Vice President, Business Development for Space Business Unit

Job Description

Description

The National Security & Space Sector’s (NSSS) newly established Space Business Unit has an open position for a Vice President, Space Business Development and Technology Strategy. This position is a direct report to the NSSS SVP for Business Development and aligned to the Space Business Unit SVP; the position directs strategy, BD, and investment / technology planning activities for SAIC’s Intelligence Space, Defense Space, Civilian Space, and Space Development accounts. The executive in this position drives high win rates and accelerate growth, strengthens SAIC’s connections to customers and industry competitors, positions SAIC strategically in the space marketplace, and guides investment in the SAIC Strategy, Growth and Innovation (SGI) organization that develops new capabilities.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

As summarized above, this executive will focus on developing and implementing strategies to position SAIC’s space lines of business for sustained growth and profitability. Specific areas of emphasis include:

BD Strategy

The VP collaborates with the SAIC Strategy, Growth and Innovation organization’s BD strategy and market assessment activities by integrating information gleaned from customers, industry experts, competitors, and other business leaders. This closed loop ensures current and relevant understanding of the market situation.

The Space BU BD VP applies market analysis and related information to set Space BU and below strategic BD plans and decision-making for investment priorities. The executive also influences corporate business strategy for entry and growth in new market areas through development of new business models, internal technology investment, acquisitions, mergers, joint venture agreements and development of new distribution channels. The executive works with SAIC Corporate Development in identifying and analyzing M&A candidates. 

Customer Engagement and Market Positioning

This VP is envisioned as having a very high tempo of engagement with senior customers in support of both long term and close-in business positioning. This customer engagement will be largely virtual in the current environment but is expected to require significant in-person contact once customers and SAIC employees “return to work.” The goal of engagement will be to sustain situational awareness of the space marketplace and to develop relationships with key customers and competitors, all to facilitate BD strategy and decision-making. The VP will work with their Space BU BD team to drive connections to buyers of space-related services and products, providing seminars, forums, white papers, and conference participation, to strengthen SAIC’s reputation as a trusted expert and increase the number of “franchise” new business opportunities in the pipeline. These successful engagements will foster bookings growth and enable program and BD teams to shape opportunities across the business unit.

The executive also drives customer advocacy, in close consultation with account leads, the SAIC Strategy, Growth and Innovation organization that delivers capabilities and business models, and SAIC’s Government Affairs and Marketing and Communications organizations. This closed loop feedback from the customer to the NSSS leadership Team strongly influences investment in next generation solutions for the technology development cycle.  

 Internal Collaboration

The VP will develop the very strong internal relationships, both formal and informal, needed for success in SAIC’s matrix organization of customer-facing Sectors and a cross-cutting Strategy, Growth and Innovation organization. In particular, this executive partners with peers to work across the business unit, within the sector, and across the enterprise to ensure that investments (e.g., IRAD, BD spend) align to growth strategies and market opportunities. The executive fosters a collaborative work environment that tightly links the BD teams, technology teams from the SGI organization’s horizontal business areas, and corporate resources. This collaboration, in turn, cultivates an aggressive growth culture with broad awareness of business opportunities and potential solutions and the ability to execute at the intersection of technology development and new business formation.

Qualifications

-       15+ years of experience in industry business development-related activities for space lines of business. The experience must include strategy, pipeline development, selling both services and solutions / services, front-end customer engagement, and capture for US government customer agency opportunities.

-       5+ years as a BD executive overseeing teams of business development and capture professionals.

-       Bachelors degree or equivalent in a technical or business aligned field.

-       Existing network of customer contacts in the space community in at least two of the three main Space BU customer sets: Space Force, NASA/NOAA, and the Intelligence Community.

-       Demonstrable record of success in leading teams in winning new business and improving bid and program profitability.

-       Demonstrated thought leadership role in space-related domains, as evidenced by participation on panels, media events, presentations, and white papers. Superior communication skills – oral and written - required.

-       Experience in responding to solicitations under the Federal Acquisition Regulation and proficiency in industry BD best practices (e.g., Shipley, BD-CMMI) to proposals for government clients.

Desired Qualifications

-       Experience in services and/or product sales to commercial space customers.

-        Advanced degree in a technical field with 5+ years of space-related experience as a program manager or technical contributor.

Target salary range: More than $225,000. The estimate displayed represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors.

Covid Policy: SAIC does not require COVID-19 vaccinations or boosters. Customer site vaccination requirements must be followed when work is performed at a customer site.

Overview

SAIC® is a premier Fortune 500® technology integrator driving our nation's technology transformation. Our robust portfolio of offerings across the defense, space, civilian, and intelligence markets includes secure high-end solutions in engineering, digital, artificial intelligence and mission solutions. Using our expertise and understanding of existing and emerging technologies, we integrate the best components from our own portfolio and our partner ecosystem to deliver innovative, effective and efficient solutions that are critical to achieving our customers' missions.

We are approximately 24,000 strong; driven by mission, united by purpose, and inspired by opportunities. SAIC is an Equal Opportunity Employer, fostering a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion, which is core to our values and important to attract and retain exceptional talent. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, SAIC has annual revenues of approximately $6.9 billion. For more information, visit saic.com. For ongoing news, please visit our newsroom.