VP / Director of Growth

This is our first senior growth hire and one of the most consequential positions in the company. The VP/Director of Growth owns the full pathway from DoD community alignment to paid contract — navigating non-traditional acquisition vehicles, building program office relationships, and getting Caravel-15 in front of the right operators and buyers. This is not a Beltway BD role. You will be operating without large support infrastructure, working fast, and doing the most consequential work at the intersection of defense acquisition and early-stage hardware development. Timeline is immediate on funding.

Responsibilities

• Map and prioritize viable contract pathways: OTA vehicles, DIU CSOs, direct program office relationships, and exercise-to-contract sequences.

• Develop a clear 18-month plan from first demonstration to first paid agreement, with explicit milestones and decision gates.

• Own RFI responses, white papers, and capability statements that position Bulwark ahead of formal requirements documents.

• Build and own relationships with acquisition professionals at MCSC, PEO Land Systems, ARCIC, and INDOPACOM-relevant program offices.

• Ensure Bulwark is engaged at the right level of every relevant customer community — end users, requirements shapers, and buyers.

• Align company messaging and product priorities to PM priorities, budget cycles, and capability gaps.

• Identify and pursue participation in INDOPACOM exercises: Talisman Saber, Resolute Dragon, RIMPAC, MCCRE, and MCWL/MCOTEA experiments.

• Build a strategy to move from exercise observer to invited participant to funded demonstration within 18 months.

• Coordinate internally so every exercise appearance generates a clear BD outcome: a relationship, a funded follow-on, or requirements influence.

• Assess and pursue teaming arrangements with prime contractors or consortium partners that unlock vehicles or program access not available to Bulwark directly.

• Represent Bulwark at industry events: Sea-Air-Space, Modern Day Marine, WEST, and INDOPACOM-focused forums.

• Manage and direct proposal and capture execution work; ensure BD output is focused on winnable opportunities.

• Build and maintain a pipeline tracker, opportunity cadence, and BD rhythm that gives leadership funnel visibility.

• Hire and develop a BD analyst / capture manager within 9–12 months.

Requirements

• This role may involve access to technology and technical data controlled under U.S. export-control laws (ITAR/EAR). You must be able to meet applicable U.S. export-control requirements, which may include qualifying as a "U.S. person" (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or other protected individual).

• 5–12 years in defense BD, acquisition, or government affairs — with meaningful time at a non-traditional defense company (startup, DIU, innovation office, or similar).

• Direct experience navigating non-FAR vehicles: OTAs, DIU CSOs, MCWL direct agreements, or equivalent.

• An active network into USMC acquisition (MCSC, MCWL, MCOTEA) and/or INDOPACOM logistics/sustainment communities.

• Track record of moving a company from unknown to first contract — not managing an existing portfolio.

• Player-coach orientation: you write the strategy and you make the calls yourself.

Nice to Have

• Experience at a venture-backed defense tech startup (Anduril, Palantir, Vannevar, Shield AI, Saronic, or comparable) in a BD, growth, or program role.

• Prior service as an acquisition officer (USMC, Army, or Navy) or program office experience with OTA / non-traditional procurement.

• Familiarity with the DIU project manager and MCWL acquisition communities.

• Experience taking a hardware platform through a DoD demonstration or experiment cycle.

This is NOT for you if

• ×A traditional prime contractor BD manager who follows on to existing relationships and contracts.

• ×A policy or government affairs professional without direct acquisition accountability.

• ×Someone who needs a large BD support infrastructure to be effective.

Compensation & Benefits

• Base pay: $180,000 – $240,000 per year, depending on experience.

• Equity: meaningful early-stage stock options.

• Benefits: employer-sponsored health, dental, and vision coverage.

The range above reflects the anticipated base pay for this role. Actual compensation will depend on your experience, qualifications, skills, and work location, and does not include equity or benefits. This posting complies with applicable state and local pay-transparency requirements.

Equal Opportunity & Background Checks

Bulwark Dynamics is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business need. We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in a manner consistent with applicable law.

Employment is contingent on the satisfactory completion of a background check. By submitting an application, you acknowledge and agree that, if you receive a conditional offer, Bulwark Dynamics may conduct a background check in accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and applicable federal, state, and local laws. Any such check will be conducted only after separate written disclosure and with your prior written authorization, which will be requested at the offer stage.