Business Development Manager, SOCOM & CENTCOM

Firestorm is hiring a Business Development Manager to own customer engagement, capture, and growth across U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). You will be the face of Firestorm to operators, program managers, acquisition staff, and component commands — translating warfighter problems into Firestorm capability, and Firestorm capability into funded programs of record, OTAs, and rapid acquisition contracts. This is a high-autonomy, high-impact seat for someone who knows the SOF and CENTCOM customer cold, can navigate MacDill and component HQs without an org chart, and wants to help shape a portfolio rather than inherit one. Prior SOF or CENTCOM operational experience is a strong differentiator — not a requirement. We will weigh time in or with the special operations community heavily, but we are equally interested in industry BD professionals who have built real credibility with these customers. What You’ll Do 

• Account strategy. Build and execute the Firestorm growth plan for SOCOM (USASOC, NAVSPECWARCOM, AFSOC, MARSOC, JSOC, SOCOM HQ J-staffs, SOF AT&L) and CENTCOM (HQ, components, and forward task forces).
• Capture management. Identify, qualify, and capture opportunities across contested logistics and sUAS — from early problem-shaping through RFI/RFP, proposal, and award. Own pipeline hygiene, win strategies, gate reviews, and bid/no-bid recommendations.
• Customer engagement. Establish trusted relationships with operators, program managers, acquisition leads, and senior staff. Be present at MacDill and forward when it matters — demos, exercises, AARs, and warfighter touchpoints.
• Requirements translation. Convert mission gaps into capability briefs, white papers, and demonstration concepts that Firestorm engineering and product teams can execute against.
• Contracting pathways. Drive opportunities through SOFWERX, SOCOM Vulcan, DIU, AFWERX, OTAs, CSOs, and traditional FAR-based vehicles. Partner with our contracts and finance teams to structure winnable, executable deals.
• Teaming and ecosystem. Build the right teaming arrangements with primes, non-traditionals, and integrators. Represent Firestorm at SOF Week, AUSA, AFA, NDIA, and customer-facing industry events.
• Forecasting and reporting. Maintain rigorous CRM discipline, deliver accurate forecasts, and brief the VP of BD and executive team on pipeline, risks, and competitive intelligence.
• Draft Executive communications: Proposals, capability briefs, white papers, talking points to drive senior leader decision making.
• Perform other duties as required

 Required Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or equivalent field
• U.S. Citizenship required due to ITAR regulations
• Have active a Secret Clearance (SC) with the ability to obtain a Top Secret (TS) Clearance
• 5+ years of business development, capture, and/or program management experience in the defense industry, or equivalent uniformed/civilian experience working acquisition, requirements, and/or operations for SOCOM and/or CENTCOM.
• Experience with components, the commands, the stakeholders, and the budget cycles for SOF and CENTCOM customers.
• Experience moving opportunities from cold lead to funded contract, including experience with non-traditional pathways (OTAs, CSOs, SOFWERX, DIU, AFWERX, rapid prototyping etc.).
• Working knowledge of contested logistics, sUAS, autonomy, and/or adjacent capability areas that will allow for a credible technical conversation with an operator and/or program manager.
• Have a bias for action, comfort with ambiguity, and the judgment to operate with minimal supervision in a startup environment.

 Preferred Qualifications 

• Prior service in SOF, Army Aviation, USMC, USAF, or Navy with operational time in the CENTCOM AOR.
• Existing relationships with SOCOM PEO-SOF Warrior, PEO-Fixed Wing, PEO-Rotary Wing, SOF AT&L, or CENTCOM J-codes.
• Hands-on familiarity with sUAS employment, Group 1–3 platforms, or contested/expeditionary logistics concepts (e.g., distributed maritime ops, agile combat employment, SOF resupply).
• Experience standing up a new account or AOR from scratch inside a growth-stage defense company.
• MBA, M.S., or relevant graduate-level defense/policy education.

 Work Environment 

• Position is based in Tampa FL
• We welcome candidates who are local or open to relocating; relocation assistance is available and may be included in the offer package where appropriate.
• Willingness and ability to travel ~30–50%, including occasional OCONUS to forward-deployed customers.

 Compensation