Director, Business Development - Space & Defense

Location: Primarily DC Area
Reporting to: Executive Director, Business Development
Employment Type: Full-time, or Contractor
Security Clearance: U.S. Citizen. Active or prior Top Secret/SCI clearance (or eligible) is preferred.

Position Summary 

NorthStar is seeking an entrepreneurial leader to directly build, shape, and commercialize advanced Space 
Domain Awareness (SDA) services and capabilities suited for U.S. government customers, with a focus on 
the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community. 
This is a hands‑on business development role that demands direct engagement and participation in the heavy 
lifting of shaping and closing new business. You will have prior experience with target customers, be able to 
identify mission pain points, develop solution concepts, write and shape proposals, and deliver technically 
credible pitches to operators, engineers, and acquisition professionals. 

The position is ideal for a candidate with systems engineering or technical program roots who has moved into 
customer‑facing roles and is motivated by solving problems that are not yet easily solvable, including the 
commercialization of near‑real‑time SDA capabilities. 

You carry direct responsibility for commercialization outcomes, including pipeline development and new 
business awards, while working closely with internal engineering, product, and R&D teams. 

What You Will Do

• Directly identify, shape, and pursue U.S. government opportunities from early technical discussions
through proposal submission and award.
• Conceive, write, co‑author, and directly contribute to proposals, white papers, concept notes, and
technical responses.
• Lead technical and operational pitches to government engineers, mission operators, and acquisition
teams.
• Engage customers to surface unarticulated or emerging mission pain points, particularly where existing
SDA solutions fall short.
• Translate complex mission needs into credible, executable system‑level solution concepts.
• Build early partnerships where required, while remaining personally accountable for opportunity
progression and outcomes.
• Represent NorthStar at industry events, government forums, and defense innovation engagements,
including targeted technical forums and customer working sessions.

Additional Responsibilities

• Lead pipeline growth and capture plans for SDA products, with full accountability for new business awards
and strategic market penetration.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (multiple disciplines in engineering, as well as operations,
finance, legal).
• Analyze industry trends, competitor activities, and customer needs to inform strategic planning and
pipeline prioritization.
• Contribute to technology investment decisions and advocate for Internal Research and Development
(IRAD) funding to deliver cutting-edge solutions for emerging customer needs.
• Ensure compliance with applicable regulations, policies, and procedures during the capture process.

Important Role Characteristics
• This role is not a large‑team management or staff‑oversight position.
• Success requires personal execution, including proposal development and direct technical customer
engagement.
• The U.S. organization will be built deliberately over time; the initial phase requires a leader who is
comfortable doing the work directly before delegating.
• The role is well‑suited to individuals who enjoy building new capabilities from first principles and engaging
deeply with technical customers.

Required Qualifications
• Background in systems engineering, space systems, mission operations, or technical program leadership,
with subsequent experience in customer‑facing or commercialization roles.
• Demonstrated ability to directly communicate complex technical concepts to U.S. government
customers.
• Experience developing solution architectures, CONOPS, or system‑level narratives in response to mission
needs.
• Hands‑on experience contributing to proposals, white papers, or technical responses.
• Familiarity with SDA / SSA challenges and limitations, including latency, coverage, and data fusion.
• Understanding of DoD acquisition processes and common contracting vehicles (e.g., FFP, IDIQ, T&M).
• Minimum 10 years' experience in the U.S. space or national security space ecosystem.
• U.S. citizenship; active or eligible TS/SCI clearance.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, physics, astronomy, mathematics, or a related technical field; MBA or
advanced degree preferred.
• Exceptional written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications
• Experience in orbit dynamics, mission design, and mission operations.
• Established relationships within the DoD, Intelligence Community, or National Security Space ecosystem.
• Experience transitioning capabilities from R&D into operational use.

This role is well‑suited to candidates who:
• Have an entrepreneurial spirit to build and commercialize new technical capabilities with a meaningful 
mission.
• Enjoy working at the intersection of systems engineering, customer problems, and business creation.
• Are motivated by solving hard, real‑world mission problems that lack clean or mature solutions.
This role is not well‑suited to candidates seeking a position focused primarily on:
• Staff management
• Capture oversight without direct execution
• Large‑organization leadership without hands‑on responsibility

Compensation & Benefits

NorthStar offers a competitive compensation package, including base salary, performance incentives, 
comprehensive health benefits, retirement plans, paid time off, and opportunities for professional 
development. Salary range and benefits are commensurate with experience and market standards.

About NorthStar

NorthStar is a global leader in space-based data and analytics, specializing in Space Situational Awareness 
(SSA) and Space Domain Awareness (SDA) for government and commercial clients. NorthStar Earth and Space 
Systems Inc. operates its government business from the DC Area with its parent company headquartered in 
Montreal, Canada, and a fully European enterprise in Luxembourg, in addition to satellite offices in Wellington, 
New Zealand. With a truly global footprint, NorthStar delivers first-in-class space surveillance capabilities, 
validated by leading defense agencies such as DARPA, and directly supporting the security, resilience, and 
sustainability objectives of NATO, the US, Canada, the EU, and allied partners.

NorthStar’s constellation leverages advanced wide-field-of-view (WFOV) sensors and automated data 
processing pipelines to deliver real-time, actionable intelligence for space safety and national security. Our 
solutions empower defense organizations and mission partners to navigate the rapidly evolving space domain, 
harnessing big data, artificial intelligence, and cloud-based edge computing to optimize operational decisionmaking and safeguard critical assets against emerging threats.

With a team of over 70 highly skilled professionals, NorthStar is committed to innovation, sovereignty, and the 
responsible stewardship of space. Our mission is to ensure the safety, sustainability, and resilience of space 
operations—protecting national interests and supporting global security in an increasingly contested and 
complex environment.

NorthStar is an equal opportunity employer. We provide equal employment opportunity to all employees and 
applicants for employment and do not and will not discriminate against employees or applicants on the basis 
of any category protected under local, state or federal law.