EVP and GM of Technical Services (D.C/MD/VA)

Fairwinds Technologies, L•Washington, DC

63d•$200,000 - $250,000•Onsite

About The Position

Fairwinds Technologies is seeking an entrepreneurial, commercially minded, and operationally disciplined Executive Vice President and General Manager to lead its Products & Technical Services Division. This is a rare opportunity to take ownership of a division at an inflection point: moving from primarily developing products to launching, selling, delivering, supporting, and scaling a growing portfolio of mission-relevant technologies. Fairwinds has been built through a self-funded, bootstrap approach and is now transitioning from a small business into a medium-sized enterprise. The division is expected to reach break-even this year, establish durable profitability, and scale from $0 in product sales to a targeted $300 million in annual sales within five years. The EVP & General Manager will operate as the division's business owner, with accountability for strategy, revenue, margin, cash, product execution, government technical services, talent, customer outcomes, and profitable scale. Reporting directly to the CEO, this leader will shape the organization, operating model, portfolio priorities, and go-to-market approach. This is not a caretaker role. It is a build-and-scale mandate for a leader who wants to create measurable enterprise value and share directly in the success of the division.

Requirements

Demonstrated executive ownership of a business unit, division, product portfolio, or operating segment with accountability for revenue, margin, cash, growth, and delivery.
A record of scaling an emerging or mid-market business through a meaningful inflection point.
Experience taking complex technology from R&D or prototype into product launch, repeatable sales, production, delivery, support, and lifecycle management.
Experience building or operating a product management framework, portfolio process, stage-gate model, or comparable commercialization system.
Experience in the U.S. federal or defense market, including government-funded R&D, technical services, contracting, capture, and customer engagement.
Strong financial judgment, including forecasting, budgeting, pricing, margin management, working capital, investment decisions, and cash discipline.
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant experience.
Must be eligible to work in the US and hold an ACTIVE DOD TOP SECRET CLEARANCE.

Nice To Haves

Experience in defense communications, RF, SDR, SATCOM, electronic warfare, 5G, non-terrestrial networks, C5ISR, networking, edge systems, or related technologies.
Experience with SBIR, STTR, OTA, BAA, IDIQ, FAR-based contracts, or government product-transition pathways.
Active security clearance or eligibility to obtain one, if required for assigned programs.

Responsibilities

Own the division P&L, annual operating plan, bookings, revenue, gross margin, operating income, cash performance, investment priorities, and resource allocation.
Create a credible path from break-even to sustained profitability while balancing growth, working capital, product investment, technical services delivery, and execution risk.
Lead the transition from products in development to market-ready offerings with clear customer problems, requirements, release plans, pricing, positioning, launch criteria, support models, and lifecycle ownership.
Institutionalize a practical product management framework and stage-gate operating system without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
Prioritize the portfolio across Mixed Signal and xG based on customer pull, technical readiness, addressable market, investment required, risk, margin potential, and strategic value.
Drive repeatable monetization through hardware, software, intellectual property licensing, integration, sustainment, warranties, support, and recurring service offerings.
Lead a portfolio of government-funded technical services that is strategically aligned to the product roadmap.
Ensure funded R&D, engineering services, prototypes, demonstrations, SBIRs, OTAs, and related contract efforts generate excellent customer outcomes and reusable product assets.
Own the division growth strategy from market selection and customer discovery through pipeline, capture, launch customers, channels, partnerships, bookings, and revenue.
Build an integrated sales and product feedback loop so customer insights directly influence requirements, roadmaps, release timing, pricing, and demonstrations.
Convert early technical wins, government-funded development, prototypes, and demonstrations into repeatable sales and long-term customer relationships.
Design and implement the division operating cadence, decision rights, performance scorecards, resource planning, product reviews, program reviews, and cross-functional handoffs.
Recruit, develop, organize, and retain a high-performing cross-functional leadership team capable of launching products and executing complex government programs.
Create a culture of ownership, urgency, technical rigor, transparency, customer commitment, disciplined decision-making, and continuous improvement.