VP / Director of Growth

Bulwark Dynamics•Dc, WA

22h

About The Position

Bulwark Dynamics is hiring its first senior growth leader, a consequential role owning the path from alignment with the DoD community to a paid contract. The position focuses on navigating non-traditional acquisition vehicles, building program-office relationships, and getting Caravel-15 in front of relevant operators and buyers. It is not a traditional Beltway business-development role: the hire will work quickly with limited support infrastructure at the intersection of defense acquisition and early-stage hardware development. The timeline is immediate on funding. The role will establish an 18-month path from an initial demonstration to a first paid agreement, pursue exercise participation and funded demonstrations, shape customer relationships and requirements, and lead proposal and capture work. The hire will also establish pipeline tracking and business-development processes, represent Bulwark at relevant industry events, and hire and develop a BD analyst or capture manager within 9–12 months. Compensation is a base salary of $180,000–$240,000 per year, depending on experience, plus meaningful early-stage stock options. The company offers employer-sponsored health, dental, and vision coverage. Employment is contingent on satisfactory completion of a background check, conducted with the required disclosures and written authorization.

Requirements

5–12 years of experience in defense business development, acquisition, or government affairs, including meaningful experience at a non-traditional defense company such as a startup, DIU, or innovation office.
Direct experience navigating non-FAR vehicles, such as OTAs, DIU CSOs, MCWL direct agreements, or equivalents.
An active network in USMC acquisition (MCSC, MCWL, MCOTEA) and/or INDOPACOM logistics or sustainment communities.
A track record of moving a company from unknown to its first contract, rather than managing an existing portfolio.
A player-coach orientation: able to develop the strategy and make the calls directly.
Ability to meet applicable U.S. export-control requirements for potential access to technology and technical data controlled under ITAR/EAR; this may include qualifying as a U.S. person.

Nice To Haves

Experience at a venture-backed defense technology startup, such as Anduril, Palantir, Vannevar, Shield AI, Saronic, or a comparable company, in a business-development, growth, or program role.
Prior service as an acquisition officer in the USMC, Army, or Navy, or program-office experience with OTA or non-traditional procurement.
Familiarity with DIU project-manager and MCWL acquisition communities.
Experience taking a hardware platform through a DoD demonstration or experiment cycle.

Responsibilities

Map and prioritize viable contract pathways, including OTA vehicles, DIU CSOs, direct program-office relationships, and exercise-to-contract sequences.
Develop an 18-month plan from first demonstration to first paid agreement, with explicit milestones and decision gates.
Own RFI responses, white papers, and capability statements to position Bulwark ahead of formal requirements documents.
Build and own relationships with acquisition professionals at MCSC, PEO Land Systems, ARCIC, and relevant INDOPACOM program offices.
Ensure Bulwark is engaged with relevant customer communities, including end users, requirements shapers, and buyers.
Align company messaging and product priorities with PM priorities, budget cycles, and capability gaps.
Identify and pursue participation in INDOPACOM exercises, including Talisman Saber, Resolute Dragon, RIMPAC, MCCRE, and MCWL/MCOTEA experiments.
Build a strategy to progress from exercise observer to invited participant to funded demonstration within 18 months.
Coordinate internally so each exercise appearance generates a business-development outcome, such as a relationship, funded follow-on, or requirements influence.
Assess and pursue teaming arrangements with prime contractors or consortium partners that provide access to vehicles or programs unavailable to Bulwark directly.
Represent Bulwark at industry events, including Sea-Air-Space, Modern Day Marine, WEST, and INDOPACOM-focused forums.
Manage and direct proposal and capture execution, keeping business-development output focused on winnable opportunities.
Build and maintain a pipeline tracker, opportunity cadence, and business-development rhythm that gives leadership funnel visibility.
Hire and develop a BD analyst or capture manager within 9–12 months.