Contracts Capture Strategist

Gecko Robotics•Pittsburgh, PA

11d•$190,000 - $260,000•Hybrid

About The Position

We're looking for a Contracts Capture Strategist to help turn complex customer needs into executable acquisition strategies and competitive, winnable deals across the U.S. Government market. Working early in the opportunity lifecycle, you will partner with Business Development, Finance, Legal, technical, and program teams to shape how government customers can buy Gecko's technology - including the acquisition pathway, contract vehicle, offer structure, pricing, partner strategy, and procurement engagement. You will bring a practical understanding of how agencies buy, credibility with contracting officers and acquisition professionals, and the commercial judgment to move opportunities forward through ambiguity. Success in this role requires enough command of government contracting rules to navigate them pragmatically and recognize when specialized legal or compliance support is needed.

Requirements

7+ years of experience in U.S. Government acquisition, capture, government contracting, or complex public-sector business development, gained in government, industry, or both
Demonstrated success shaping and advancing complex government opportunities from early customer engagement through acquisition strategy, proposal, negotiation, and award
Strong practical knowledge of the federal acquisition lifecycle, contracting vehicles, and the roles of contracting officers, program offices, acquisition stakeholders
Hands-on experience with pricing, deal structure, proposal strategy, and business-case development for complex technology, services, or major systems opportunities
Excellent judgment, communication, relationship-building, and project leadership skills, with the ability to align cross-functional teams and drive decisions in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment

Nice To Haves

Experience working on major systems, mission-critical platforms, or other complicated government business deals, e.g. ships, aircraft, autonomy, robotics, defense technology, or critical infrastructure
Experience leading capture or acquisition strategy within a defense, aerospace, technology, or other government-facing company
Current or former Federal Contracting Officer or 1102 acquisition professional, or comparable industry experience partnering closely with contracting officers
Established credibility and relationships across DoD or other federal acquisition communities
Experience structuring complex pricing, licensing, commercial-item or commercial-service, and technology-enabled services offerings
Experience with multiple acquisition pathways and vehicles, including IDIQs, BPAs, task orders, GWACs, OTAs, and SBIR/STTR
Working knowledge of FAR and DFARS sufficient to identify material acquisition or deal implications and engage Legal or outside specialists when appropriate
Experience with prime/subcontract structures, teaming arrangements, partner strategy, proposal pricing models, or Excel-based deal analysis

Responsibilities

Partner with Business Development teams to develop opportunity-specific capture and acquisition strategies that connect customer mission needs, funding, competitive dynamics, procurement constraints, and Gecko's business objectives
Evaluate and recommend acquisition pathways and contract vehicles-including IDIQs, BPAs, task orders, OTAs, SBIR/STTR, FAR-based procurements, and prime or subcontract arrangements-to create practical paths to award
Build trusted, productive relationships with contracting officers, acquisition professionals, program offices, and other customer stakeholders; surface constraints early and help shape approaches the customer can execute
Lead the development of pricing and deal structures, including ROMs, quotes, proposals, options, phased approaches, licensing models, and service configurations, in close partnership with Finance, Legal, and technical teams
Drive capture-to-award execution by establishing decision points, coordinating proposal inputs, resolving obstacles, and supporting customer communications and negotiations through contract award
Shape teaming, subcontracting, and partner strategies that improve access, competitiveness, delivery confidence, and long-term account position
Serve as a pragmatic acquisition advisor to business and executive leaders, translating procurement requirements into choices and tradeoffs, identifying issues that require specialist support, and building reusable playbooks from lessons learned