Director of Strategic Growth - Defense

Applied Intuition Applied Intuition · Robotics · Washington, DC · Government

This role is for a Director of Strategic Growth focused on the defense sector, involving relationship building with government stakeholders, shaping programs, and identifying strategic opportunities. It is not directly involved in building or shipping AI/ML models.

What you'd actually do

  1. Cultivate senior-level trust-based relationships with PEOs, PMs, requirements officers, and CTO offices.
  2. Shape opportunities 12-18 months in advance by influencing requirements and acquisition strategies.
  3. Lead strategic customer discovery to understand long-term roadmaps, budget trajectories, and political dynamics.
  4. Define win strategies, identifying competitive discriminators and making critical 'pursue vs. walk away' decisions.
  5. Provide strategic direction to the Capture Manager to ensure execution is aligned with shaping work.

Skills

Required

  • BS or MS in Engineering, Political Science, National Security, or a related field.
  • 15–25 years of experience in or around the DoD (Military O-5/O-6, GS-15/SES, or senior Industry BD).
  • Expert-level knowledge of the PPBE cycle and the POM process.
  • Proven track record of shaping requirements for multi-million dollar defense programs.
  • Specific, 'warm' relationships within target commands (e.g., Army Futures Command, NAVSEA, or AFMC).
  • Experience operating in a "lean" environment, directly engaging in work rather than managing large support staffs.
  • Active Secret or Top Secret security clearance.

Nice to have

  • Former experience as a Program Manager at DARPA, DIU, or a Service Research Lab.
  • Established network within relevant Congressional staff or Authorization/Appropriation committees.
  • Deep understanding of autonomous systems, modeling & simulation, or Vehicle OS architectures.

What the JD emphasized

  • 15–25 years of experience in or around the DoD
  • Expert-level knowledge of the PPBE cycle and the POM process.
  • Proven track record of shaping requirements for multi-million dollar defense programs.
  • Specific, 'warm' relationships within target commands