Federal Business Development & Capture Manager - AI Technologies

Overview JST is seeking an experienced Federal Business Development & Capture Manager - AI Technologies professional who can independently identify opportunities, build government customer relationships, and personally develop the submissions that turn our technology into funded work. Working directly with the CEO and technical team, you will owner selected pursuits from initial customer discovery through opportunity qualification, capture strategy, proposal submission, and award support. This is a hands-on individual contributor role with meaningful autonomy and accountability. Direct experience with at least one of the following is required: Commercial Solutions Openings (CSOs), the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace, or Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) programs. This is a full-time remote position. JST offers a complete benefits package, a collaborative work environment, and strong company culture. Veterans and military spouses are encouraged to apply. Opportunity Identification and Capture Proactively identify government mission needs, funding opportunities, and acquisition pathways aligned with our AI products. Monitor and pursue relevant CSOs, Tradewinds opportunities, SBIR/STTR topics, and other appropriate defense technology opportunities. Qualify pursuits based on customer need, technical fit, funding potential, competitive positioning, acquisition approach, and timing. Develop and execute capture plans, including customer engagement strategies, win themes, teaming recommendations, and pursuit milestones. Present clear bid/no-bid recommendations and maintain an accurate, actionable opportunity pipeline. Customer Engagement and Business Development Independently establish and maintain relationships with government mission owners, program managers, technical stakeholders, acquisition personnel, and potential partners. Lead discovery conversations to understand operational challenges, desired outcomes, buying priorities, and adoption requirements. Organize and lead capability briefings, product demonstrations, and technical exchanges with support from company leadership and engineers. Identify customer champions, prospective funding sources, decision-makers, and practical paths to award. Advance customer discussions toward defined pilot scopes, success criteria, acquisition actions, and funded opportunities. Maintain consistent follow-through and document customer commitments, pursuit risks, and next steps. Proposal Development and Submission Personally write and manage solution briefs, white papers, pitch presentations, technical narratives, and proposals. Lead submission development across applicable CSO, Tradewinds, and SBIR/STTR opportunities, building proficiency in pathways beyond your existing experience. For CSO pursuits, develop clear solution narratives aligned with mission needs and evaluation criteria. For Tradewinds submissions, coordinate solution positioning, assessment-criteria alignment, video scripts, demonstration narratives, and submission materials. For SBIR/STTR pursuits, integrate technical approaches, work plans, milestones, commercialization strategies, transition plans, and budget inputs. Identify and coordinate research institution partners for STTR pursuits, as applicable. Interview technical experts and translate complex AI capabilities into persuasive explanations of mission value, innovation, feasibility, and differentiation. Own submission schedules, contributor coordination, compliance reviews, final quality control, and responses to evaluator feedback. Award Conversion and Technology Transition Develop and execute customer engagement plans for Tradewinds solutions that achieve Awardable status. Coordinate scope, deliverables, schedules, and pricing inputs with leadership, engineering, finance, and contracts support. Support clarification responses and negotiations through contract or agreement execution. Pursue transition opportunities that connect research, prototypes, and pilots with operational adoption and follow-on revenue. Build reusable proposal content and practical processes that improve execution as the company grows. Capture Manager Additional Areas of Interest Demonstrated understanding of U.S. Air Force aviation operations, mission systems, and sustainment programs to inform capture strategy and solution development. Familiarity with Air Force acquisition processes, life-cycle management policies, and the Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) system. Established relationships or proven engagement history within the Air Force aviation community to support teaming and customer shaping activities. Understanding of Air Force modernization initiatives such as digital engineering, aircraft sustainment, and readiness improvement programs. Required Qualifications At least three years of relevant federal business development, capture, or proposal experience , with demonstrated ability to independently advance pursuits. Direct, hands-on experience with at least one of these pathways: CSOs: Qualifying opportunities and developing and submitting solution briefs or proposals. Tradewinds: Developing Solutions Marketplace submissions, including pitch content and alignment with assessment criteria. SBIR/STTR: Selecting opportunities and developing proposals, including relevant technical, commercialization, or transition content. Demonstrated experience engaging government customers and advancing opportunities toward funded contracts or agreements. Exceptional writing and editing skills, including the ability to independently develop compelling content from technical interviews, demonstrations, and source materials. Ability to develop capture strategies that connect customer needs, funding, acquisition pathways, competitive positioning, and proposal execution. Working knowledge of federal technology acquisition and the ability to learn additional funding and acquisition pathways. Ability to distinguish submission and evaluation milestones, customer interest, available funding, and executed awards. Strong judgment, organization, and follow-through, with the ability to manage concurrent pursuits in a small company. Ability to explain and substantiate your personal contributions to prior submissions, customer relationships, and pursuit outcomes. Preferred Qualifications Direct experience across two or all three priority pathways: CSOs, Tradewinds, and SBIR/STTR. Tradewinds submissions that achieved Awardable status. Successful CSO or SBIR/STTR awards, including subsequent-phase or transition work. Experience converting customer interest, technology demonstrations, or marketplace listings into funded pilots and follow-on contracts. Experience positioning AI, enterprise software, data analytics, or workflow automation for defense customers. Established relationships with relevant government mission owners, acquisition organizations, innovation offices, or research partners. Familiarity with software licensing, intellectual property, SBIR/STTR data rights, cybersecurity, and government deployment considerations. Experience building capture and proposal processes within a small defense contractor or technology company. How Success Will Be Measured Performance goals will be established with company leadership and will reflect both business results and the quality of pursuit execution. Measures will include: Qualified pipeline growth supported by identifiable customers, credible funding paths, and clear next steps. Customer engagement that advances opportunities toward demonstrations, defined requirements, and acquisition decisions. Timely, compliant, differentiated submissions. Successful evaluations, selections, and funded awards. Technology transition, follow-on opportunities, and resulting business growth. The performance bonus will be tied to an agreed combination of these measures and company performance. Required Clearances and Screenings MUST be able to successfully pass a drug and background check About Joint Strategic Technologies (JST) No objective is beyond reach! Joint Strategic Technologies (JST) enables successful mission outcomes from the back office to the battlefield. Our team includes leading experts from military, government and the private sector, all working together to help federal customers make a difference. Our goal is to Elevate the Impact that our employees have on our customers and treat every employee as a valued member of our team. JST empowers employees to make decisions and take-action, thus improving overall organizational growth and employee development. Culture isn't something you talk about. It's something you do. JST is committed to creating a positive environment 'that reaches beyond work and careers' to support every employee's professional and personal objectives. JST values the well-being of every employee and encourages healthy lifestyles, family activities and community involvement. JST is a proud equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without attention to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status. JST will not tolerate discrimination or harassment. #J-18808-Ljbffr