Director of Strategic Growth - Defense
Quick Summary
About the role The Director of Strategic Growth serves as the senior relationship and shaping layer of our DoD business development operation. Reporting to the Head of Growth, you will be responsible for opening doors, building deep credibility with government stakeholders, and shaping programs…
Former experience as a Program Manager at DARPA, DIU, or a Service Research Lab. Established network within relevant Congressional staff or Authorization/Appropriation committees.
About the Role
~1 min readThe Director of Strategic Growth serves as the senior relationship and shaping layer of our DoD business development operation. Reporting to the Head of Growth, you will be responsible for opening doors, building deep credibility with government stakeholders, and shaping programs well before they reach the public domain. You will operate as a high-level owner on a specific portfolio of domain accounts, partnering with a Capture Manager to convert strategic opportunities into a winning pipeline.
Cultivate senior-level trust-based relationships with PEOs, PMs, requirements officers, and CTO offices.
Shape opportunities 12-18 months in advance by influencing requirements and acquisition strategies.
Lead strategic customer discovery to understand long-term roadmaps, budget trajectories, and political dynamics.
Define win strategies, identifying competitive discriminators and making critical 'pursue vs. walk away' decisions.
Provide strategic direction to the Capture Manager to ensure execution is aligned with shaping work.
Author white papers and lead capability demonstrations that position our technology in the customer's thinking.
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
~1 min readFormer 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.
Compensation at Applied Intuition for eligible roles includes base salary, equity, and benefits. Base salary is a single component of the total compensation package, which may also include equity in the form of options and/or restricted stock units, comprehensive health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance coverage, 401k retirement benefits with employer match, learning and wellness stipends, and paid time off. Note that benefits are subject to change and may vary based on jurisdiction of employment.
Applied Intuition pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum intended target base salary for new hire salaries for the position. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, interview performance, and the level and scope of the position.
Please reference the job posting subtitle for where this position will be located. For pay transparency purposes, the base salary range for this full-time position in the location listed is: $175,000 USD to $225,000 USD annually.
Location & Eligibility
Listing Details
- Posted
- October 17, 2025
- First seen
- May 5, 2026
- Last seen
- May 9, 2026
Posting Health
- Days active
- 0
- Repost count
- 0
- Trust Level
- 14%
- Scored at
- May 6, 2026
Signal breakdown
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