Director of Capture and Proposal Operations

Lodestar•Los Angeles, CA

1d•$175,000 - $250,000

About The Position

Lodestar Space is seeking a Director of Capture and Proposal Operations to lead the end-to-end lifecycle of their federal acquisition pipeline. This role involves strategic shaping, competitive positioning, and execution of high-value proposals for various U.S. defense and intelligence entities. The position requires translating technical capabilities into compliant, high-scoring bids and offers autonomy to manage and grow a future team, contributing to Lodestar's strategic vision. The Director will report to the VP, Commercial and Federal or Chief Business/Revenue Officer and collaborate with other Commercial Leads to grow the company's federal business.

Requirements

6–10+ years of proven experience in federal capture management and proposal operations, specifically within the defense aerospace, defense software, space systems, or national security technology sectors.
Demonstrated success winning prime contracts with the Department of War, U.S. Space Force, U.S. Air Force, DIU, MDA, NRO, etc.
Strong familiarity with FAR/DFARS regulations, contracting structures, and non-traditional pathways such as OTAs, Consortiums, IDIQ’s, Multiple Authority Announcements (MAA’s), and Middle Tier of Acquisitions (Section 804).
Mastery of formal capture and proposal methodologies.
Exceptional technical writing skills with the ability to convey technical jargon, complex orbital mechanics, space domain awareness, and hardware architecture concepts clearly to non-technical evaluators.
Previous experience using capture and proposal writing software.
Active Secret clearance required; TS/SCI preferred or must be eligible to obtain.
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Aerospace, Political Science, Business, or a related field required.
Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Nice To Haves

Experience operating within a fast-paced, venture-backed, defense tech startup environment.
Ability to read a system architecture diagram or orbital mechanics profile and immediately write the first-draft compliance text.
Thrive in ambiguity and self-reliance; ability to work independently, manage tasks, critically think through challenging problems, maximize limited resources, and maximize returns from time.
Willingness to cultivate a culture of winning, despising bureaucratic red-tape and moving fast.
Existing, strong professional relationships within the defense space ecosystem (e.g., USSF, OSD, SSC, DIU, DoW, SpaceWerx, Space RCO, SDA, AFRL-RV, etc.).
Master's degree in a related field.

Responsibilities

Identify, qualify, and lead high-priority federal procurement opportunities from initial identification through contract award.
Develop comprehensive capture plans, including Black Hat competitive assessments, Price-to-Win (PTW) strategies, cost-vs-price modeling, and customer value proposition mapping.
Engage directly with Space Force Program Managers, Contracting Officers, and technical stakeholders to shape upcoming requirements and mission profiles.
Ensure absolute compliance with government regulations (FAR/DFARS), TINA, and Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) when applicable.
Conduct rigorous after-action reports, feedback sessions, and de-briefings for unsuccessful bids.
Formulate strategic teaming agreements, identifying and onboarding subcontractors or prime partners.
Own the entire proposal development process, establishing a rigorous, repeatable framework for volume management, compliance tracking, and quality control.
Act as the Proposal Manager on major bids, generating compliance matrices, work breakdown structures (WBS), and detailed proposal schedules.
Lead formal milestone reviews to critically evaluate technical, management, and cost volumes.
Coordinate cross-functional inputs from Engineering, Business Development, Marketing, Mission Operations, Finance, and Legal to synthesize complex technical data into compelling, compliant narratives.
Write, edit, and polish executive summaries, technical descriptions, cost volumes, slide decks, and past performance history.
Establish and maintain an institutional 'proposal library' containing boilerplate content, past performance sheets, security capability write-ups, and verified technical architectures.