Manager of Federal Business Development
Confidential Search | Washington DC Metropolitan Area | RemoteAn established small federal consulting firm is seeking a proven growth leader to expand its federal portfolio, with an emphasis on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of War (DoW). This is a role for a hands-on dealmaker who builds access, shapes opportunities early, and stays personally engaged until the award is won.
The right candidate is a hunter and closer, not a process administrator. You know how to walk the halls, earn trusted relationships with customers and partners, and connect every meeting, introduction, teaming decision, and capture action to a specific win. You will be accountable for protecting incumbent work, expanding existing accounts, and bringing in significant new federal business.
What You Will Deliver- Build and convert a qualified federal pipeline focused on opportunities the firm can realistically win, particularly across DHS and DoW.
- Open doors and develop durable relationships with program leaders, contracting officials, acquisition stakeholders, small business representatives, and industry partners.
- Create a clear win strategy for every priority pursuit and translate it into specific actions, owners, milestones, and customer touchpoints.
- Lead opportunities from identification through award, including qualification, customer engagement, solution shaping, competitive positioning, teaming, price-to-win, and proposal strategy.
- Protect incumbent work by anticipating recompetes, strengthening customer relationships, addressing performance risks, and positioning well before a solicitation is released.
- Expand existing accounts by identifying adjacent needs, new buyers, contract growth, and follow-on work.
- Win new prime and subcontract opportunities through disciplined account development, partner strategy, and persistent market engagement.
- Maintain a credible, actionable pipeline and give the CEO direct, evidence-based recommendations on where to invest, pursue, partner, or walk away.
- Guide and support delivery leads to protect incumbent work, expand, and land new work.
- Guide proposal teams to produce persuasive, compliant submissions while keeping the focus on customer insight, differentiation, and the path to award.
What Success Looks Like- Achieve key performance indicators, including pipeline value, revenue, and win rate.
- A healthy pipeline with sufficient qualified coverage, realistic values and timing, and clear next actions tied to each opportunity.
- Deeper access and stronger relationships within priority DHS and DoW accounts.
- Successful retention and expansion of incumbent work.
- Meaningful new bookings from federal prime and subcontract awards.
- A growth cadence driven by customer engagement and deal progress, not activity for activity's sake.
What You Bring- At least eight years of federal business development or capture experience, including responsibility for a meaningful portfolio or growth target.
- A documented record of federal wins. You can explain the opportunity, value, customer, competition, relationships, strategy, and the actions you personally took to influence the outcome.
- Current relationships and demonstrated credibility within DHS, DoW, or closely aligned federal markets.
- Strong knowledge of federal buying behavior, acquisition cycles, contract vehicles, set-asides, recompetes, teaming, and competitive procurements.
- The judgment to qualify hard, focus resources, adjust quickly, and stay close to the customer throughout the pursuit.
- The confidence and executive presence to represent the firm with senior government customers, large and small business partners, and internal leadership.
- Excellent communication, negotiation, and persuasive writing skills.
- U.S. citizenship and the ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
Preferred: Experience selling professional services in emergency management, homeland security, defense preparedness, disaster public health, counterterrorism; knowledge of the SBA 8(a) program and the transition to full and open competition; and a bachelor's degree or equivalent relevant experience.
How You Operate- You are competitive, resourceful, persistent, and comfortable being accountable for the number.
- You spend your time where it changes the outcome: with customers, partners, incumbents, competitors, and decision-makers.
- You work with urgency, follow through, and know when to challenge assumptions or change course.
- You value useful discipline but do not confuse process completion with progress toward a win.
Location Travel and CompensationThis is a remote position for candidates based in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Travel is approximately 20 percent, primarily for customer meetings, partner engagement, conferences, and industry events. The anticipated base salary is $170,000 to $190,000, depending on experience and demonstrated results, plus a performance-based incentive tied to bookings and revenue.
BenefitsBenefits include flexible paid time off, paid holidays and volunteer time, a 401(k) with employer match, national medical coverage, dental and vision coverage, flexible spending accounts, employer-paid life and disability insurance, supplemental insurance options, an Employee Assistance Program, professional development support, and a work-from-home stipend.
How to ApplySubmit a resume and a cover note of no more than one page. In the note, describe one federal opportunity you personally identified, shaped, and carried to award. Include the customer, contract vehicle, approximate value, competitive context, and the specific actions you took to influence the win.
