Vice President of Business Development

About the role

We are a defense and commercial engineering and manufacturing organization seeking a VP of Business Development with demonstrated history selling to the military, with Navy emphasis preferred. You will own the revenue number; sales, marketing, and business development report to you, and you report directly to the CEO with no intervening layer. This is a hands‑on closer’s role.

Responsibilities

• Personally engage NAVSEA program offices, government vehicle program managers, commercial OEM buyers (CONUS and OCONUS) to win work.
• Sell naval and maritime programs: subassemblies, electronics, integration, fabrication, sustainment for NAVSEA, PMS offices, Regional Maintenance Centers, shipyards, naval primes.
• Sell vehicles built/modified to government spec; engineering design, retrofit, upfit programs for U.S. and allied government customers.
• Sell contract manufacturing and engineering services: build‑to‑print and design‑to‑spec work for defense and high‑margin commercial customers.
• Sell Air Force and aerospace programs: technology insertion, sustainment, manufacturing work with AFLCMC, sustainment centers, aerospace OEMs, MRO providers.
• Own the full sales cycle: capture strategy, proposal, negotiation, close; develop naval capture strategy from scratch.
• Provide bid/no‑bid recommendations with CEO and engineering leadership, backed by win‑probability analysis.
• Structure and price contracts across FFP, CPFF, T&M, IDIQ, BPA vehicles, domestic and FMS.
• Manage marketing, brand, and external presence at industry days, technical interchange meetings, trade shows.
• Oversee HubSpot as customer database and AI tooling for prospecting, proposal drafting, pipeline forecasting.
• Build a sales and marketing organization as booked revenue justifies it, blending employees with fractional specialists.

Requirements

• Proven track record of personally closing military programs, preferably Navy, with named programs, customers, and contracts.
• Direct experience closing DoD contracts (not just supporting a capture team).
• Demonstrated ability to sell more than one thing: naval programs, vehicles or vehicle systems, and contract manufacturing/engineering services capability.
• 12+ years in defense, aerospace, or government contracting sales and business development, including 5+ years carrying a revenue target at VP, Senior Director, or equivalent level.
• Engineering or technical degree with sufficient depth to converse credibly with customer engineers.
• Working knowledge of FAR, DFARS, ITAR, government contract vehicles, and DoD pricing structures.
• Willingness to travel up to 50% domestically and internationally; valid passport or ability to obtain one.
• U.S. Person status as defined by ITAR (22 CFR 120.62).

Skills

• Air Force or aerospace sales record alongside Navy work (AFLCMC, sustainment centers, aerospace OEMs).
• Foreign Military Sales experience selling to allied government customers internationally.
• Experience with tactical wheeled vehicles, ground vehicle programs, TACOM, vehicle modification and upfit work.
• Active or recently held Secret clearance.
• Hands‑on use of HubSpot and AI prospecting or proposal tools (personally used, not delegated).
• Experience standing up a business development function where none existed.

Location and travel

Greater Detroit Area; residence in the area is preferred but not required. Travel runs up to 50%, both within the United States and internationally, driven by customer engagement, program support at government and shipyard locations, trade shows, and business development activity.