Senior Vice President, Aerospace & Defense, Policy & Investment

Capstone is a policy intelligence and investment advisory firm that helps private equity firms, institutional investors, and corporate clients understand how policy, regulatory, and geopolitical developments translate into investment risk and opportunity. Our Aerospace & Defense (A&D) practice sits at the center of one of the most active and consequential areas of the market — aerospace, defense, space, and national security — where program decisions, procurement dynamics, and shifting policy priorities can make or break an investment thesis.

The Role: Capstone is seeking a Senior Vice President for Aerospace and Defense (A&D) to serve as a key leader in our fast-growing A&D transaction advisory and strategy consulting practice. This person will play a central role in shaping Capstone’s intellectual leadership in the A&D sector, translating complex policy and regulatory developments into actionable investment strategies. This person will also help lead A&D commercial due diligence and transaction advisory engagements for private equity and other institutional investor clients evaluating aerospace, defense, space, and national security opportunities. This is a senior, client-facing role.

The ideal candidate will have direct experience leading fast-paced commercial and policy due diligence engagements for PE sponsors and/or corporate M&A, combining rigorous analytical frameworks with deep A&D policy knowledge to assess investment opportunities and engage in value creation strategy development.

As a part of this role, this SVP will build and maintain high-level relationships with policymakers, regulators, industry leaders, and clients. They will also assist in guiding research priorities, mentor junior analysts, and collaborate across policy verticals to deliver integrated insights at the intersection of politics, regulation, and financial markets.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead policy and regulatory analysis across the A&D sector and the broader defense industrial base for public markets, private equity, and corporate clients
• Lead commercial due diligence engagements on aerospace, defense, space, and national security targets for PE and institutional investor clients, from scoping through final deliverable
• Stay ahead of the programmatic, budgetary, and regulatory developments shaping the aerospace, defense, and space sectors, and proactively flag emerging risks and opportunities to the broader practice and client base through written analysis and bespoke client engagement.

Qualifications:

• Substantive knowledge of the defense acquisition process, procurement and budget cycles, and the competitive landscape in key segments of A&D such as the defense primes, subsystem/component suppliers, and emerging space and dual-use technology companies
• A demonstrated ability to translate policy and regulatory complexity into commercial implications that matter to investors
• Excellent written and analytical output; experience producing structured, decision-ready deliverables under deal timelines
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent engagements and lead junior staff in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
• Strong communication skills, including poise and confidence in public speaking and client facing engagements. Ever-present professionalism and respect for colleagues and clients

Education and Experience

• 8+ years of experience in aerospace/defense consulting, investment banking, private equity, corporate strategy, or a related transaction advisory environment, with direct exposure to commercial due diligence or M&A processes
• A&D policy fluency , including demonstrated understanding and ability to apply budgeting, contracting, regulatory frameworks, and Department of War dynamics to diligence and strategy work for clients. Similar comfort or ability to apply analytic frameworks in the context of the Intelligence Community and federal civil agencies, as well.
• Direct involvement in transaction-related (buy-side or sell-side) A&D due diligence engagements, preferably across multiple sub-sectors
• Passion for the intersection of aerospace and defense, politics, and investing
• Bachelor's Degree required, MA/MBA preferred
• Excellent presentation and data visualization skills.
• Must be U.S. citizen or permanent resident, eligible to work without sponsorship