Director of Business Development

A New Paradigm For Space Operations.

Who We Are:

Space Kinetic is a dual use space technology startup building a completely new architecture for space operations – one that brings the advantages of proliferated drone technology (low-cost, operationally flexible, attainable, distributed) to space missions while reducing the ecosystem's reliance on consumable fuel. In a world where many companies are focused on incrementally improving the status quo, we are focused on creating something entirely different – an architecture underpinned by new first principles to meet the opportunities and challenges of the third space age head-on. Our goal is to move away from one-to-one space architectures – where each satellite in a constellation has one (or a small # of) primary payloads attached to the bus -- and unlock a ‘one-to-many’ system, where each satellite has a large number of payloads which can be deployed from their host spacecraft at high velocities without firing a thruster.

This is not a role for someone looking for a traditional 40-hour work week. Space Kinetic is building ambitious, first-of-its-kind technology, and that requires urgency, ownership, and a high level of commitment to changing the foundational assumptions for everything we do in space.

What You’ll Do:

We are seeking a Government and Business Development Director to identify, shape, capture, and grow opportunities across the U.S. government and national security market.

The Government and Business Development Director is responsible for developing relationships with current and prospective government customers, identifying new business opportunities, and leading capture efforts from early customer engagement through proposal and contract award. This role combines government customer engagement, business development strategy, capture planning, strategic partnerships, and market intelligence to position Space Kinetic for long-term growth. This individual will serve as a central point of coordination between government customers, engineering, programs, finance, contracts, leadership, and external partners.

Job Responsibilities:

Identify, qualify, shape, capture, and grow government business opportunities aligned with Space Kinetic’s technology and strategic priorities

Build and maintain relationships with current and prospective customers across the Department of Defense, U.S. Space Force, U.S. Air Force, Intelligence Community, and other relevant government organizations

Develop a strong understanding of customer missions, operational needs, acquisition priorities, budgets, technical roadmaps, and buying cycles

Build and manage a qualified government business development pipeline, including opportunity value, timing, stakeholders, acquisition pathways, and next steps

Develop customer engagement strategies, account plans, and capture plans for priority organizations and opportunities

Lead opportunities from early customer engagement through proposal development, negotiation, and contract award

Coordinate responses to requests for information, requests for proposals, broad agency announcements, white papers, capability requests, and other government solicitations

Partner with engineering, programs, finance, contracts, and leadership to develop technically credible and executable solutions

Represent Space Kinetic in customer meetings, executive briefings, demonstrations, conferences, industry days, and other external engagements

Clearly communicate Space Kinetic’s mission, capabilities, technical advantages, and value proposition to government customers and industry partners

Translate customer needs and desired mission outcomes into clear insights for engineering and company leadership

Provide customer feedback and market intelligence to help inform product development, technical priorities, and company strategy

Identify and develop strategic partnerships, teaming arrangements, and subcontracting opportunities with prime contractors and other industry partners

Grow existing customer relationships and identify follow-on opportunities arising from current contracts, demonstrations, and partnerships

Monitor relevant government budgets, acquisition activity, market trends, policy developments, and competitive activity

Prepare pipeline forecasts, capture updates, market assessments, and strategic recommendations for executive leadership

Support continuous improvement in business development processes, tools, reporting structures, and operating rhythms

What It Takes:

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Public Policy, International Affairs, National Security, or a related field

7+ years of relevant experience in government business development, capture management, defense programs, government acquisition, military operations, or a related field

Experience working with the Department of Defense, U.S. Space Force, U.S. Air Force, Intelligence Community, or other national security customers

Demonstrated experience identifying, shaping, or capturing government business opportunities

Strong understanding of government acquisition, budgeting, contracting, and procurement processes

Experience developing capture plans, proposals, white papers, customer presentations, or related business development materials

Ability to understand complex technical concepts and communicate them effectively to technical and nontechnical audiences

Strong communication, presentation, negotiation, relationship-building, and cross-functional collaboration skills

What We'd Love:

10+ years of relevant experience in aerospace, defense, space, national security, or advanced technology

Established experience engaging with the Department of Defense, U.S. Space Force, U.S. Air Force, or Intelligence Community

Demonstrated success leading or contributing to government captures and contract awards

Experience with government acquisition pathways such as OTAs, SBIR/STTR programs, BAAs, IDIQs, or FAR-based contracts

Experience working with complex aerospace, spacecraft, defense, hardware, or software systems

Where You’ll Be:

The position is onsite at our headquarters in El Segundo, CA. Domestic travel may be required, approximately 25% to 40% of the year.

What We Offer:

Equity-Based Compensation

Highly Competitive PTO and Holiday Calendar

Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage

Unique Performance-Based Bonus Structure

ITAR Requirements:

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

Space Kinetic provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status. The annual base salary for this role is below. Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data.  Individual pay will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: interviews and an assessment of several factors that are unique to each candidate, job-related skills, relevant education/experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and internal equity. 

Pay Range $150,000 — $180,000 USD