Director, Strategic Engagement – Partnerships

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in District of Columbia, +1 more state.

📋 Description

• Lead and expand Odyssey’s Strategic Engagement function.

• Foster relationships with teaming partners, customers, and stakeholders in support of government-focused businesses.

• Collaborate with Business Development and Capture teams to engage with key government stakeholders.

• Mentor teams to recognize customer engagement opportunities, address customer pain points, and deliver enterprise solutions.

• Establish Strategic Engagement KPIs and provide performance reports to executive leadership.

• Create a vetted pool of business partners aligned with upcoming pursuits.

• Contribute to teaming and partnership strategies that align with growth objectives across DoW components.

• Assess the quality of relationships with customers and industry partners, developing strategies to enhance relationship-building.

• Leverage CRM tools and processes to gather insights, serve customers, and drive growth.

• Identify potential partners for emerging mission needs, technology trends, and competitive shifts.

• Broaden Odyssey’s reach beyond existing client sets by nurturing new relationships.

• Develop and implement frameworks for exploratory partner conversations to evaluate strategic fit, capabilities, past performance, and cultural alignment.

• Direct qualified partners to capture managers, functional leads, or operational directors.

• Lead or oversee evaluations and negotiations regarding joint venture suitability.

• Collaborate with Legal/Contracts on JV structuring, SBA compliance, affiliation risk, and partner governance.

• Align external engagement efforts with BD and Capture Managers to bolster pipeline development.

• Assist in corporate strategy, market segmentation, investment priorities, and future partnerships with companies, FFRDCs, and academic institutions.

• Willingness to travel up to 25%.

⛳️ Requirements

• Must possess U.S. citizenship.

• Secret clearance or eligibility required; Top Secret or eligibility preferred.

• Bachelor’s degree is mandatory.

• A minimum of 10 years in business development, strategic partnerships/alliances, capture management, or teaming roles within the GovCon/defense sector.

• At least 3–5 years in a leadership or director-level role.

• A Master’s degree or equivalent experience is preferred.

• Preferred 15 years of professional experience, including over 10 years in Business Development, Capture, or related roles with a government contractor, systems integrator, or DoW-focused technology, engineering, or services firm.

• Comprehensive understanding of DoW acquisition processes, contracting methods, procurement pathways, and dynamics of the competitive marketplace.

• Proven success in building and managing relationships that lead to high-value prime contract wins.

• Familiarity with or willingness to learn CRM tools and Microsoft suite products, particularly Teams, SharePoint, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

• Experience in structuring and evaluating joint ventures, including knowledge of SBA regulations (8(a), mentor-protégé, JV compliance).

• Ability and readiness to travel as necessary to key industry events and corporate locations.

• Established personal network within the defense industrial base.

• Strong business acumen, emotional intelligence, communication, prioritization, delegation, and relationship-building skills.

🏝️ Benefits

• Medical insurance.

• Dental insurance.

• Vision insurance.

• Life insurance.

• Tricare supplement.

• Short-term disability.

• Long-term disability.

• 401(k) match.

• Flexible spending accounts.

• Health savings accounts.

• Employee assistance program.

• Learning and development benefit.

• Paid time off.

• Holidays.

• Employer match program.

• Volunteering events.