Director, Navy Programs Business Development (P5)

Job Summary: We are seeking a highly driven Business Development Director with deep experience in U.S. Navy and foreign defense training markets—specifically Live Training, LVC, and the Air Combat Training ecosystem. The ideal candidate has strong relationships across NAVAIR, NAWCTSD, and PMA-205, understands the buying patterns across Naval project offices, and can shape opportunities from early concept through capture. 

This role will partner closely with Program Management, Engineering, Capture Management, and Executive Leadership to expand our U.S. and foreign training business, drive bookings growth, and position the company for long-term competitive wins. 

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities:  

• Lead business development for U.S. Navy training markets with a focus on Live Air Training, Synthetic-Inject-to-Live (SITL), and ACMI (Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation) solutions.  

• Build, nurture, and maintain relationships with key customer organization stakeholders, requirement generators, and training commands. 

• Drive customer intimacy through regular engagement, on-site visits, and active participation in events, industry days, and cross-functional working groups. 

• Identify new opportunities within USMC/Navy live training domains. 

• Shape early requirements, influencing solution direction, technical architecture, and program structure. 

• Track market intelligence, competitor activities, budgets, and procurement strategies. 

• Lead pre-capture and capture activities for major pursuits; develop win strategies, price-to-win inputs, partnership strategies, and competitive positioning. 

• Lead opportunity gate reviews, risk assessments, and qualification processes. 

• Architect teaming relationships, NDAs, MOUs, and subcontract strategies to strengthen competitive posture. 

• Partner with proposal teams to develop compliant and compelling technical, management, and pricing volumes. 

• Work with Engineering, Product Management, and Program teams to align solutions with customer missions and technology ecosystems (LVC integrators, RF/laser-based TESS, CATS, MILES, AI-enabled training systems, etc.). 

• Communicate pipeline status, forecasts, and pursuit strategies to executive leadership. 

• Contribute to long-term planning, product roadmaps, and IRAD prioritization informed by customer and operational insights. 

Minimum Job Requirements:  

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Engineering, Defense Studies, or a related field. 

• 8 - 10 years of U.S. defense business development experience, specifically within Navy aviation training and simulation. 

• Deep knowledge of tactical aircraft acquisition practices, requirements generation, and/or test and evaluation activities are required.  

• Comprehensive knowledge of aviation training requirements, acquisition methodology and its associated stakeholders. 

• Demonstrated success leading captures. 

• Ability to build customer trust, influence requirements, and develop strategies that lead to measurable wins. 

• Effective communicator with strong presentation and relationship-building skills. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Existing network of relationships across NAVAIR, NAWCD, NAWTSD 

• Familiarity with Coalition aviator and maintenance training, to include recent tactical flight instruction and/or tactics development, weapons instructor course, 5th generation experience, squadron command, and/or SPO/PM experience is desired. 

• Understanding of Foreign Military Sales (FMS) pathways and Direct Commercial Sales (DCS). 

The description provided above is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all job duties, responsibilities and requirements.  Duties, responsibilities and requirements may change over time and according to business need.