Business Development Director - University of North Dakota (UND) Partnership

Voyager Technologies, Inc. • Grand Forks, ND

9d

About The Position

Voyager Technologies is seeking an innovative business development director to partner with the University of North Dakota in standing up two programs: Voyager and UND national security initiative technologies and product development, and the Voyager Science Park VISTA’s base of operations at UND.
This role emphasizes translating UND–VOYAGER–VISTA collaboration into scalable programs, funded initiatives, and deployable capabilities that serve both commercial space markets and U.S. national security objectives. In addition, this business development director will assist in the implementation of building durable research, workforce, and infrastructure programs aligned with human spaceflight, autonomous systems, and national security.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business, or a related field.
• 7+ years of leadership experience in aerospace, defense, space systems, research organizations, or innovation ecosystems.
• Demonstrated experience working on multi-stakeholder research or technology programs.
• Familiarity with national security, defense, or dual-use technology environments.
• Strong program management, partnership development, and organizational leadership skills.
• Ability to operate effectively with universities, government agencies, and industry partners.
• Ability to travel up to 30% to Voyager headquarters and other locations.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working directly with defense or national security stakeholders.
• Background in human spaceflight systems, autonomous technologies, orbital operations, or planetary systems.
• Experience operationalizing university–industry partnerships.
• Familiarity with federal research funding (DoD, NASA, NSF, FAA).
• Experience developing testbeds, analog facilities, or applied research infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute programs aligned with national security, defense, commercial space, and dual-use technologies.
• Translate UND and other university research strengths into programs supporting space superiority, autonomy, and contested-domain operations.
• Coordinate with defense, civil, and commercial space stakeholders to ensure program relevance and funding alignment.
• Serve as the primary lead for the UND–VISTA partnership, working closely with the UND Vice President of Research and Economic Development office.
• Operationalize collaborative programs in human spaceflight, planetary habitats, autonomous systems, orbital operations, and space policy.
• Develop joint funding strategies (federal, state, defense, and commercial) to sustain collaborative research and workforce pipelines.
• Enable UND facilities (e.g., ILMAH, Neutral Buoyancy Facility, autonomous systems labs) to be integrated into Voyager and VISTA offerings.
• Guide development of facilities, shared infrastructure, and testbeds in North Dakota supporting space and defense missions.
• Align workforce development with UND aerospace medicine, EVA training, autonomy, and space operations expertise.
• Provide representation for Voyager and VISTA operations in North Dakota.
• Establish metrics, governance, and reporting structures for program performance.
• Develop a strategic plan for Voyager and VISTA that aligns with Voyager and UND’s agreed upon vision.

Benefits

• Voyager offers a comprehensive, total compensation package, which includes competitive salary, a discretionary annual bonus plan, paid time off (PTO), a comprehensive health benefit package, retirement savings, wellness program, and various other benefits.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director