Director, Federal Growth & Acquisition Strategy

McChrystal Group•Alexandria, VA

23h•$170,000 - $200,000•Onsite

About The Position

McChrystal Group is seeking a Director of Federal Growth & Acquisition Strategy to help senior leaders and Partners build and scale the firm’s federal business. The role develops acquisition strategies, contracting pathways, strategic partnerships, and capture efforts that turn the firm’s differentiated capabilities into federal contract awards. It focuses in particular on efficient acquisition approaches for proprietary, fixed-price professional services, including justified sole-source opportunities, alternative acquisition mechanisms, and strategic teaming arrangements. Working with senior Partners and the finance and contracts teams, the Director bridges federal acquisition strategy, business development, and capture management. This is a hands-on role combining strategic leadership with substantial individual execution: the successful candidate will develop growth strategies, build external relationships, and personally prepare proposals, acquisition materials, and other written deliverables. As an early leader supporting a growing federal practice, the Director is expected to build and execute rather than primarily delegate. The role enables the avenues and mechanisms for federal growth but does not lead the federal practice or own its overall performance. The position supports federal clients and requires the ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance. An active clearance is a plus but is not required. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and willing to undergo a federal background investigation. The role is based at the company’s headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, and requires approximately 10% travel.

Requirements

10 or more years of relevant experience in federal business development, acquisition strategy, capture management, or government contracting.
Demonstrated success positioning, pursuing, and winning fixed-price, deliverable-based solutions contracts, rather than primarily labor-based or staff augmentation engagements.
Experience developing acquisition strategies for differentiated, proprietary, or innovative capabilities, including identifying and navigating noncompetitive or alternative procurement pathways.
Strong understanding of federal acquisition processes, contracting mechanisms, and regulatory requirements governing competitive and noncompetitive awards.
Experience developing capture strategies, coordinating proposals, and engaging government acquisition stakeholders.
Demonstrated experience personally writing and developing successful federal proposals, acquisition submissions, white papers, and related capture materials, with the ability to independently produce high-quality, persuasive technical and business narratives.
Demonstrated ability to establish and leverage strategic teaming relationships and federal contractor partnerships.
Strong commercial judgment and communication skills, and the ability to execute independently in a lean, entrepreneurial environment.
Existing relationships across the federal contracting and acquisition ecosystem.
Willingness and ability to travel approximately 10%.
Willingness and ability to work out of the company headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.
Must be a U.S. citizen and willing to undergo a federal background investigation.
Must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance; an active clearance is a plus but is not required.

Nice To Haves

Experience building or expanding the federal business of a small or mid-sized consulting or professional services firm.
Experience with Department of War and Department of Homeland Security contracting, including GSA programs, CSOs, OTAs, and other alternative acquisition approaches.
Familiarity with management consulting, organizational transformation, workforce analytics, talent intelligence, or leadership development services.
Experience commercializing proprietary methodologies, data products, or intellectual property for government customers.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute federal acquisition strategies that leverage the firm’s proprietary capabilities, differentiated solutions, and fixed-price delivery model.
Identify and pursue contracting pathways, including justified sole-source and limited-competition opportunities, CSOs, OTAs, GSA acquisition programs, Department-specific vehicles such as Tradewinds, and other relevant mechanisms.
Assess opportunities to position the firm as a prime contractor, subcontractor, or strategic teaming partner.
Build relationships with federal acquisition professionals, prime contractors, vehicle holders, and potential partners.
Advise leadership on acquisition feasibility, procurement requirements, intellectual property considerations, and positioning strategies for differentiated solutions.
Identify and qualify federal opportunities aligned with the firm’s analytics, management consulting, and leader development capabilities.
Engage government stakeholders alongside senior Partners to understand emerging needs, position the firm’s solutions, and develop opportunities before formal solicitations.
Translate proprietary methodologies and specialized capabilities into outcome-based value propositions and acquisition strategies.
Develop capture plans, competitive positioning, teaming strategies, and bid/no-bid recommendations.
Coordinate and write federal proposals, RFIs, RFP responses, CSO submissions, capability statements, white papers, and other acquisition and business development materials.
Lead end-to-end capture and proposal efforts, including developing win themes, structuring responses, coordinating subject matter expert input, and producing polished, compliant submissions with limited dedicated proposal support.
Translate proprietary methodologies, technical capabilities, and differentiated solutions into written narratives articulating mission relevance, value, outcomes, and competitive advantages.
Establish scalable processes for opportunity qualification, acquisition planning, capture management, and proposal development.
Build reusable acquisition and proposal assets, including capability statements, past-performance documentation, and differentiated solution descriptions.
Develop and maintain a qualified opportunity pipeline and track acquisition progress, partnerships, and capture outcomes.
Advise leadership on federal market opportunities, procurement trends, and investments needed to support continued growth.

Benefits

Annual bonus eligibility and opportunities for spot bonuses.
Employee ownership through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), including annual stock distributions for eligible employees.
Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
Company-sponsored healthcare savings contributions.
Behavioral and mental health resources.
Company-paid short- and long-term disability.
Employee assistance program.
Subsidized gym membership.
Annual lifestyle stipend.
Responsible paid time off and all federal holidays.
Family and military leave.
Dependent care flexible spending account.
401(k) plan with an immediately vested company match.
Access to a financial advisor.
Matching charitable contributions.
Professional development funding.
Leadership development programming and funded McChrystal Group Leadership Ventures annually.