will lead a high-performing BD and capture team, align cross-functional stakeholders, and ensure Parsons is positioned to win both strategic new business and on-contract growth.

What You'll Be Doing:

Strategic Leadership & Growth Planning

Develop and execute the DES strategic growth plan and vision, aligned to the Defense & Intelligence Strategic Roadmap and Parsons enterprise priorities.

Define and lead DES growth focus areas, translating strategy into measurable pipeline creation, capture priorities, and conversion plans.

Drive short- and long-term business and marketing strategies to expand Parsons' market position, relevance, and customer trust within DES-aligned mission sets.

Use market intelligence and customer insights to inform investment priorities across IR&D, technology differentiation, workforce strategy, and partner ecosystem development.

Sales Performance & Bookings Accountability

Own DES sales and book-to-bill performance, meeting or exceeding business plan metrics tied to awards, bookings, and conversion outcomes.

Consistently achieve a book-to-bill ratio >1.0x, with a focus on quarterly performance and measurable results.

Establish performance transparency through rigorous forecasting, pipeline analytics, and operating rhythm tied to quarterly and annual targets.

Pipeline Development, Qualification & Conversion

Build, mature, and continuously improve a high-quality pipeline across both tactical and strategic opportunities, including on-contract growth, task orders, and major competitive pursuits.

Own pipeline rigor and health metrics including: Volume: Qualified opportunities aligned to growth focus areas, Velocity: Pace from qualification through pursuit and award, Quality: Increasing pWin through positioning, shaping, and capture excellence

Team Leadership

Lead DES business development and capture management staff, ensuring organizational structure, capacity, and capability are aligned to growth goals.

Build and sustain a high-performance culture with clear accountability, coaching, and measurable outcomes.

Ensure staffing plans support near-term pursuits and long-term pipeline growth, including recruiting strategies for critical BD/capture roles.

Desired Outcomes

• Consistently high book-to-bill ratios, reflecting strong new business wins.
• Sustain a book-to-bill ratio >1.0x, demonstrating continuous growth and sales performance.
• Capture multiple $250M+ contracts annually in DES mission areas.
• Convert a growing percentage of pipeline into awarded work, improving BD velocity/effectiveness
• Enhanced market recognition for DES growth focus areas.

Key Relationships

Reports to: SVP Business Development, Defense & Intelligence. Direct partnership with SVP DES and leadership team.

Functional leaders (Contracts, Procurement, Finance, Pricing, HR, Legal, Security, etc.)

External: Department of Defense customers and mission partners including: U.S. Army: DEVCOM C5ISR Center, PEO C3T, PEO IEW&S, CECOM SEC, Air and Missile Defense programs supporting air base defense and radar modernization. Joint / C2 stakeholders: Program offices and mission owners aligned to Next-Generation Command and Control (NGC2), Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2), and multi-domain integration. U.S. Air Force: Organizations focused on air base air defense, integrated sensing, and command and control modernization. Intelligence Community stakeholders including NGA, NRO. Others supporting PAI/OSINT-enabled intelligence fusion, operational intelligence, and multi-source data exploitation. Industry a