Jobs at Detroit Defense (Now Hiring) — 13 open

Description

The Vice President of Strategy & Business Development Operations is a senior executive responsible for leading the development of the company's strategy, managing enterprise business development operations, representing the company in the M&A and strategic alliance marketplace, and curating the brand through the marketing and communications team. Reporting directly to the CEO, this leader will serve as a trusted advisor to the entire executive team while partnering closely with business leaders to develop and execute data-informed growth strategies across the defense and national security markets.

This is a highly hands-on leadership role requiring an individual who is equally comfortable in the investment banking community and rolling up their sleeves to improve the details of business development operations. The ideal candidate thrives in both executive discussions and operational execution, working alongside business leaders to strengthen the customer relationship process, optimize business development systems, and enable disciplined growth.

The Vice President will lead the Company's annual strategic planning process, oversee business development operations and reporting, conduct market and competitive intelligence, support mergers and acquisitions activities, and ensure the organization maintains a compelling external voice that reflects the evolving priorities of today's Department of Defense environment.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic Leadership 

• Partner with the CEO and executive leadership team to shape and execute the enterprise long-term growth strategy. 
• Lead the annual strategic planning process, ensuring alignment between corporate objectives, market opportunities, and business priorities. 
• Shape and communicate strategy across tactical, operational, and strategic levels of the organization. 
• Develop actionable growth initiatives that position the company for sustained success within the defense and federal marketplace. 
• Facilitate executive strategy sessions and monitor progress against strategic initiatives. 

Business Development Operations 

• Lead and continuously improve business development operations (back-office), providing a critical support function to business development teams in the strategic business units. 
• Serve as the executive owner of CRM administration, governance, reporting, and process optimization. 
• Roll up your sleeves and work directly within the CRM and related systems to improve data quality, pipeline visibility, forecasting accuracy, and operational efficiency. 
• Develop and maintain executive dashboards, pipeline metrics, win/loss analyses, and key performance indicators. 
• Prepare business development reports and analyses for executive leadership and the Board of Directors. 

Partnership with Business Leaders 

• Work hand in hand with BU executives, Business Development, Operations, Engineering, and Program Leadership to support growth objectives. 
• Serve as a collaborative business partner focused on enabling success across the organization rather than operating independently. 
• Help business leaders prioritize opportunities, objectively assess investments against benchmark metrics (eg. NPV, ROIC, ROCE) and align resources with strategic objectives. 
• Foster accountability, collaboration, and disciplined execution across the growth organization. 

Market Intelligence & Competitive Analysis 

• Lead internal and external market research to identify emerging opportunities, customer priorities, competitive positioning, and industry trends. 
• Prepare strategic market assessments, competitive analyses, customer insights, and growth recommendations. 
• Monitor federal budget trends, acquisition strategies, and evolving Department of Defense priorities to inform corporate strategy. 
• Provide executive leadership with data-driven recommendations for new markets, customers, partnerships, and investments. 

Marketing & Communications 

• Lead and partner with Marketing and executive leadership to shape the company's external messaging, brand positioning, and thought leadership. 
• Ensure communications resonate with today's defense community and reflect the evolving priorities of the Department of Defense and national security environment. 
• Support executive communications, strategic messaging, conference participation, and customer engagement strategies. 
• Help articulate the company's value proposition across customers, partners, investors, and employees. 

Mergers & Acquisitions 

• Support corporate development activities, including acquisition target identification, market assessments, strategic evaluations, and due diligence. 
• Develop business cases and strategic analyses for potential acquisitions, partnerships, and investments. 
• Assist with post-acquisition integration planning to ensure strategic alignment and value realization. 

Executive & Board Reporting 

• Prepare executive-level reports, presentations, and strategic updates for the CEO and Board of Directors. 
• Develop Board materials related to corporate strategy, business development performance, market conditions, and strategic initiatives. 
• Track organizational performance against strategic objectives and recommend course corrections when appropriate. 

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS: 

Required 

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Public Policy, Defense Studies, or related field. 
• 12+ years of progressive leadership experience in strategy, business development, capture management, corporate development, or executive leadership within the defense, aerospace, or government contracting industry. 
• Demonstrated experience leading enterprise strategic planning and business growth initiatives. 
• Experience supporting mergers and acquisitions, including market assessments, due diligence, and integration planning. 
• Strong understanding of federal acquisition, Department of Defense organizations, and government contracting. 
• Experience with business development customer relationship management (CRM) and capture management systems. 
• Proven ability to develop executive and Board-level presentations and reports. 
• Exceptional analytical, communication, and executive presentation skills. 

Preferred 

• MBA or equivalent in related discipline. 
• Experience working with private equity-backed organizations. 
• Experience supporting rapid organizational growth and transformation. 
• Prior military experience. 

Leadership Competencies 

• Strategic thinker with exceptional business acumen. 
• Equally comfortable developing strategy and executing operational details. 
• Hands-on leader willing to dive into systems, processes, and business operations. 
• Highly collaborative with a servant leadership mindset and strong cross-functional partnership skills. 
• Strong executive presence with the ability to influence across all levels of the organization. 
• Data-driven decision maker with excellent analytical capabilities. 
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills. 
• Adaptable, decisive, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced, evolving environment.