Vice President, Growth Operations

Akima, LLC•Herndon, VA

13h•Hybrid

About The Position

Akima, LLC and its operating companies represent an uncommonly broad array of specialized talent, technologies, and domain expertise, powering some of the most visible and demanding programs across all of government and industry. Driven by national priorities, Akima companies successfully support their customers at every critical point across a program’s lifecycle – from strategy, design, and development through operations, management, migration, modernization, and sustainment. We’re seeking a strategic and highly organized Vice President, Growth Operations to lead and continuously improve the enterprise infrastructure that enables Akima to identify, qualify, pursue, and win business. This executive will integrate people, processes, governance, systems, data, and contract vehicles to strengthen the company’s business winning capabilities and bring greater discipline, quality, responsiveness, and insight across the full growth lifecycle. Reporting to the Chief Growth Officer, this role will lead the company’s Proposal Operations Center, GWAC/IDIQ Center of Excellence (CoE), Sales Enablement, and Growth Operations functions. The ideal candidate will have led complex, high-volume growth operations within a large Federal contractor and possess a strong track record of driving consistent execution and measurable growth results outcomes across federated, matrixed teams. This leader must combine deep proposal and Federal acquisition expertise with exceptional operational discipline, sound business judgment, strong executive presence, and the ability to influence stakeholders who do not report directly to the role. The successful candidate will be both a hands-on operator and a change leader, equally capable of setting enterprise growth operations strategy and sustaining demanding day-to-day proposal activity and contract vehicle management while personally resolving unique operational challenges. This executive will simultaneously modernize Akima’s business winning model through workforce development, integrated systems and data, artificial intelligence, stronger governance, and more agile ways of working. The role requires leading a multi-speed growth engine capable of supporting complex, multibillion-dollar pursuits alongside smaller, quick-turn task order responses, aligning resources, processes, and reviews to the demands of each. This leader will be central to strengthening enterprise pursuit discipline, improving cross-Group orchestration, and enabling Akima to respond effectively to an increasingly diverse set of Federal acquisition pathways. If you’re ready to make a significant impact and drive our company forward, we invite you to join us on this exciting journey. Hybrid requirements: Candidate must reside within commuting distance of Akima's HQ in Herndon, VA.

Requirements

Ten or more years of progressive experience in Federal business development, capture, proposal management, growth operations, or related functions, including substantial leadership responsibility within a large, diversified government contractor.
Demonstrated experience leading a multidisciplinary growth organization and managing functional leaders, geographically dispersed teams, and matrixed support resources in a high-volume environment.
Deep expertise in complex Federal proposals, including multiple concurrent submissions that vary significantly in customer, value, acquisition strategy, contract type, schedule, and submission requirements.
Strong knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Revolutionary FAR Overhaul, agency supplements, procurement integrity requirements, solicitation and source selection practices, GWACs, agency-level IDIQs, and traditional and nontraditional acquisition pathways.
Demonstrated success designing, implementing, governing, or materially improving enterprise growth processes, opportunity lifecycles, gate reviews, qualification and proposal readiness standards, proposal methods, and related operating rhythms.
Experience leading within a federated or matrixed enterprise, with a record of establishing common standards, aligning competing priorities, influencing senior stakeholders, and achieving results without relying primarily on direct authority.
Exceptional organizational and operational management skills, including the ability to create structure amid complexity, model composure and professionalism under sustained pressure, anticipate constraints, manage competing deadlines, resolve cross-functional issues, and maintain attention to detail without losing sight of strategic outcomes.
Strong understanding of CRMs, pipeline reporting, knowledge management, business intelligence, and sales enablement technologies. Experience selecting or implementing a next-generation CRM or AI-enabled growth solution is a plus.
Excellent executive communication, facilitation, negotiation, and presentation skills, with the judgment and presence to advise senior leaders, challenge constructively, and build commitment across organizational boundaries.
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, or a related field
Ability to travel up to 10 percent of the time, or as business requirements dictate.

Nice To Haves

Experience selecting or implementing a next-generation CRM or AI-enabled growth solution is a plus.

Responsibilities

Lead Akima’s enterprise Growth Operations organization, establishing priorities, performance expectations, and integrated execution across Proposal Operations, the GWAC/IDIQ CoE, Growth Operations, and Sales Enablement.
Steward and continuously improve the company’s enterprise sales process, the Akima Competitive Win Plan, and associated artifacts including qualification standards, gate criteria, corporate gate reviews, templates, tools, training, and adoption.
In partnership with the Chief Growth Officer and Vice Presidents of Business Development. promote rigorous qualification, disciplined pursuit investment, company-level prioritization, and coordinated execution across Akima’s Business Groups and operating companies while accommodating distinct markets, customers, and acquisition environments.
Lead the enterprise Proposal Operations function, with accountability for proposal management, writing and production resources; staffing and workload allocation; scheduling; process compliance; color team reviews; quality control; and continuous improvement across a high volume and diversity of Federal submissions.
Ensure proposal teams produce compliant, compelling, differentiated, and professional submissions by integrating business development, capture, operations, solutioning, pricing, estimating, contracts, procurement, legal, recruiting, and finance and throughout proposal development.
Build greater full lifecycle capability across the growth workforce by increasing proposal professionals’ strategic and capture fluency, strengthening the proposal readiness of business development and capture leaders, and involving proposal writers and creative specialists earlier in solution development.
Lead the GWAC/IDIQ CoE, encompassing enterprise vehicle strategy, portfolio management, engagement with vehicle program offices and ordering agencies, on-ramp and recompete pursuits, task order opportunity identification and distribution, submission management, compliance, and utilization.
Develop and implement Akima’s GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) strategy; identify underutilized vehicles and emerging access gaps; and recommend portfolio changes, investments, partnerships, or other actions that expand access to priority customers and markets.
Lead Sales Enablement, including Akima’s pipeline management and reporting environments, enterprise Knowledge Management System, and AI-enabled business winning tools. Drive integration, training, adoption, and measurable business value while supporting data quality and governance.
Apply deep acquisition expertise and insights from regular customer engagement to advise business development, capture, and operational leaders on acquisition pathways, contract vehicles, and regulatory and policy considerations that strengthen customer access and competitive positioning.
Partner with the Chief Growth Officer, IT, Business Groups, and other key stakeholders to assess, select, and deploy Akima's next-generation CRM and related sales enablement capabilities, leading requirements development, implementation, integration, change management, and adoption.
Develop scalable, multi-speed growth processes that preserve rigor for major strategic pursuits while enabling rapid responses to accelerated or nontraditional acquisition pathways.
Recruit, develop, coach, and retain a high-performing, geographically dispersed team; allocate resources against enterprise priorities; and serve as a trusted advisor who influences senior stakeholders across Akima’s matrixed organization through credibility and demonstrated business value.