Director Business Development 1

Director Of Business Development

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems (NGMS) is currently seeking a Director of Business Development 1 to join our Strategic Customer Engagement team within the Business Development and Capture Excellence organization. In this highly visible role, the Director serves as the primary interface with our aerospace and defense prime customer and NGMS divisions, directing complete, end-to-end account management. This results-driven, win-focused leader sets and executes an "up and out" strategic agenda that seamlessly integrates NGMS programs, product lines, and capture activities, while generating leads and building a high-value, sector-aligned pipeline. As a trusted advisor to executive leadership, the leader ensures decisive, high-impact engagement at every customer interaction, positioning NGMS as the preferred partner to our aerospace and defense prime customer.

The selected candidate must be local to one of these NG locations and has the option to hybrid telework: St. Louis, MO, Rolling Meadows, IL, Linthicum, MD, McLean, VA, or Falls Church, VA. This position will report to the Senior Director, Strategic Customer Engagement and support engagements needed at various locations.

This position will require up to 50% travel to customer sites or other NG facilities, depending upon candidate location, and direction of the Strategic Customer Engagement Senior Director.

Key responsibilities include:

• Manage a key account for NGMS as the primary sector customer-facing business development lead; accountable for meeting growth objectives, pipeline health, win rate, and customer relations.
• Lead the full account lifecycle—early shaping and solution scoping through proposal, award, and post-award relationship stewardship—ensuring seamless handoffs to programs and disciplined execution against account plans.
• Integrate NGMS divisions, product lines, and capture teams to present a unified value proposition; align portfolios and investments to customer priorities and sector growth outcomes.
• Build and deepen executive-level customer relationships across the customer and key influencers; serve as a trusted advisor by translating mission needs into actionable NGMS solutions.
• Drive an opportunity-rich pipeline: identify, qualify, and prioritize pursuits; apply business-case and competitive analysis to focus resources where we can win and sustain target pipeline coverage versus Annual Operating Plan.
• Orchestrate disciplined opportunity qualification, set win strategies and themes, and ensure rapid transitions to capture with clear customer insight, competitive positioning, and decision-gate readiness.
• Partner with Capture Leadership, Business Units (Profit & Loss owners), and functional teams to shape and execute capture strategies; enable proposal readiness, price-to-win integration, and agile decision-making.
• Prepare and enable senior executives (Sector President, Division General Managers, and Executive Leadership Team) with precise, timely briefs, call plans, talking points, and post-engagement readouts; synthesize intelligence into concise, actionable decisions.
• Coordinate and mobilize stakeholders: develop and execute integrated customer/stakeholder engagement plans; align sector engagements with Corporate Government Relations and Legislative Affairs to synchronize with enterprise and congressional priorities.
• Capture and synthesize customer feedback and market intelligence to inform product roadmaps, IRAD/R&D priorities, and portfolio strategy; provide sector leadership with timely awareness of senior-level customer priorities.
• Collaborate with division business unit counterparts to represent customer needs, understand division equities, and integrate division content into executive packages and customer engagements.
• Establish account rhythms and metrics (e.g., quarterly business reviews, pipeline and gate reviews, etc.); communicate status, risks, and recovery actions in a timely manner to sector and division leadership.
• Uphold ethical conduct and compliance in all customer interactions and pursuit activities.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree and 10+ years of defense-sector business development/capture experience or relevant military experience or a Master's degree and 8+ years of defense-sector business development/capture experience or relevant military experience.
• 5+ years leading large, multi-disciplinary teams to deliver win-focused outcomes.
• Deep knowledge of DoW acquisition and/or operational processes.
• Exceptional executive-level communication and briefing skills; experience influencing senior government officials and corporate leadership.
• US Citizenship.
• Ability to attain/maintain a Secret clearance, with the ability to obtain and maintain a SAP clearance.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proven track record of owning full-cycle account management and improving win rates.
• Ability to translate market intelligence into agile, winning strategies.
• Top Secret Clearance.
• Advanced degree or MBA preferred.