Government Programs Manager

Aether Biomachines • Menlo Park, CA

10h • $140,000 - $185,000 • Remote

About The Position

Aether Bio is an artificial intelligence company that discovers proteins with high-impact, real-world industrial applications. We’re building super materials, processing critical minerals, and developing new deployable manufacturing technologies. Our current product lines target the defense, unmanned aerospace, and industrial manufacturing sectors, strengthening American manufacturing competitiveness. We are formalizing our presence in the defense and government innovation ecosystem and are hiring a Government Programs Manager to lead that charge. The Government Programs Manager will own Aether Bio’s pipeline of non-dilutive government funding and direct DoD sales. Initially, this is a mid-level, individual-contributor role for someone who has already run point on government account relationships and is ready to build and own that function at Aether. You will identify and win related government dollars for Aether - this could include DoD and DoE grant and contract opportunities, program funding via America Makes and NCDMM, SBIR activity end to end, and key DoD accounts for our commercial products. You’ll work closely with our technical, product, and finance teams and report to Aether’s Head of Commercial.

Requirements

• 6+ years of experience in federal business development, capture management, or grants/proposal management, with a focus on DoD and/or DoE.
• A demonstrated track record of winning SBIR/STTR awards or other federal non-dilutive funding.
• Working knowledge of federal contracting mechanisms (OTAs, BAAs, cooperative agreements, and basic FAR/DFARS concepts).
• Existing relationships within the DoD acquisition, S&T, or manufacturing innovation ecosystem.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including hands-on proposal writing and editing.
• Comfort owning a sales cycle (prospecting, account planning, and closing) with DoD or other government end users.
• Bachelor’s degree required; a technical, engineering, or public policy background is a plus.
• Ability to travel approximately 30-40% for customer visits, industry events, and government meetings.
• U.S. citizenship or ability to obtain a security clearance may be required for certain programs.

Nice To Haves

• Background in materials science, additive manufacturing, or advanced/defense manufacturing.
• Prior experience at an early-stage or high-growth company, comfortable owning ambiguity and wearing multiple hats.

Responsibilities

• Grow key DoD accounts. Own and expand direct sales relationships with strategic DoD end users, program offices, and defense primes purchasing Aether’s commercial products; build account plans and manage the sales cycle from lead to close.
• Manage the opportunity pipeline. Track and prioritize opportunities across SAM.gov, the DoD SBIR/STTR portal, America Makes, and NCDMM portals; maintain an accurate pipeline and forecast for leadership.
• Win strategic funding. Identify, qualify, and lead capture and proposal efforts for DoD and DoE grants, Broad Agency Announcements (BAAs), Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs), and cooperative agreements relevant to Aether’s materials and manufacturing technology. Monitor, pursue, and win Technology Project Calls (TPCs) and other funded opportunities through America Makes, NCDMM, and adjacent DoD manufacturing innovation institutes; manage Aether’s membership and standing within these consortia. Manage Aether’s SBIR/STTR pipeline across DoD and DoE components end to end — topic tracking, capability statements, Phase I/II/III proposal development, and post-award transition planning.
• Build capture strategy and teaming. Develop win strategies, competitive positioning, and teaming/partner relationships (primes, labs, academic partners, distributors) for pursued opportunities.
• Represent Aether externally. Attend and represent the company at relevant industry and government events (e.g., tradeshows, conferences, America Makes member meetings, DoD industry days).
• Coordinate proposal content. Partner with technical, operations, and leadership teams to develop compelling, compliant proposals and account materials.
• Support post-award execution. Coordinate with finance and program management on award compliance, reporting, and deliverables for funded programs.

Benefits

• Base salary: $140,000 - $185,000 per year plus competitive, uncapped, results-based bonus structure.
• Strong benefits and early stage equity package.
• Mission-driven work at the intersection of AI, materials science, and American manufacturing.
• Remote-first flexibility with a collaborative, fast-moving team.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level