Business Development & Capture Manager - A&D Tech Startups

Business Development & Capture Manager – Write & Win Strategic Contracts in Frontier Tech!

Remote | United States

Opportunity Summary

Approach Venture is hiring a Business Development & Capture Manager to help frontier-tech startups secure strategic contracts across government and commercial markets. This role sits at the intersection of business development, capture strategy, and proposal execution, focused on turning technical innovation into revenue and long-term traction. You’ll partner directly with early-stage and venture-backed companies to identify opportunities, shape winning strategies, and lead proposals from concept through submission. This is a highly collaborative, execution-driven role for someone who understands how to position companies, influence outcomes, and win work. You’ll work across multiple fast-growing startups advancing space, defense, and dual-use technologies, helping them navigate complex funding pathways and convert innovation into funded programs.

About Us

Approach Venture partners with founders building the next generation of frontier technology. We support early-stage startups through business development strategy, capture execution, proposal development, and market positioning across government and commercial sectors. From autonomy and propulsion to space systems, advanced manufacturing, and communications — our mission is to help founders translate breakthrough technology into meaningful traction and revenue.

Job Duties

• Own capture efforts from early opportunity identification through proposal submission and award support
• Identify, qualify, and prioritize government and commercial opportunities aligned with client capabilities and growth goals
• Develop and execute capture strategies, including win themes, positioning, and competitive analysis
• Lead proposal development across technical, management, and pricing volumes with a focus on clarity, compliance, and competitiveness
• Collaborate directly with founders, engineers, and BD stakeholders to shape compelling narratives and value propositions
• Manage proposal timelines, document control, and compliance tracking to ensure alignment with solicitation requirements
• Coordinate key materials such as teaming agreements, customer memorandums, CRADAs, and letters of support
• Support pricing strategy, milestone planning, and budget justification in partnership with client teams
• Engage in customer and partner coordination where applicable to strengthen positioning and probability of win
• Lead post-submission debriefs and lessons-learned cycles to continuously improve capture effectiveness
• Contribute to investor-facing materials and strategic growth narratives when needed
• Build and maintain reusable templates, playbooks, and capture frameworks to scale execution across engagements

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in business development, capture management, or proposal leadership within aerospace, defense, or government technology programs
• Proven track record contributing to or leading winning contract awards (SBIR/STTR, BAAs, CRADAs, OTAs / CSOs, RFIs / RFPs, etc.)
• Strong understanding of federal acquisition pathways, solicitation structures, and evaluation criteria
• Experience working with or supporting startup or venture-backed organizations
• Excellent writing, communication, and strategic thinking skills
• Ability to operate both strategically (capture planning) and tactically (proposal execution)
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel
• Comfortable working across distributed teams in fast-paced startup environments

Preferred Experience

• Technical background or exposure to engineering, physics, or related fields
• Experience supporting programs in autonomy, propulsion, spacecraft, or advanced manufacturing
• Familiarity with dual-use and defense innovation funding ecosystems
• Experience working closely with small, highly technical founding teams
• Exposure to customer engagement, partner development, or pipeline building activities

Why Join Approach Venture

• 100% remote environment with flexibility and ownership
• Direct collaboration with founders building mission-critical technologies
• Work across multiple high-growth startups at the forefront of aerospace and defense innovation
• Opportunity to influence strategy, revenue generation, and company trajectory
• Small, high-performance team where execution and impact matter
• Competitive compensation with performance-based upside
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits
• Meaningful opportunity to help startups secure transformational contracts and scale

Compensation Details

Salary Range: $110,000 – $150,000

Commission

Bonus

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