Business Development Director - Defense

At Solvus Global, We Are…

Innovators, Builders, Entrepreneurs, Makers, Creators, Dreamers, DOERS

Solvus Global builds solutions to market-wide gaps in the materials and manufacturing sector. We build metal parts that weigh a literal ton; we produce metal powders that protect submarines; we build software that connects whole factories; we build AI tools that make scrap recycling more profitable; and we build robots that repair critical infrastructure. Our team builds these solutions as an enterprise and spins them out as independent startups ready to raise capital and launch at scale, sharing a piece of the success with the full team on every exit.

The Opportunity with Solvus Global Is…

Dynamic, Engaging, Cross-Disciplinary, Cutting-Edge, Flexible, EMPOWERING

We are looking for a full-time Business Development Director of our Defense business areas. You will report directly to our Chief Business Officer with the intent of growing and scaling Solvus’ defense solutions. As a Business Development Director with Solvus you will be responsible for (1) Understanding the challenges facing the defense community, (2) Connecting with the relevant stakeholders to craft a solution, (3) Building a team to propose that solution, and (4) Realizing that solution by securing funding and leading programs to success.

Leader Mindset – You understand that leadership isn’t given, it is earned. You work hard to ensure that you are painting a vision for the future your teams can realize.

Network Multiplier – You understand the power of a network to move fast and deliver.

Total Ownership – There is no question that when you are responsible, it will get done.

Teamwork Wins – You understand that success at an individual level is important, but that success at scale can only happen when a team pulls together to achieve more than the sum of its individual contributors.

Problem Solver – You understand how to break issues down to first principles and to tackle them at their most base level instead of treating the symptoms of a problem

No Box – You realize that we often constrain our ways of thinking; we have to approach every problem from a clean slate and not just think outside the box, but remove the box entirely

Engineer First – You understand that an engineering mindset doesn’t come from a degree alone, but from a way of thinking about designing your way to a solution that gets the job done rather than waiting to develop the perfect solution.

Business Builder – You realize that technologies don’t solve problems; businesses solve problems and technologies are the tools that businesses use to realize those solutions

Respect All – You understand that everyone from the customer to the new junior engineer deserves to be treated with respect and you hold others to that standard.

Required Attributes & Skills

• Must be a US Person according to FAR22 CFR 120.15 -US Person
• Direct responsibility for securing and leading major government programs (>$10M/year)
• Clear demonstration of technical understanding of defense challenges with the ability to rapidly learn and adapt into new technical areas.
• Background in leveraging legislative, appropriations, or budgeting procedures to secure funding to deliver on critical unmet DoD needs.
• 10 years of experience in working directly with the defense manufacturing community
• Ability to travel up to 40% of time

Advantageous Attributes & Skills

• Ongoing technical leadership roles in various societies or boards
• Ongoing engagements with US Space Force and space related industries
• Engagements in advanced power solutions such as nuclear
• Active security clearance
• Expertise in advanced manufacturing and machine learning
• Prior active duty or reserve service with US Armed Forces
• Prior experience as legislative staffer in appropriations process
• Strong network supporting OSD and SAC-D

Why Solvus?

• We build and launch businesses, encouraging our employees to become part of the founding team of a newly created business taking a major equity stake
• All employees (from technicians to executives) share in an equity stake of every business we create
• We prioritize training through hands on learning in a master/apprentice structure
• We have a true hybrid policy – go where you need to be to get your job done

What will success look like?

• Within the first year you will have reached out to your existing network and identified matches between our current portfolio of business solutions and program-level needs. This will likely result in a number of high dollar proposals, white papers, or direct conversations that may or may not be awarded in that first year
• Within three years you will have built a large pipeline (>$10M/yr) of funding opportunities and partners aligning with core defense problems and Solvus business objectives. You will be engaged with your network, listening to them for problems and aligning Solvus’ engineering teams with the objectives of those customers
• Within five years you will have built a pipeline exceeding $20M/yr in funding opportunities. You will have established yourself and Solvus as a clear solution provider not only in Solvus’ current areas of focus, but also in a number of forward looking focal areas.

Where will you go?

We aim to help our employees achieve their greatest ambitions. If your goal is to build a network and solve a wide array of problems with a team, perfect, we’re your team. If your goal is to bring in large funding opportunities and grow that success into a full business as CEO/CTO/CSO, that’s great too – we need more folks like you.

If you’re ready solve problems and scale solutions, we want you on our team.

Solvus Global provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.