Senior Director, Business Development (Defense & National Security)

Position Title: Senior Director, Business Development (Defense & National Security)

Location: Arlington, VA (Crystal City)

Category: Funded

Schedule (FT/PT): FT

Travel Required: 25%

Shift: Day

Remote Type: Hybrid

Clearance required: Secret / TS Eligible Preferred

Division: CEO

Who is ACT1 Federal? ACT1 Federal is a 100% employee-owned (ESOP) professional services company delivering mission-critical support across the Defense, Space, Intelligence, Aviation, and International Security Cooperation sectors. ACT1 supports U.S. Government, allied, and partner nations’ missions through expertise in acquisition management, Foreign Military Sales (FMS), engineering, logistics, program management, financial management and operational support. 

Description: ACT1 Federal seeks a strategic, execution-focused Senior Director of Business Development to lead growth initiatives across the Defense and National Security markets. This individual will identify, qualify, shape, capture, and help win strategically aligned opportunities supporting ACT1’s long-term growth objectives. 
 
The successful candidate must be able to shape opportunities pre-RFP, build trusted customer relationships, executing disciplined capture process, and maintaining a strategic teaming ecosystem. 
 
This position reports directly to the CEO and works collaboratively with leadership, operations, pricing, contracts and proposal team. 

Responsibilities:

• Execute strategic growth initiatives across targeted DoD and National Security markets. 

• Maintain a qualified pipeline aligned with ACT1’s strategic growth objectives. 

• Identify and shape opportunities in acquisition support, program management, financial management, engineering, logistics and FMS/security cooperation. 

• Build and maintain trusted relationships with government officials, acquisition leaders, program offices, and industry partners. 

• Lead capture efforts, including competitive assessments, customer engagement, teaming, and win themes. 

• Contribute to the development of compliant, compelling, and differentiated proposals. 

• Collaborate with Operations to align growth strategies and execution capabilities. 

• Represent ACT1 at industry events, conferences, and executive forums. 

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree preferred. 

• Prior senior military officer service + 5 years of business development experience or 15 years of progressive leadership experience in Business Development or Capture Management supporting the Defense market. 

• Demonstrated success winning competitive Federal opportunities. 

• Proven experience shaping opportunities pre-RFP and influencing acquisition environments. 

• Understanding of FAR/DFARS, Federal acquisition lifecycle, and Defense procurement processes. 

• Experience supporting organizations such as F-35 JPO, OSD, DSCA, USAF, USN (NAVAIR or NAVSEA), US Army, USSF, SSC, Combatant Commands, or Defense Agencies. 

• Demonstrated ability to build customer and industry relationships. 

• Experience leading pursuits greater than $50M in total contract value. 

• Strong communication and briefing skills. 

• Active Secret clearance required; TS eligible preferred. 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Prior military service or direct experience supporting Defense acquisition organizations. 

• Experience supporting Security Cooperation/FMS environments. 

• Knowledge of major contract vehicles such as OASIS+, GSA MAS, SeaPort NxG, etc. 

• Shipley method training 

• Experience competing in the defense environment. 

• Familiarity with OTAs, AI-enabled service delivery, engineering, or unmanned aerial systems. 

Desired Characteristics: 

The ideal candidate demonstrates high integrity, strategic thinking, disciplined execution, collaborative nature, operational credibility, and ability to operate within a lean-growth team. The successful candidate must be capable of building trust with customers, partners, and internal teams. 

Why ACT1 Federal: 

ACT1 Federal offers a mission-focused, highly collaborative environment where every employee can influence the company’s growth trajectory. As a 100% employee-owned company, ACT1 values