Position Summary
The Senior Business Development Manager is responsible for leading strategic growth initiatives within the federal market space with extensive experience in Department of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA). This role focuses on developing business strategies, identifying, qualifying, and capturing new business opportunities, developing customer relationships, maintaining opportunity pipelines, mentoring staff, and shaping requirements to align with the company's capabilities and strategic goals.
Major Duties and Responsibilities
- Strategic Market Engagement
- Develop and execute business development strategies targeting federal agencies.
- Monitor and analyze market trends, budget priorities, and procurement forecasts.
- Identify and assess new business opportunities aligned with corporate growth objectives.
- Regularly review market trends and competitor activity to inform strategic decisions and optimize business positioning.
- Capture Management
- Lead capture efforts for high-value opportunities, including bid strategy, teaming, pricing considerations, and proposal win themes.
- Develop and maintain capture plans, win strategies, and competitive assessments.
- Coordinate with internal stakeholders (e.g., proposal teams, technical SMEs, finance, contracts) to ensure alignment and readiness.
- Conduct opportunity kickoff with appropriate members and leadership team
- Customer Relationship Management
- Cultivate and sustain relationships with key stakeholders, including government agencies within the federal market, prime contractors, and strategic partners. Represent organizational interests in discussions related to federal initiatives and policy changes. Proactively identify opportunities for collaboration and partnership that align with the company's growth objectives.
- Represent the company at industry events, conferences, and customer meetings.
- Pipeline Development
- Maintain a robust pipeline of qualified opportunities using CRM tools.
- Proactively monitor industry trends, legislative developments, and funding priorities relevant to the federal marketplace to anticipate shifts and position the organization competitively. Leverage market intelligence tools and subscription services to identify emerging opportunities and threats, ensuring a robust and forward-looking pipeline. Engage in strategic outreach to expand the company's presence in targeted agencies, fostering early customer engagement and shaping opportunities prior to formal solicitation.
- Support go / no-go decision processes through rigorous qualification criteria, ensuring pursuit resources are invested in the most promising opportunities. Maintain comprehensive documentation of capture activities and business development milestones, employing CRM tools and knowledge management systems to enable transparency and continuity across the team.
- Track and report on pipeline metrics, win / loss ratios, and business development performance.
- Collaboration and Leadership
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams including operations, contracts, and compliance.
- Mentor junior business development staff and contribute to team development.
Supervisory Relationships
Direct Reports : Supervise Business Development Analyst(s).
Supervision Received : Reports to the Director of Strategic Growth with a high degree of autonomy and accountability.
Reporting and Communication
Provide regular updates to leadership on market trends, customer feedback, and competitor activities. Ensure timely and effective communication across all levels of the organization to support business development strategies and align team efforts with broader company goals.
Work Performed
Frequent interaction with senior government officials and industry partners.
Regular travel to customer sites, industry events, and company locations.
Preparation of presentations, white papers, and strategic briefings.
Use of business intelligence tools and CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce, GovWin, SAM.gov).
Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Business, Public Administration, or related field (Master's preferred).
10+ years of experience in federal business development, with a focus on DoD and / or VA.
Proven track record of successful capture and proposal efforts.
Strong understanding of federal acquisition regulations (FAR / DFARS) and procurement processes.
Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.