VP of Business Development Special Programs

Senior executive role driving revenue generation, pipeline development, and strategic market expansion for a defense company specializing in unmanned aerial systems (UAS), advanced drone technologies, and high-end program support services.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary growth architect, cultivating and owning key customer relationships with defense acquisition organizations including the Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO), Big Safari, U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), and affiliated special operations and intelligence community stakeholders.
• Provide executive-level briefings on pipeline health, market trends, and growth opportunities.
• Develop and execute comprehensive business development strategies to expand the company’s UAV solutions within U.S. Government markets, including the Department of Defense, Government Affairs offices, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
• Identify, qualify, and pursue new contract opportunities across multiple acquisition pathways, OTA agreements, sole-source awards, and strategic partnerships.
• Lead capture management activities for priority programs, including opportunity shaping, competitive analysis, win strategy development, and proposal positioning.
• Establish and maintain senior-level relationships with government decision-makers, military leadership, program executive offices, and policy stakeholders to influence requirements and align solutions with mission needs.
• Serve as a liaison between government customers and internal teams, translating operational requirements into actionable technical, programmatic, and commercial strategies.
• Collaborate closely with Marketing, engineering, product management, legal, and program management teams to ensure offerings meet technical specifications, regulatory requirements, and security standards.
• Monitor and analyze defense policy, budgetary trends, and legislative developments impacting UAV programs and government acquisition priorities.
• Guide and support proposal development efforts, including review of technical, management, and pricing strategies to ensure competitive and compliant submissions.
• Drive strategic partnerships and teaming arrangements to enhance market access and competitive positioning.
• Represent the company at government, defense, and industry forums, briefings, and conferences to strengthen visibility and credibility within the national security community.
• Provide accurate forecasting, pipeline management, and performance reporting to executive leadership, ensuring alignment with corporate growth objectives.
• Develop, lead, and execute a comprehensive business development strategy aligned with corporate growth objectives across UAS, ISR, and advanced support services markets.
• Identify, qualify, and capture new business opportunities across the full spectrum of DoD and Intelligence Community (IC) customers, with emphasis on special operations, rapid acquisition, and classified programs.
• Build and manage a robust, multi-year pipeline of qualified opportunities that ensures sustained revenue growth and market diversification.
• Lead long-range strategic planning, market analysis, and competitive intelligence activities to identify emerging gaps, white spaces, and adjacencies in the UAS and defense services landscape.
• Serve as the company's senior-most relationship executive with priority customers including USSOCOM, RCO, Big Safari, AFSOC, JSOC, and related program offices and program executive offices (PEOs).
• Establish and maintain trusted advisor relationships with senior government officials, program managers, contracting officers, and operational end-users.
• Represent the company at high-level customer engagements, industry conferences, mission briefings, and government forums.
• Engage proactively with customer stakeholders to shape requirements, influence acquisition strategies, and position the company for competitive advantage well ahead of formal solicitations.
• Lead and oversee capture efforts for strategic opportunities, including development of win strategies, competitive assessments, teaming strategies, and price-to-win analysis.
• Partner with capture managers, program managers, and proposal teams to ensure cohesive, compelling, and compliant proposal submissions.
• Evaluate and recommend teaming arrangements, strategic partnerships, and subcontracting opportunities that strengthen competitive positioning and expand capabilities.
• Maintain accountability for opportunity gate reviews, bid/no-bid decisions, and capture investment recommendations presented to executive leadership.
• Exhibit professional behavior with both internal and external business associates that reflects positively on the company and aligns with company policies and cultural values.
• Regular and reliable full-time attendance in accordance with posted schedule.

Requirements

• Ability to obtain/maintain a Top Secret/SCI DoD clearance; U.S. Citizenship required.
• Current presence and network within professional circles and associations.
• Demonstrated experience in managing diverse teams solving complex challenges.
• Highly competitive and driven to win.
• Financially literate with understanding of cost structures and returns on investment.
• Exceptional ability to develop, retain, and maximize focus on client needs.
• Ability to rapidly acquire and apply knowledge of company operations and core competencies to develop integrated solutions.
• Incisive thinker; creative problem-solver with resource integration abilities.
• Excellent communication skills for developing, presenting, and promoting integrated solutions to decision-makers in both public and private sectors.
• Strong ability to establish and maintain successful working relationships with clients, corporate leaders, project managers, staff, and other business enterprises and partners.
• Strong knowledge of trends in government and industry affecting corporate business areas.
• Bachelor’s Degree required; Master’s Degree preferred. Additional years of relevant experience may substitute for formal education.
• 12+ years of progressively increasing functional experience in the Federal government or industry equivalent.
• Established relationships within the Defense and Defense Adjacent Marketplace.

Leadership Competencies

• Directs and provides expert knowledge in the strategic function of the department.
• Develops short and long-term people and organizational strategy in alignment with company goals.
• Leads with impact and influence; establishes credibility, effectively persuades and develops others, and achieves important objectives collaboratively.
• Drives strategic change and promotes improvements within the organization.
• Identifies, recruits, and retains top-notch talent.
• Champions company culture and empowers employees to take responsibility for their jobs and goals.
• Sets performance standards and encourages employee engagement and results through delegation, continuous feedback, goal setting, and performance management.
• Maintains transparent communication through department meetings, one-on-one meetings, and appropriate email and regular interpersonal communication.

Physical Requirements

• Frequently required to sit and reach to use computers and other office equipment.
• Frequently required to stand for extended periods of time.

Benefits

• 401(k)-retirement plan.
• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, and Life insurance group coverage with a portion of the premiums paid by the company.
• Professional development funds.
• Employee Assistance Plan (EAP) with counseling, legal help, child and elder care support, among other benefits for qualified employees.

About the Company

AEVEX, headquartered in Solana Beach, California, supports the U.S. national security mission and partner nation needs around the world by providing full-spectrum aviation, remote sensing, and analysis solutions. The company's capabilities include custom design and engineering; rapid prototyping; sensor integration and sustainment; aircraft modification and certification; flight test instrumentation and support; mission operations service; advanced intelligence data processing, exploitation, and dissemination solutions; and tailored hardware and software mission-system tools. AEVEX uses agile and customized approaches to rapidly define, develop, and deliver specialized solutions for airborne special mission needs for the U.S. Government, partner nations, and commercial businesses. AEVEX has major offices in California, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia.