Growth Operations Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Company Overview

ARA is a leading C5ISR company that designs, manufactures, tests and installs innovative technologies that provide the national security community with unparalleled situational awareness, threat detection, and communications capabilities.

Our disruptive, integrated solutions, assemblies and subsystems rise to the challenging demands of discerning, mission-critical customers.

We leverage our capabilities to meet and exceed the requirements of our customers and empower them to remain ahead of evolving threats and complexities in a dynamic security landscape.

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly analytical and operationally focused Growth Operations Manager to lead forecasting discipline, CRM execution, and market intelligence activities in support of a rapidly growing defense contractor. This role will establish and manage a rigorous weekly operating cadence for opportunity reviews, pipeline management, bookings forecasting, and executive reporting using Salesforce.com and other CRM inputs as necessary.

The ideal candidate understands the complexity of the U.S. defense market ecosystem, product sales into program-based funding, government acquisition processes, and prime contractor relationships. This individual will serve as a key business partner to Growth, Capture, Program Management, and Executive Leadership teams.

Essential Functions

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Sales Forecasting & Pipeline Management

• Lead the company’s weekly sales forecasting cadence across all business units, programs, and growth initiatives
• Facilitate recurring pipeline reviews with Business Development, Capture Managers, and executive leadership
• Establish standardized forecasting methodologies, stage definitions, probability models, and qualification criteria
• Develop executive dashboards and KPI reporting for pipeline health, bookings performance, win rates, and forecast variance
• Drive accountability for CRM hygiene, opportunity updates, and data integrity

CRM Administration & Process Optimization

• Serve as the primary business owner for Salesforce and other CRM usage, workflows, reporting, and adoption
• Design and improve CRM processes aligned to defense business development and capture management lifecycles
• Drive and utilize standardized reporting structures for:
  • Pipeline by phase/stage
  • Program and platform alignment
  • Customer segmentation
  • Revenue forecasting
  • Opportunity aging
  • Capture probability analysis
• Partner with IT and leadership teams on CRM enhancements, integrations, automation, and analytics initiatives
• Train users and enforce best practices for opportunity management and forecast reporting

Market Intelligence & Competitive Analysis

• Develop and maintain market intelligence processes focused on defense and aerospace markets
• Monitor and analysis:
  • Government budgets and appropriations
  • Program Elements (PEs)
  • RFP and contract activity
  • Competitive positioning
  • Prime contractor strategies
  • Emerging defense technology trends
• Support strategic growth planning through TAM/SAM analysis, customer prioritization, and adjacent market identification
• Build and maintain competitive intelligence databases and briefing materials
• Deliver actionable insights to executive leadership regarding market trends, acquisition priorities, and competitive threats

Position Qualifications

Competency Statement(s)

• Adaptability - Adapts to change, open to new ideas and responsibilities
• Communication - Ability to communicate thoughts clearly, both oral and written in an honest, open and timely manner
• Job Knowledge - Understands facets of job, aware of duties and responsibilities, keeps job knowledge current
• Technical Skill - Possesses the knowledge and skills needed to perform a job or role effectively
• Dependability - Meets deadlines, works independently or in a team environment, is accountable, maintains focus, good attendance record
• Quality - Strives to eliminate errors, accurate work is a priority, seeks opportunities to improve products
• Ethics - Honest, accountable, maintains confidentiality
• Initiative / Take Ownership - Takes action, seeks new opportunities, strives to see projects to completion, meaning own your job and see it through
• Customer Focus - Understands and can meet the needs in a customer-centric (Internal and External) environment and build strong relationships. Promotes a positive image of the company and strives to solve issues raised by customers
• Sales Skills – Understands marketplace, works to meet prospect/customer needs, effective closing technique.
• Leadership – Provides strong leadership, sets a good example, skilled decision maker, motivator and encourager
• Results Driven – Defines appropriate goals, works toward achieving goals, articulates vision and steps for achievement.

Experience and Skills

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

• Experience in planning and capturing key DoD programs.
• Ability to lead a multi-function team.
• Knowledge of account relationship management strategies.
• Ability to qualify for security clearance, a plus.
• Experience supporting DoD-focused business development organizations
• Familiarity with:
  • GovWin
  • Bloomberg Government
  • SAM.gov
  • FPDS
  • Deltek
  • Defense budget and appropriation analysis

Education

• Bachelor’s degree (Engineering or Business or a related field a plus)
• Technical degree or 10+ years of industry experience preferred.
• MBA or related advanced degree preferred

Antenna Research Associates, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer committed to a policy of non-discrimination and affirmative action. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected status.