National Security R&D Growth Manager

Location: Redondo Beach · Department: Business Development

About the role

As the National Security R&D Growth Manager at Impulse, you will help lead our growth initiatives across the national security research and development community to include DARPA, AFRL, NRL, OSD/R&E, NRO/AS&T, and other elements of DoD and IC R&D community. This individual will be a key member of the Business Development team, responsible for identifying new opportunities, shaping customer requirements, and advancing Impulse’s role in enabling responsive and resilient space capabilities. You will engage deeply with government stakeholders and key decision-makers in the national security R&D ecosystem. These relationships will help identify and shape emerging customer needs in Impulse’s wheelhouse and inform our investment and product roadmap. You will craft and maintain R&D elements of Impulse’s five-year pipeline. These elements will form the “seed corn” for future Impulse programs of record, add fuel to our internal R&D investments, and accelerate development of future Impulse products.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute business development strategies for national security R&D markets
• Identify and qualify new opportunities for DoD and IC R&D customers
• Seed, shape, and influence emerging customer requirements through early engagement and thought leadership
• Collaborate with internal engineering and mission teams to craft compelling solutions and white papers
• Lead capture efforts, proposal strategy, teaming discussions, and stakeholder outreach
• Represent Impulse Space at key industry days, technical forums, and classified engagements
• Maintain situational awareness of acquisition pathways (e.g., OTAs, MTA, SBIR/STTR, IDIQ) and upcoming solicitations
• Work closely with executive leadership to align defense pursuits with long-term strategic objectives

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in business development, capture, or program management in the national security space domain
• Demonstrated experience with the U.S. Department of Defense and/or Intelligence Community R&D customers
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills with both technical and executive stakeholders
• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) or higher in engineering, science, or defense technology
• Active TS/SCI clearance or eligibility to obtain one
• Ability to travel as needed (up to 50%)

Skills

• 8+ years of demonstrated experience working directly with national security, as pertains to spacecraft, satellites, launch vehicles, or similar
• Experience with early-stage or high-growth aerospace companies
• Demonstrated track record of shaping and winning R&D programs or advanced concept studies

Pay

$130,000 - $160,000 per year

Benefits

• Long-term incentives in the form of stock options
• Medical, vision, and dental coverage
• 401(k) retirement plan