Director of Business Development

Terranova•Berkeley, CA

8d•Remote

About The Position

Terranova is seeking a senior business development leader with a proven track record of both sales and project development. This person will own Terranova’s growth pipeline - building relationships with construction primes, agencies, congress, and partners - and translating large, complex opportunities into executable projects. You’ll work directly with Terranova’s leadership and lobbyist to identify target programs, shape proposals, and close high-impact deals spanning new development projects, wetland restoration, land resilience, base hardening, and coastal protection. You should be equally comfortable in a hard hat or a boardroom, able to move fluidly between technical teams, customers, and government stakeholders. The role is remote with strong preference for the SF Bay Area or Washington, D.C. The former to work in person with the team at our Berkeley office and the latter due to proximity to Washington D.C. Expect frequent travel to Berkeley, CA for coordination with engineering, as well as to bases, field sites, capitol hill , and major conferences nationwide.

Requirements

Experience in construction, defense contracting, or infrastructure development
Experience in startups 0 to 1 sales, ideally being in a sales role from seed through series B
Experience with federal acquisition (FAR/DFARS) or contracting frameworks
Deep understanding of earthworks, ground modification, or related heavy civil domains
Exceptional commercial acumen and negotiation skills
High tolerance for travel, long hours, and direct accountability for outcomes
Strong writing and presentation ability for executive-level proposals

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with engineering design-build workflows and bid preparation
Technical fluency to interface effectively with mechanical, controls, and robotics teams
Closed and led negotiations exceeding $50M+ in aggregate value
Strong existing network in FEMA, USACE, DoD or major primes

Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end BD cycles from identification through close across state, federal, civil and defense markets
Develop and maintain executive relationships with public-sector clients, EPCs, and defense contractors
Structure multi-year partnerships and contracts in the $1M–$50M+ range
Translate technical solutions into clear value propositions, proposals, and budgets
Work directly with engineers to scope, price, and deliver pilot-to-scale programs
Represent Terranova at conferences, site visits, and high-level briefings at the state and federal level