Business Developer – USAF IT & Cybersecurity

Part-Time Business Developer – USAF IT & Cybersecurity

Federal Government Contracting / Defense

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced Part-Time Business Developer to identify, develop, shape, and advance federal business opportunities supporting the U.S. Air Force (USAF) and U.S. Space Force, with particular emphasis on Information Technology (IT), cybersecurity, cyber operations, network operations, enterprise IT, and related mission-support services.

The successful candidate will have established knowledge of the Department of the Air Force acquisition environment, experience developing relationships with Government customers and industry partners, and a demonstrated ability to move opportunities from early identification through qualification, capture, proposal, and award.

This position requires practical knowledge of the Shipley business development and capture process and experience maintaining accurate opportunity information in a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. The Business Developer will work closely with company leadership, capture managers, proposal personnel, technical subject matter experts, contracts, pricing, and industry partners.

The position is designed as a remote, part-time role with flexible scheduling based on business-development priorities and customer engagement requirements.

Primary Responsibilities

• Identify and qualify new business opportunities within the USAF and USSF IT and cybersecurity markets.
• Develop and maintain relationships with Air Force and Space Force customers, acquisition organizations, program offices, contracting personnel, industry partners, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Conduct customer engagement and market research to understand mission requirements, acquisition strategies, funding, competitive environments, and procurement timelines.
• Identify opportunities early enough to influence acquisition strategies and position the company before release of formal solicitations.
• Develop and maintain a qualified pipeline of opportunities aligned with company capabilities and strategic growth objectives.
• Apply Shipley business development and capture principles throughout the opportunity lifecycle.
• Support opportunity qualification and bid/no-bid decision-making by assessing customer requirements, competitive position, contract vehicles, past performance, staffing, pricing considerations, and probability of win.
• Develop opportunity-specific win strategies, win themes, discriminators, customer hot buttons, competitive assessments, and positioning strategies.
• Assist in developing capture plans and ensure capture activities are completed according to established milestones.
• Support teaming and partnering activities, including identification and evaluation of potential prime contractors, subcontractors, joint venture partners, and small-business partners.
• Participate in industry days, conferences, customer meetings, capability briefings, acquisition events, and other business-development activities.
• Monitor relevant acquisition forecasts, Requests for Information (RFIs), Sources Sought notices, draft solicitations, Requests for Proposals (RFPs), and contract vehicle opportunities.
• Coordinate with proposal teams during solicitation response activities and help maintain continuity between the capture strategy and the final proposal.
• Participate in proposal color-team reviews and help ensure proposals clearly communicate customer benefits, discriminators, proof points, and win themes.
• Maintain timely and accurate opportunity information within the company's CRM system, including customer contacts, opportunity status, acquisition milestones, estimated value, competition, teaming, next actions, and probability of win.
• Maintain CRM data quality and provide management with accurate pipeline and opportunity-status information.
• Participate in recurring business-development and pipeline reviews.
• Provide concise recommendations to company leadership regarding opportunity priorities, customer engagement, teaming, investments, and pursuit strategies.

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated business-development, capture, program, technical, or acquisition experience supporting the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force, or Department of Defense.
• Strong understanding of USAF IT and cybersecurity missions, organizations, requirements, and acquisition environments.
• Experience pursuing federal professional-services or technology contracts involving cybersecurity, cyber operations, enterprise IT, network operations, IT infrastructure, cloud services, systems administration, help desk/service desk operations, information assurance, Risk Management Framework (RMF), Zero Trust, mission systems, or C4ISR support.
• Working knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and federal contracting processes.
• Demonstrated understanding of the Shipley Business Development and Capture Process, including opportunity qualification, capture planning, win strategy development, customer engagement, and proposal development.
• Experience using and maintaining a CRM or business-development opportunity management system.
• Ability to independently research opportunities and convert market intelligence into actionable business-development recommendations.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to develop and maintain professional relationships with Government customers and industry partners.
• Ability to work independently in a remote environment while collaborating effectively with corporate leadership and geographically dispersed teams.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, Microsoft Teams, and other collaboration tools.

Preferred Qualifications

• 10 or more years of combined business-development, capture, Air Force, cybersecurity, IT, program management, or federal contracting experience.
• Previous USAF or USSF military, civilian, contractor, acquisition, program management, or technical experience.
• Existing professional relationships within USAF or USSF IT, cyber, communications, or acquisition communities.
• Experience supporting Air Force MAJCOMs, Program Executive Offices, acquisition centers, cyber organizations, communications squadrons, or operational mission organizations.
• Experience with Government market-intelligence and opportunity-management tools such as SAM.gov, GovWin, GSA eBuy, acquisition forecasts, or similar platforms.
• Experience with Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, GovWin IQ, or comparable CRM/pipeline-management applications.
• Experience developing teaming strategies and working with small and large federal contractors.
• Experience supporting competitive proposals and participating in Shipley-style color-team reviews.
• Knowledge of federal contract vehicles including GSA MAS, OASIS+, IDIQs, BPAs, and agency-specific contract vehicles.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Engineering, Management, or a related discipline. Relevant military or federal experience may substitute for formal education.
• Shipley training or certification, PMP certification, or relevant IT/cybersecurity certifications are desirable.
• Current or previous DoD security clearance is desirable.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Understand how Air Force customers identify, fund, acquire, and manage IT and cybersecurity services.
• Be comfortable engaging senior Government and industry leaders.
• Recognize the difference between simply identifying an opportunity and shaping an opportunity to improve probability of win.
• Be disciplined in maintaining CRM data and documenting customer intelligence, actions, milestones, and pursuit decisions.
• Understand competitive positioning and be able to identify meaningful discriminators.
• Be capable of working with limited supervision and prioritizing business-development activities based on potential return.
• Demonstrate sound judgment regarding organizational conflicts of interest, procurement-sensitive information, and ethical federal business-development practices.

Work Environment and Schedule

This is a part-time, remote/work-from-home position. Work hours may be flexible but must support customer availability, internal business-development meetings, capture activities, and proposal schedules.

The employee must maintain reliable internet and telephone connectivity and be able to participate effectively in virtual meetings. Occasional travel may be required for customer engagements, conferences, industry days, or company planning sessions.

Measures of Success

• Development of a qualified USAF/USSF opportunity pipeline.
• Early identification and shaping of opportunities.
• Quality and frequency of meaningful customer engagements.
• Advancement of opportunities through established capture milestones.
• Effective teaming and partner development.
• CRM accuracy and pipeline management.
• Development of actionable competitive and customer intelligence.
• Proposal and capture support.
• Increased probability of win and contribution to new contract awards.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is an experienced Air Force IT/cybersecurity professional and federal business developer who understands both the customer's mission and the federal acquisition process. This individual brings established USAF/USSF market knowledge, can independently cultivate customer and industry relationships, follows a disciplined Shipley-based capture methodology, and maintains a reliable CRM pipeline that provides leadership with clear visibility into opportunities, actions, risks, and next steps.

Summit Technologies, Inc. is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

Position descriptions serve as a guideline and may not be construed as a guarantee of employment. Summit Technologies, Inc. is an at-will organization.