Director, Capture and Growth Operations

Karman Space & Defense is a leader in the rapid design, development, and production of critical, next-generation system solutions that align with the U.S. Department of War’s core mission priorities and meet our nation’s accelerating demand for access to space. Building on nearly 50 years of success, we deliver Payload & Protection Systems, Aero/Hydrodynamic Interstage Systems, and Propulsion & Launch Systems to more than 80 prime contractors supporting over 130 space and defense programs.

The Director, Capture & Growth Operations is a direct report to the Chief Growth Officer and leads a centralized growth organization that serves all four market segments. In a company whose active pipeline has grown roughly 3x year over year, this is the role that drives that pipeline to convert into backlog at a consistent, defensible rate. Direct reports to this role include Senior Managers for:   Capture Governance, Competitive Intelligence & Price to Win, Long Range Planning, and Government Relations.   

Responsibilities

• Own the company-wide capture process — gate reviews, win-probability scoringmethodology,pipeline reviews,bid/no-bid criteria, proposal process/tools, and lessons learned— and ensure consistent application across all four segments
• Own the pipeline/CRM platform and reporting infrastructure; ensure data quality is sufficient to support forecasting and resource allocation decisions at the executive level
• Coach and upskill segment Capture Managers on process and best practices through the dotted-line relationship — building their capability
• Oversee the Competitive Intelligence & Price to WinSenior Managerin building andmaintaininga structured CI/PTW capability — assessing competitor strengths, weaknesses,likely pricingstrategies, and teaming postures on priority pursuits across all four segments. Ensure CI/PTW analysis is integrated into capture strategy and gate reviews.
• Own the development of Karman’sLong RangePlan (LRP) for bookings — coordinating with segment GMs, segment BD Senior Directors, and Finance/FP&A to build a bottoms-up bookings forecast that is grounded in pipeline data and aligned to the company’s revenue and growth commitments to investors. Track orders attainment against LRP commitments- identifyingvariance drivers early, and flagging to the CGO and CFO when attainment risk requires reforecast or pipeline action
• Connect LRP attainment tracking directly to capture prioritization 
• Own the BD technology stack across all segments — CRM/pipeline management platform, proposal development tools, CI/PTW tools,pricingand cost-estimating tools, and LRP forecasting infrastructure; responsible forselection, configuration, adoption standards, and ongoing governance of each
• Evaluate and prioritize AI and automation applications that improve BD performance across the growth organization —identifyingwhere AI creates genuine leverage
• Oversee the Senior Manager, Government Relations as well as external defense / legislative consultants in managing Karman’s relationships with the legislative and defense policy communities — ensuring the company has appropriate visibility with congressional staff, committee members, and DoD policy offices relevant to the programs and budget lines Karman depends on. Ensureconsultants are tasked against the right priorities, their intelligence on budget cycles, program authorization, and procurement policy is flowing into capture and LRP planning
• Oversee Karman’s Political Action Committee (PAC) —ensuring the PAC is governed, administered, and reported in full compliance 

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, or related field; advanced degree or MBA preferred
• 10+ years in aerospace & defense, withsignificant experiencespanning at least two of the functions this role oversees (capture governance, CI/PTW, orlong rangeplanning)
• Strong leadership skills – for direct reports (talent assessment, hiring, development)as well as with matrixed teams. Experience managing a team through competing demands across concurrent, time-pressured deliverables

• Demonstrated experience building or scaling a capture and proposal function during a high-growth period — not just managing a steady-state operation
• Direct experience standing up or owning a stage-gate capture process in a multi-segment or multi-business-unit defense company
• Working knowledge of FAR/DFARS, DoD/DoWacquisition processes, and government contract types (FFP, cost-plus, IDIQ) sufficient to set policy and make judgment calls on process exceptions
• Strong executive communicationskills — the CGO, CEO, and CFOare the primary stakeholders for this role'soutputs
• Ability toattaina security clearance if required by future program assignments

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience as a capture or proposal director at a mid-tier or large defense company where the function served multiple business units
• APMP Foundation, Practitioner, or Professional certification — signals fluency in the professional standards this roleis responsible forupholding and teaching
• Familiarity with government contract pricing, FAR Part 15, and cost accounting standards (CAS) —sufficient to set pricing process standards, review cost volume methodologies, and serve as an informed escalation point for segment pricing questions
• Experience building or scaling a CI/PTW function or contributing structured competitive intelligence to capture decisions — as a practitioner, not just a consumer of the analysis
• Background in a publicly traded defense company — pipeline reporting, governance requirements, and investor narrative context differ materially from a private company environment and will affect how this role's outputs are used

Special Mentions

• Moderate(20%)travel isrequiredas well as the ability to support teams across multipletimezones.

Benefits include

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off

• Health Savings Account (HSA) with company contribution
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Company‑paid life and AD&D insurance
• Short‑and long‑term disability coverage
• Tuition reimbursement

Karman Space and Defense is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.