Federal Business Development & Capture Manager - AI Technologies

JST•,

1d•Remote

About The Position

JST is seeking an experienced Federal Business Development & Capture Manager focused on AI technologies. This hands-on individual contributor works directly with the CEO and technical team, independently identifying opportunities, building government customer relationships, and developing submissions that turn company technology into funded work. The role owns selected pursuits from customer discovery and qualification through capture strategy, proposal submission, and award support, with meaningful autonomy and accountability. Direct experience with at least one of Commercial Solutions Openings (CSOs), the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace, or SBIR/STTR programs is required. The manager identifies and qualifies government mission needs, funding opportunities, and acquisition pathways; develops capture plans; engages customers and partners; and personally writes and manages solution briefs, white papers, presentations, technical narratives, and proposals. The role also supports award conversion, Tradewinds Awardable status, contract or agreement execution, and technology transition from research, prototypes, and pilots to operational adoption and follow-on revenue. The position is full-time and remote. JST describes its environment as collaborative, with a strong company culture and a complete benefits package. Veterans and military spouses are encouraged to apply. Success is measured through qualified pipeline growth, customer engagement that advances opportunities, timely and compliant submissions, successful evaluations and funded awards, and technology transition and business growth. Performance goals are set with company leadership; the performance bonus is tied to an agreed combination of these measures and company performance. Applicants must be able to pass a drug and background check.

Requirements

At least three years of relevant federal business development, capture, or proposal experience, with demonstrated ability to independently advance pursuits.
Hands-on experience with at least one pathway: qualifying CSO opportunities and developing and submitting solution briefs or proposals; developing Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace submissions, including pitch content and alignment with assessment criteria; or selecting SBIR/STTR opportunities and developing proposals with relevant technical, commercialization, or transition content.
Demonstrated experience engaging government customers and advancing opportunities toward funded contracts or agreements.
Exceptional writing and editing skills, including independently developing compelling content from technical interviews, demonstrations, and source materials.
Ability to develop capture strategies connecting customer needs, funding, acquisition pathways, competitive positioning, and proposal execution.
Working knowledge of federal technology acquisition and ability to learn additional funding and acquisition pathways.
Ability to distinguish submission and evaluation milestones, customer interest, available funding, and executed awards.
Strong judgment, organization, and follow-through, including ability to manage concurrent pursuits in a small company.
Ability to explain and substantiate personal contributions to prior submissions, customer relationships, and pursuit outcomes.
Must be able to successfully pass a drug and background check.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated understanding of U.S. Air Force aviation operations, mission systems, and sustainment programs.
Familiarity with Air Force acquisition processes, life-cycle management policies, and the Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) system.
Established relationships or proven engagement history within the Air Force aviation community.
Understanding of Air Force modernization initiatives such as digital engineering, aircraft sustainment, and readiness improvement programs.
Direct experience across two or all three priority pathways: CSOs, Tradewinds, and SBIR/STTR.
Tradewinds submissions that achieved Awardable status.
Successful CSO or SBIR/STTR awards, including subsequent-phase or transition work.
Experience converting customer interest, technology demonstrations, or marketplace listings into funded pilots and follow-on contracts.
Experience positioning AI, enterprise software, data analytics, or workflow automation for defense customers.
Established relationships with relevant government mission owners, acquisition organizations, innovation offices, or research partners.
Familiarity with software licensing, intellectual property, SBIR/STTR data rights, cybersecurity, and government deployment considerations.
Experience building capture and proposal processes within a small defense contractor or technology company.

Responsibilities

Identify government mission needs, funding opportunities, and acquisition pathways aligned with JST AI products.
Monitor and pursue relevant CSOs, Tradewinds opportunities, SBIR/STTR topics, and other defense technology opportunities.
Qualify pursuits based on customer need, technical fit, funding potential, competitive positioning, acquisition approach, and timing.
Develop and execute capture plans covering customer engagement, win themes, teaming recommendations, and pursuit milestones.
Present bid/no-bid recommendations and maintain an actionable opportunity pipeline.
Establish and maintain relationships with government mission owners, program managers, technical stakeholders, acquisition personnel, and potential partners.
Lead customer discovery conversations to understand operational challenges, desired outcomes, buying priorities, and adoption requirements.
Organize and lead capability briefings, product demonstrations, and technical exchanges with company leadership and engineers.
Identify customer champions, funding sources, decision-makers, and practical paths to award.
Advance discussions toward defined pilot scopes, success criteria, acquisition actions, and funded opportunities; document commitments, risks, and next steps.
Personally write and manage solution briefs, white papers, pitch presentations, technical narratives, and proposals.
Lead submissions across applicable CSO, Tradewinds, and SBIR/STTR opportunities, and build proficiency in pathways beyond existing experience.
Develop CSO solution narratives aligned with mission needs and evaluation criteria.
Coordinate Tradewinds solution positioning, assessment-criteria alignment, video scripts, demonstration narratives, and submission materials.
For SBIR/STTR pursuits, integrate technical approaches, work plans, milestones, commercialization strategies, transition plans, and budget inputs.
Identify and coordinate research institution partners for STTR pursuits, as applicable.
Interview technical experts and translate AI capabilities into persuasive explanations of mission value, innovation, feasibility, and differentiation.
Own submission schedules, contributor coordination, compliance reviews, final quality control, and responses to evaluator feedback.
Develop and execute customer engagement plans for Tradewinds solutions pursuing Awardable status.
Coordinate scope, deliverables, schedules, and pricing inputs with leadership, engineering, finance, and contracts support.
Support clarification responses and negotiations through contract or agreement execution.
Pursue transition opportunities linking research, prototypes, and pilots to operational adoption and follow-on revenue.
Build reusable proposal content and practical processes to improve execution as the company grows.