Business Development Lead - Air Force

Nominal•Washington, DC

15h•Remote

About The Position

As part of Nominal’s Federal Business Development team, you will drive how we expand with the Department of the Air Force—owning pipeline creation, customer engagement, and deal execution across key defense accounts. This is a highly strategic, externally-facing role focused on shaping and closing complex opportunities across the U.S. Air Force and the broader test enterprise. This role partners closely with Capture Strategy, which owns capture strategy and win positioning, while this role owns customer relationships and deal execution. You will work at the intersection of mission, product, and growth—translating customer needs into enduring programs and positioning Nominal as foundational infrastructure for test and operations.

Requirements

5+ years of experience in business development, growth, capture, program strategy, or related roles supporting or serving U.S. military and civilian organizations, particularly the U.S. Air Force and/or the Test enterprise
Deep understanding of Department of the Air Force organizational structures and priorities and experience developing, shaping, or executing complex technical opportunities
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging across technical and non-technical audiences
Keen awareness of when and how to pull in the right teammates to build targeted demos, perform technical discovery, identify capability gaps, understand integration and deployability options, share compliance and infosec guidance, and more
A strong sense of urgency and ownership, with the ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments and drive outcomes in ambiguous settings
Experience managing pipelines, forecasting, and consistently hitting growth targets
Technical background or degree: Background in computer science, mechanical engineering, or other heavy industry
Willing to travel up to 50%
Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret / Secure Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearance

Nice To Haves

Experience delivering growth outcomes for defense or dual-use software products and proven success developing and executing go-to-market strategies for emerging defense technologies
Familiarity with non-traditional acquisition pathways and commercial product acquisitions
Established relationships across relevant U.S. Government stakeholders, prime contractors, and mission partners
Background in data systems, data analysis, and/or hardware engineering is a plus
Prior U.S. military or government experience is a plus

Responsibilities

Apply a strong understanding of customer priorities, mission environments, and acquisition dynamics to shape and close strategic opportunities by aligning customer mission needs with Nominal’s platform and long-term roadmap
Identify, shape, negotiate, and close new market opportunities, aligning account growth with overall business objectives
Develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders across customer organizations, generating buy-in and alignment with end users, program managers, acquisition officials, technical leaders, and industry partners
Provide insight into customer priorities, funding dynamics, acquisition pathways, and requirements to inform Nominal’s Federal growth strategy
Own the process of qualifying, cultivating, and capturing opportunities in close partnership with growth, mission, legal, and operations teammates
Identify and develop strategic partnerships to expand reach and strengthen positioning in key programs
Grow early engagements into enduring, impactful programs and set the conditions for Nominal to become foundational digital infrastructure for test data management, analysis, and operations
Represent Nominal at customer meetings, industry days, conferences