Director, Business Development - Air & Strike Warfare

Zone 5 Technologies•Arlington, VA

About The Position

Zone 5 Technologies is seeking a technically grounded Director of Business Development to lead its precision deep strike weapons business, anchored by the RUSTY DAGGER (AGM-188) product line. The role is intended for a U.S. Air Force or U.S. Navy strike-warfare professional with relevant operational, test, engineering, or weapons-acquisition experience and the credibility to discuss weapons employment and integration with customers. Operational experience employing weapons in combat or large-force exercises is strongly desired. The Director owns the domestic precision deep strike weapons pursuit portfolio and serves as its senior technical sales authority and accountable customer contact. The role leads pipeline and capture strategy, assesses probability of win and probability of go, and makes bid/no-bid recommendations to executive leadership. It guides proposal and technical staff assigned to pursuits and ensures that technical narratives are accurate, defensible, and compelling. The Director works closely with engineering, portfolio, marketing, and international sales leadership to keep positioning and pursuit strategy aligned with product maturity, roadmap, technical constraints, and export posture. The Director engages USAF, USN, USMC, joint, acquisition, operational, test, and government-funded R&D stakeholders to identify requirements and advance opportunities. The role also supports international business development with senior technical expertise, including partner-nation discussions involving requests, proposals, and integration considerations. Within 24 months, the Director is expected to advance at least one RUSTY DAGGER pursuit to a funded program-of-record transition or production contract with the USAF or USN and secure Zone 5 Technologies' participation in at least one service-led affordable-mass or stand-off-strike experimentation campaign. The position requires travel 25 to 50 percent, primarily domestic, and an active U.S. Secret clearance. The role is eligible for variable performance bonuses in addition to base salary. The stated base salary range is $138,000–$178,000; the stated range with eligible performance bonuses is $241,500–$311,500. Bonus components are variable and not guaranteed.

Requirements

Prior USAF or USN service, uniformed or civilian, in a strike-warfare role: strike, fighter, or bomber aviator; WSO or NFO; WTI, USAFWS, or TOPGUN graduate; TPS graduate or operational/developmental test squadron veteran; or weapons acquisition, test and evaluation, or systems engineering experience directly tied to air-launched weapons.
Deep technical understanding of effects and missions relevant to USAF and USN audiences, including strategic attack, air interdiction, OCA, SEAD/DEAD, maritime strike and ASuW, CAS, dynamic targeting, and long-range stand-off strike, grounded in operational and engineering experience rather than solely sales experience.
Working knowledge of air-launched weapons integration and certification, including MIL-STD-1760, MIL-STD-1553, MIL-STD-3014 UAI, MIL-STD-8591, MIL-STD-1316, MIL-STD-2105, MIL-STD-882, MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461, MIL-HDBK-244, the SEEK EAGLE certification process, mission planning, carriage and release constraints, and platform OFP cycles.
Ability to communicate credibly with engineers, program managers, and operators about system performance, integration, and employment, and to brief general officers, flag officers, and SES audiences.
Exceptional writing skills and demonstrated ability to produce clear, precise, persuasive technical prose, including proposal volumes, white papers, capability statements, and senior-leader correspondence, with minimal editing; writing samples will be requested.
Experience leading or writing technical content for proposals, capture efforts, or government-facing technical documentation.
Familiarity with OTA, MTA, and traditional FAR and DFARS acquisition pathways.
Ability to travel 25 to 50 percent domestically and internationally for client engagement, demonstrations, and industry events.
Active U.S. Secret clearance required.

Nice To Haves

Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information clearance.
Direct engineering, test, or operational experience with air-launched precision strike effectors, including JASSM/LRASM, JSOW, Harpoon/SLAM-ER, JDAM/JDAM-ER, StormBreaker, Hellfire/JAGM, HACM, ARRW, or extended-range loitering munition and one-way attack systems.
Graduate of USAFWS, TOPGUN, the Strike Fighter Weapons and Tactics program, or the MAWTS-1 WTI course; or graduate of USAF TPS, USN TPS, or the U.S. Army Experimental Test Pilot program.
Prior experience engaging government-funded R&D organizations, service laboratories, FFRDCs, or UARCs on emerging weapons-system requirements.
Experience supporting international or Foreign Military Sales engagements alongside a business development team.
Bachelor's degree in an engineering, systems, or physical science discipline; an advanced degree is a plus.
Previous employment with DIU or DARPA.
Previous employment in USAF operational flying units, operational or developmental test, or rapid acquisition organizations, including the 53rd Wing, 96th Test Wing/AFTC, AFOTEC, AFRCO, AATC, AFRL/RW, AFLCMC/EB, USAFWS, or Big Safari.
Previous employment in USN operational strike fighter squadrons or carrier air wings, naval aviation test, tactics, or acquisition organizations, including NAWDC, TOPGUN, NAWCWD, NAWCAD, VX-9, VX-23, VX-31, COMOPTEVFOR, PMA-201, PMA-242, PMA-280, or OPNAV N98/N96 staff.
USSOCOM SOF AT&L, PEO Fixed Wing, or AFSOC weapons and tactics experience.

Responsibilities

Own the precision deep strike weapons opportunity pipeline, probability-of-win and probability-of-go assessments, pursuit priorities, capture strategy, and bid/no-bid recommendations from opportunity identification through award.
Serve as the subject matter expert on air-launched precision deep strike weapons and translate the RUSTY DAGGER program into terms relevant to USAF and USN requirements, concepts of operations, tactics, platforms, and program-of-record maturation.
Engage directly with USAF requirements, acquisition, test, operational, and research stakeholders to identify and develop opportunities.
Engage directly with USN requirements, acquisition, test, operational, and research stakeholders to identify and develop opportunities.
Engage USMC aviation and joint stakeholders where RUSTY DAGGER employment overlaps, including government-funded R&D organizations, to identify emerging requirements and shape early opportunities.
Build and sustain relationships that position Zone 5 Technologies as a credible, informed partner to operational, technical, and program stakeholders.
Track and interpret adversary threats, doctrine, force design, and acquisition strategy relevant to long-range and stand-off strike, affordable mass, and munitions industrial-base priorities.
Provide senior technical sales expertise to the international business development team as partner-nation engagements progress into substantive request, proposal, and integration discussions.
Partner with international sales to tailor RUSTY DAGGER technical positioning to partner-nation requirements, threat environments, and export considerations.
Lead technical volume development, win themes, and discriminator articulation for domestic and international proposals.
Direct proposal writers and technical contributors as capture lead, ensuring accuracy, credibility, and consistency across proposals, white papers, RFI responses, and RFP responses.
Lead technical exchange meetings, capability briefings, and government stakeholder demonstrations, including captive-carry, separation, and live-fire events.
Coordinate with portfolio and engineering leadership to align business development activity with product maturity, roadmap, and technical constraints.
Partner with marketing to develop technically accurate capability collateral, briefing materials, and messaging for air and strike warfare audiences.
Coordinate with international sales leadership to align technical engagement strategy with country-level pursuit plans and export posture.
Advance at least one RUSTY DAGGER pursuit to a funded program-of-record transition or production contract with the USAF or USN within 24 months.
Secure Zone 5 Technologies participation in at least one service-led affordable-mass or stand-off-strike experimentation campaign within 24 months.

Benefits

Competitive total compensation package and comprehensive benefit package options, including medical, dental, vision, life, and more.
401(k) with company match.
Three weeks of paid time off each year.
40 hours of sick time.
12 annual company holidays.
Performance bonuses in addition to base salary; bonus components are variable and not guaranteed.
Professional development and career advancement opportunities.

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