Director, Business Development (Defense & Space)

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Salary Range:

$170K/yr - $250K/yr

About Avalanche Energy

Avalanche Energy is a Washington-based startup building compact, deployable fusion systems through rapid hardware iteration. Rather than pursuing fusion as a single grid-scale outcome, Avalanche develops transportable fusion machines designed to be built, tested, and operated on short cycles, turning real hardware into steady progress. This approach enables near‑term applications that demand extreme energy density and endurance—starting with fusion neutron production for radioisotope power and other defense and space uses—while advancing the underlying fusion platform. Backed by U.S. government programs and a team experienced in delivering complex systems, Avalanche is focused on building fusion that runs in the real world, not just on paper.

Role Summary

We are seeking a senior business development professional to grow and lead Avalanche Energy's Defense and Space business during a period of rapid growth. Avalanche will remain R&D‑intensive for the next several years, and this leader will connect mission needs, acquisition and budget strategy, technology maturation, and commercialization while helping the company build scalable operating discipline.

You will secure prime and sub‑contracts/agreements, create transition pathways from R&D and demonstration into programs of record and production, establish strategic partnerships, and help Avalanche build the contracting and compliance capabilities required to scale as a non‑traditional contractor. This role could grow into a GM‑level position with P&L responsibility.

This position reports to the Director of Strategy and will work closely with executive, technical, legal, finance, security, compliance, and operations leadership to align business development priorities with RDT&E, commercialization, and growth objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Defense and Space Capture and Technology Transition

• Own an opportunity pipeline across DoW, NASA, NRO, the Intelligence Community (IC), and major defense and space primes from early shaping through proposal, negotiation, award, and execution handoff.
• Shape opportunities before solicitation and develop transition plans that connect mission needs, technical readiness, test and evaluation, operational demonstration, program‑of‑record funding, follow‑on production, and recurring procurement.
• Lead capture operations from opportunity qualification and bid/no‑bid through capture planning and solution development.
• Organize and manage cross‑functional proposal teams to secure non‑traditional and FAR‑based prime and sub‑awards, contracts, agreements, and task orders.
• Produce white papers, proposals, presentations, and agency responses.
• Negotiate teaming agreements, subcontracts, and awards, with attention to pricing, cost share, IP and technical data rights, flow‑downs, security, and transition rights.

Government Engagement and Budget Strategy

• Build senior relationships with DoW requirements owners, program executive offices, program managers, service laboratories, operational users, acquisition executives, budget sponsors, NASA mission directorates and centers, NRO, IC, and other national security stakeholders.
• Use the PPBE/POM cycle, appropriations, unfunded requirements, reprogramming actions, and Departmental and Congressional engagement to create budget‑backed pathways, while translating customer discovery into R&D priorities and demonstration plans.

Strategic Partnerships and Prime Contractor Engagement

• Build and maintain senior relationships with major primes, system integrators, launch and spacecraft providers, government laboratories, FFRDCs/UARCs, suppliers, and other partners needed for maturation and deployment.
• Structure teaming, subcontract, consortium, and strategic relationships that provide access to platforms, test infrastructure, classified programs, manufacturing, integration, and customers while preserving Avalanche's long‑term product, IP, and data‑rights position.

Contracting, Compliance, and Scalable Business Operations

• Help build Avalanche's defense and space contracting infrastructure, including capture governance, pipeline and forecast discipline, proposal processes, pricing and approval workflows, contract handoff, and executive and board reporting.
• Work with legal, finance, IT, security, quality, supply chain, and operations to establish scalable readiness for FAR/DFARS requirements, cybersecurity, export controls, classified work, government property, cost and pricing, audit, and supply‑chain obligations.
• Evaluate contract vehicles, cash‑flow and indirect‑rate implications, compliance burden, and program risk; advise when Avalanche should act as a prime, subcontractor, supplier, licensor, or partner; and retain non‑traditional speed while building scaled‑company discipline.

Commercialization and Business Unit Development

• Develop commercialization pathways for novel fusion power systems, neutron generators, radioisotope power systems and related technologies, converting funded R&D into recurring product, service, licensing, production, sustainment, and mission‑support revenue.
• Build business cases, market‑entry strategies, pricing models, partner maps, value‑chain plans, and infrastructure roadmaps required to move from prototype to repeatable delivery.
• Help build Avalanche's Defense and Space business unit, including organizational design, operating cadence, staffing priorities, and a roadmap toward future P&L ownership.

Required Qualifications

• 15+ years' experience in defense, space, or intelligence business development, capture, technology transition, and proposal leadership, with referenceable success winning $25M+ prime or subcontract awards.
• Deep experience working with DoW/Service customers and end‑users and major defense primes, plus demonstrated understanding on how to engage NASA, NRO, and the IC.
• Demonstrated success winning at least one $100M+ prime or subcontract award.
• Provable success transitioning advanced technology from R&D or prototype demonstration into operational evaluation, program funding, production, or sustained procurement, with strong understanding of the PPBE/POM and appropriations cycles.
• Strong understanding of non‑traditional and FAR/DFARS contracting vehicles and types, including OTAs, BAAs, CSOs, IDIQs, SBIR/STTR, consortium agreements, subcontracts, and other relevant transaction and procurement mechanisms.
• Experience negotiating complex agreements involving IP and technical data rights, cost share, flow‑downs, security, export controls, and the compliance requirements needed to scale a defense contractor.
• Experience working with engineers and scientists to commercialize complex hardware or regulated deep technologies and translate technical concepts into mission‑relevant proposals and customer communications.
• Startup “builder” mindset, strong executive presence, and the ability to create new processes and drive outcomes in a fast‑growing, resource‑constrained environment.
• Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, public policy, finance, or a related technical field. MBA or advanced technical degree strongly preferred.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI clearance and access to sensitive or special programs as required.

Preferred / Bonus

• Direct experience with fusion, nuclear, isotopes, neutron sources, radiation effects, space power or propulsion, high‑voltage systems, or an adjacent deep‑tech hardware.
• Direct experience with DoW technology‑transition organizations, service laboratories, PAE/PEO/PM offices, NASA directorates and centers, NRO, and IC programs.
• Experience building a defense business within a tech startup or growth‑stage company, including knowledge of DCAA/DCMA readiness, government accounting, indirect rates, contract audit, and/or CMCC/NIST compliance frameworks.
• Experience working with government relations teams to insert supporting language into congressional legislation and/or secure appropriations.
• Experience with nuclear safety, licensing, launch approval, environmental review, defense production, manufacturing scale‑up, qualification, or mission assurance.
• International business development with U.S. allies, export licensing, foreign military sales.
• PMP (or equivalent) and experience with strong program/capture operating cadence.
• Experience with financial modeling and business case development.
• Active TS/SCI clearance; current polygraph or prior access to SAP/SCI programs.
• Previous P&L responsibility.
• 10 paid holidays and company‑wide December holiday break.
• Generous paid vacation and sick time.
• Small, tight‑knit team with low barriers to action.
• Exposure to a wide variety of problems for unparalleled, hands‑on professional growth.
• Meaningful equity compensation.

We value people of all backgrounds. We are an equal opportunity employer, and you do not need to match every listed qualification to apply. If you like being hands‑on, all over the system, and making difficult hardware work in the real world, we encourage you to apply.

This position may require access to export‑controlled information. In order to comply with U.S. export control laws, applicants must be a “U.S. person” as defined by U.S. trade control laws (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual).

Stock Options

We are embarking on an unrealistically ambitious project that will change the course of life on earth. We are all owners; success will be shared.

Paid Time Off

A successful company requires rested, enthusiastic and energetic employees. We offer excellent paid time off for you to take care of yourself so we all succeed.

Flexible Schedule

Our job is to build and test fusion devices, not warm seats. We will work with you on a schedule that fits all of us.

Competitive Salary

We are a start‑up with constraints, but we take care of our people.

Health Insurance

We need a healthy team. We provide 100% employer paid health, dental and vision insurance premiums, with one of the best plans available.

Team Offsites

A couple times a year we head somewhere new and do something fun to change our paradigm.

Fusion fundamentals from the team at Avalanche

First‑of‑a‑kind fast neutron irradiation facility