Senior Business Development Manager / Capture Lead

Sayres Defense

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Sayres Defense is seeking a senior Business Development/Capture professional with deep expertise in U.S. Navy programs to lead and execute strategic growth initiatives. This role requires a highly experienced individual with a proven track record of identifying, shaping, and capturing new business opportunities across U.S. Navy customers, including NAVSEA, PEOs, SYSCOMs, and Fleet stakeholders. The selected candidate will be responsible for driving new business growth beyond recompete and organic efforts, with a strong emphasis on expanding Sayres Defense's footprint within Navy acquisition, engineering, and mission support programs. This individual must bring established relationships across the Navy community, a broad and active network, and the credibility to engage directly with senior government stakeholders to influence acquisition strategies and position the company for success. This is a hands-on, execution-focused role requiring ownership of the full capture lifecycle, from early opportunity identification and qualification through shaping, teaming, proposal development, and award. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated success leading Navy captures, understands the nuances of Navy acquisition environments, and is capable of converting relationships and market insight into awarded work in a near-term timeframe.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, or a related field.
8–12+ years of business development and capture experience supporting U.S. Navy programs.
Proven success leading captures and winning competitive Navy contracts.
Demonstrable existing relationships with Navy primes and acquisition offices.
Strong understanding of Navy acquisition processes and contract vehicles.
Excellent executive-level communication and relationship-building skills.
Ability to lead cross-functional teams in fast-paced capture environments.
Active Secret security clearance

Responsibilities

Lead capture efforts for high-value Navy opportunities, including IDIQ task orders and single-award contracts.
Identify, qualify, and shape opportunities aligned with Navy mission priorities (e.g., readiness, sustainment, digital modernization).
Develop and execute capture plans, win strategies, competitive assessments, and pricing approaches.
Lead bid/no-bid reviews and briefings with senior leadership.
Build and maintain trusted relationships with Navy stakeholders, including but not limited to: PEOs and PMOs NAVSEA, NAVAIR, SPAWAR / NAVWAR ONR, NAVFAC, Fleet commands, and SYSCOMs
Represent the company at Navy industry days, technical exchanges, and acquisition briefings.
Track Navy budgets, acquisition forecasts, and emerging requirements.
Identify and manage teaming partners, primes, and subcontractors aligned with Navy requirements.
Assist in the negotiation of teaming agreements and workshare arrangements.
Recommend prime vs. subcontract strategies based on customer and vehicle positioning.
Collaborate with proposal managers and solution architects to develop compliant, compelling Navy-focused proposals.
Contribute to executive summaries, management approaches, and past performance narratives.
Support transition planning from contract award through program kickoff.
Maintain an accurate Navy-focused opportunity pipeline using Sayres' CRM and other market intelligence tools.
Provide capture status, revenue forecasts, and risk assessments to executive leadership.