Role Overview

The Strategic Business Development role drives growth across U.S. DoD and allied military clothing and soldier-worn equipment programs. This position identifies and captures program-level opportunities, builds and manages a global military pipeline, and shapes requirements early through direct engagement with users, program offices, and acquisition stakeholders. Serving as Serket’s primary customer-facing representative, the role develops strategic relationships with military customers, prime contractors, and partners, leads opportunities from identification through award, and supports proposal and pricing strategies. This position is assigned to Serket, a member of the Western Protective Solutions family, and will report to the Serket President.

Responsibilities

Strategic Business Development

• Identify, qualify, and pursue program-level opportunities with U.S. DoD and allied militaries, including clothing, apparel, and soldier-worn equipment programs.
• Develop and execute capture strategies for Programs of Record, IDIQs, framework agreements, and multi-year contracts.
• Shape requirements early by engaging with end users, program offices, and acquisition stakeholders, particularly in soldier systems and sustainment communities.
• Build and manage a pipeline that includes U.S., allied, and partner-nation programs.

Customer & Partner Engagement

• Serve as Serket’s primary interface with military customers, acquisition professionals, and international counterparts.
• Build and manage relationships with prime contractors, integrators, textile/apparel partners, and in-country representatives.
• Represent Serket at industry days, user trials, demonstrations, military exercises, and select international events.

Capture & Proposal Support

• Lead opportunities from identification through award.
• Support responses to RFPs, RFQs, and allied-nation tenders, including contributions to pricing strategy, win themes, and competitive positioning.
• Coordinate apparel fit, wear trials, testing, and evaluations with military users.
• Support transactions executed via direct commercial sales or government channels, as required.

Internal Coordination

• Work closely with production and operations to ensure opportunities are executable based on volume, timelines and budgets.
• Provide customer feedback related to materials, sizing systems, durability, and performance requirements to inform product roadmap decisions.
• Maintain accurate forecasting, pipeline reporting, and leadership briefings.
• Other duties as assigned.

Key Attributes

• Strategic and persistent, with a long-term program mindset.
• Credible with senior military, government, research and laboratory and international clients.
• Excellent presentation, negotiation, and organizational skills.
• Comfortable operating independently in a lean organization.
• Strong communicator with disciplined follow-through.
• Adept at detailed reporting of sales activity, status and follow thorough.

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Ability to lift up to 25 pounds at times.
• Engaging in repetitive movements of wrists, hands, and fingers – typing and/or writing.
• Working frequently at close visual range (i.e. preparing and analyzing data and figures, transcription, computer terminal, extensive reading).
• Ability to travel up to 40% of time

Qualifications

• 7+ years of business development or capture experience supporting U.S. DoD and/or allied military programs.
• Proven success winning program-level government or defense contracts, including IDIQs and multi-year vehicles.
• Strong knowledge of federal and international defense acquisition processes (FAR/DFARS, NATO, coalition partners).
• Experience with military clothing, apparel, or soldier systems, including specifications, testing, sizing, and sustainment.
• Familiarity with textile supply chains and apparel manufacturing environments Established relationships within military, acquisition, and defense industry communities.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills Prior military service or government acquisition experience preferred.
• Willingness to travel up to 40%, including international travel