OverviewThe Air Force Growth Lead is responsible for driving strategic growth within the United States Air Force by identifying mission challenges, positioning FTI Defense's technology and solutions to address those challenges, and leading the progression from initial mission engagement to contract win to scaled adoption. This role blends traditional government business development with a modern solution sales approach, focusing on solving operational problems through integrated technologies rather than solely pursuing transactional contracts.
The Air Force Growth Lead serves as FTI Defense's senior growth representative for the Air Force account. The role requires deep understanding of Air Force missions, organizations, acquisition pathways, and decision structures, combined with the ability to translate mission needs into compelling solution narratives that lead to program adoption and long-term expansion.
This individual reports directly to the Chief Growth Officer works closely with internal technology, operations, and growth teams to align customer mission problems with the company's capabilities and to convert mission relevance into contract opportunities and program execution.
Responsibilities- Drive Air Force market growth.
- Lead all growth activities within the Air Force pipeline, developing and executing account strategies that position the company's solutions as mission-relevant capabilities.
- Identify future mission problems and shape solutions.
- Engage operational users, program offices, and mission leaders to understand emerging challenges and shape solutions that align the company's platforms and capabilities to those needs.
- Execute a solution sales approach.
- Move beyond traditional opportunity tracking by building demand through mission engagement, demonstrations, pilots, prototypes, and early adoption programs.
- Identify, qualify, and mature opportunities from early mission engagement through capture and proposal stages across multiple acquisition pathways (SBIR, OTA, CSO, MAC, IDIQ, and other vehicles).
- Build lasting and trusted strategic relationships across Air Force including operational units, acquisition offices, laboratories, and mission support organizations.
- Work closely with technology, capture and proposal teams, operations, and shared services to ensure opportunities are properly shaped, resourced, and executed.
- After initial wins drive expansion within Air Force organizations by identifying additional mission users/applications and scaling adoption across commands and programs.
Education/Qualifications- Must be a U.S. citizen and possess an active Top Secret level security clearance.
- 10+ years of experience in government contracting business development, capture, or mission engagement within the Department of Defense.
- Demonstrated success supporting or selling into Air Force organizations.
- Strong understanding of Air Force structure, mission priorities, and buying environment.
- Strong understanding of DoD acquisition pathways, including OTAs, SBIR/STTR, and major contract vehicles.
- Experience supporting or selling software, analytics, AI, modeling and simulation, cyber, or digital mission capabilities.
- Proven ability to develop pipeline and mature opportunities from early mission engagement through contract award.
- Existing network across Air Force operational, acquisition, and innovation communities.
Key Competencies:- Deep appreciation for the operational challenges facing the Air Force and the ability to translate those challenges into technology opportunities.
- Ability to position integrated capabilities that solve mission problems rather than selling individual products or services.
- Skilled at building trust with operators, program offices, and mission leadership.
- Ability to influence requirements and acquisition strategies early in the lifecycle.
- Works seamlessly with engineering, product, capture, and executive leadership to move opportunities forward.
- Must have strong communication and presentation skills.
- Experience with CRM systems to track pipeline actionability and customer engagement plans.
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