VP of Growth Strategy

About the role

This is a business-development strategy role that translates executive guidance into a disciplined go-to-market plan for Firestorm’s product family—today the xCell expeditionary manufacturing platform and the family of unmanned aircraft. Reporting to the Chief Growth Officer, you own the analysis, strategy, and recommendations that determine which opportunities the BD team commits resources to and why. A Strategic Partnerships Manager executes the initiatives you set in motion.

Responsibilities

• Market analysis and go-to-market strategy
  • Maintain an evidence-based view of the Department of War customer landscape (Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Space Force, SOCOM, Combatant Commands with INDOPACOM as the priority theater, DIU, service innovation organizations, service research laboratories, and adjacent agencies).
  • Analyze policy, budget, and acquisition data (PPBE submissions, NDAA and appropriations language, service posture statements, program-office signals) and translate it into a written go-to-market and customer-engagement strategy aligned with xCell, aircraft, and the product-development roadmap.
  • Publish the initial go-to-market strategy within 90 days and keep it current as budgets, policy, and customer priorities shift.
  • Define the value proposition by customer segment in plain language and hold the pipeline to it.
  • Recommend which demonstrations, experiments, and revenue opportunities fit the value proposition and roadmap, and which do not.
  • Inform the product roadmap by delivering demand signals, policy developments, customer feedback, and budget forecasts to product and engineering.
• Strategic partnerships
  • Own the strategy and senior business relationships for Firestorm’s most important partners: primes, OEMs, and other public and private value-add partners.
  • Direct the Strategic Partnerships Manager, who executes day-to-day relationship building, maintenance, and documentation in line with your direction.
  • Work with product and engineering to determine which OEMs fit the product ecosystem and roadmap, and own the business side of those relationships once fit is established.
  • Apply the same quality test to partnerships as to revenue to identify partnerships that strengthen the value proposition or open a chosen market.
• International and OCONUS market development
  • Identify and assess international and OCONUS markets Firestorm has not yet entered and build entry strategies for those that make sense.
  • Consolidate early-stage OCONUS pursuits into a coherent, prioritized plan the BD team can execute and leadership can fund.

Across all three mandates:

• Act as a trusted advisor to the CGO, CEO, and VP of Business Development on where to invest scarce capital, people, and equipment.
• Track competitor positioning and policy developments affecting autonomy, additive manufacturing, and expeditionary logistics, folding relevant findings into the go-to-market strategy.
• Represent Firestorm with senior government and industry stakeholders when engagement advances the strategy.

How We Will Measure Success

• A written go-to-market strategy, covering the named customer set and product lines, published within 90 days and updated on a regular cadence.
• A clear, stated value proposition by customer segment that the BD team uses to qualify opportunities.
• A documented recommendation on fit, with rationale, for every significant demonstration, experiment, or revenue pursuit the BD team considers.
• A prioritized strategic-partnership plan with owned senior relationships across primes, OEMs, and value-add partners.
• A prioritized international and OCONUS market-entry plan with a stated rationale for each market included or excluded.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Engineering, International Relations, Public Policy, or a related field.
• U.S. citizenship required due to ITAR regulations, and the ability to obtain and maintain a Department of War security clearance.
• 8+ years of experience in defense strategy, market analysis, capture, or government contracting within the national-security sector.
• Understanding of the Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) process, rapid-acquisition pathways, and the congressional authorization and appropriations cycle.
• Experience reading policy and budget documents and turning them into a defensible market strategy.
• Established professional network across the services, Combatant Commands, DoW innovation organizations, and the prime and OEM community.
• Experience shaping and structuring strategic partnerships, teaming arrangements, or OEM relationships in the defense industry.
• Experience communicating complex strategic and technical concepts clearly to senior government, military, and industry leaders.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or advanced degree in Business, Strategy, Public Policy, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in defense strategy, market analysis, capture, or government contracting within the national-security sector.
• Active DoW security clearance, Secret or higher.
• Experience with international defense markets, allied and partner-nation engagement, or OCONUS market entry.
• Experience in defense-innovation organizations such as DIU, AFWERX, or service-level R&D commands.
• Experience in a 0-to-1 environment where the market strategy had to be built rather than inherited.

Work Environment

• On-site, hybrid role based in San Diego, CA; relocation assistance may be included where appropriate.
• Up to 35% travel within a calendar year, domestic and international.
• Standard office and manufacturing environment; ability to sit, stand, bend, reach, and move about regularly; manual dexterity to operate standard office equipment.

Compensation

• Base salary: $210,000 – $230,000, commensurate with experience.
• Equity: Meaningful equity grant in a growth-stage defense technology company.

Benefits & Perks

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans.
• 401(k) retirement savings plan.
• Equity grants for new hires.
• Unlimited PTO and an extremely generous holiday calendar, including holiday hiatuses in July and December.
• Generous parental leave.
• Lifestyle spending account, FSA, DCFSA, and HSA options.
• Critical illness, accident, and basic life/AD&D insurance (100% covered by Firestorm; option to purchase additional life insurance).
• Mental-health resources available 24/7, plus free legal and financial support.