Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, or related field; advanced degree or MBA preferred
10+ years in aerospace & defense, with experience in at least two relevant functions
Strong leadership skills across direct and matrixed teams
Demonstrated experience in scaling capture and proposal functions in high-growth contexts
Experience with stage-gate capture processes in multi-segment defense companies
Working knowledge of FAR/DFARS and government acquisition processes
Strong executive communication skills, engaging top leaders effectively
Responsibilities
Own and manage the company-wide capture process across all segments
Oversee the pipeline/CRM platform for accurate forecasting and resource allocation
Coach Capture Managers, enhancing their skills and processes
Lead Competitive Intelligence & Price to Win capabilities for strategic pursuits
Develop the Long Range Plan for bookings, aligning forecasts with growth commitments
Link long-term planning to capture prioritization strategies
Manage the BD technology stack ensuring effective governance and standards
Evaluate AI and automation tools to enhance business development performance
Oversee Government Relations to maintain strong legislative connections
Administer Karman's Political Action Committee (PAC) to ensure compliance
Benefits
Medical, dental, and vision insurance
401(k) with company match
Paid time off
Health Savings Account (HSA) with company contribution
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
Company-paid life and AD&D insurance
Short-and long-term disability coverage
Tuition reimbursement
Full Job Description
The Director, Capture & Growth Operations is a direct report to the Chief Growth Officer and leads a centralized growth organization that serves all four market segments. In a company whose active pipeline has grown roughly 3x year over year, this is the role that drives that pipeline to convert into backlog at a consistent, defensible rate. Direct reports to this role include Senior Managers for: Capture Governance, Competitive Intelligence & Price to Win, Long Range Planning, and Government Relations.
Responsibilities
Own the company-wide capture process - gate reviews, win-probability scoringmethodology,pipeline reviews,bid/no-bid criteria, proposal process/tools, and lessons learned- and ensure consistent application across all four segments
Own the pipeline/CRM platform and reporting infrastructure; ensure data quality is sufficient to support forecasting and resource allocation decisions at the executive level
Coach and upskill segment Capture Managers on process and best practices through the dotted-line relationship - building their capability
Oversee the Competitive Intelligence & Price to WinSenior Managerin building andmaintaininga structured CI/PTW capability - assessing competitor strengths, weaknesses,likely pricingstrategies, and teaming postures on priority pursuits across all four segments. Ensure CI/PTW analysis is integrated into capture strategy and gate reviews.
Own the development of Karman'sLong RangePlan (LRP) for bookings - coordinating with segment GMs, segment BD Senior Directors, and Finance/FP&A to build a bottoms-up bookings forecast that is grounded in pipeline data and aligned to the company's revenue and growth commitments to investors. Track orders attainment against LRP commitments- identifyingvariance drivers early, and flagging to the CGO and CFO when attainment risk requires reforecast or pipeline action
Connect LRP attainment tracking directly to capture prioritization
Own the BD technology stack across all segments - CRM/pipeline management platform, proposal development tools, CI/PTW tools,pricingand cost-estimating tools, and LRP forecasting infrastructure; responsible forselection, configuration, adoption standards, and ongoing governance of each
Evaluate and prioritize AI and automation applications that improve BD performance across the growth organization -identifyingwhere AI creates genuine leverage
Oversee the Senior Manager, Government Relations as well as external defense / legislative consultants in managing Karman's relationships with the legislative and defense policy communities - ensuring the company has appropriate visibility with congressional staff, committee members, and DoD policy offices relevant to the programs and budget lines Karman depends on. Ensureconsultants are tasked against the right priorities, their intelligence on budget cycles, program authorization, and procurement policy is flowing into capture and LRP planning
Oversee Karman's Political Action Committee (PAC) -ensuring the PAC is governed, administered, and reported in full compliance
Required Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, or related field; advanced degree or MBA preferred
10+ years in aerospace & defense, withsignificant experiencespanning at least two of the functions this role oversees (capture governance, CI/PTW, orlong rangeplanning)
Strong leadership skills - for direct reports (talent assessment, hiring, development)as well as with matrixed teams. Experience managing a team through competing demands across concurrent, time-pressured deliverables
Demonstrated experience building or scaling a capture and proposal function during a high-growth period - not just managing a steady-state operation
Direct experience standing up or owning a stage-gate capture process in a multi-segment or multi-business-unit defense company
Working knowledge of FAR/DFARS, DoD/DoWacquisition processes, and government contract types (FFP, cost-plus, IDIQ) sufficient to set policy and make judgment calls on process exceptions
Strong executive communicationskills - the CGO, CEO, and CFOare the primary stakeholders for this role'soutputs
Ability toattaina security clearance if required by future program assignments
Preferred Qualifications
Prior experience as a capture or proposal director at a mid-tier or large defense company where the function served multiple business units
APMP Foundation, Practitioner, or Professional certification - signals fluency in the professional standards this roleis responsible forupholding and teaching
Familiarity with government contract pricing, FAR Part 15, and cost accounting standards (CAS) -sufficient to set pricing process standards, review cost volume methodologies, and serve as an informed escalation point for segment pricing questions
Experience building or scaling a CI/PTW function or contributing structured competitive intelligence to capture decisions - as a practitioner, not just a consumer of the analysis
Background in a publicly traded defense company - pipeline reporting, governance requirements, and investor narrative context differ materially from a private company environment and will affect how this role's outputs are used
Special Mentions
Moderate(20%)travel isrequiredas well as the ability to support teams across multipletimezones.
Benefits include
Medical, dental, and vision insurance
401(k) with company match
Paid time off
Health Savings Account (HSA) with company contribution
