Sr. Program Development Manager

SpaceX
Washington, DC

Who this role is best for

Aimed at senior-level business development professionals with government and AI experience who can manage complex stakeholder engagement and coordinate cross-functional teams.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with experience in government program development and AI/ML modernization for national security
    — “experience modernizing Government AI/ML capabilities”
  • Individuals who can bridge technical and non-technical audiences with clear value propositions
    — “ability to communicate scaled-compute applications to technical and non-technical audiences”
  • Professionals with a track record of leading capture efforts in classified or high-security environments
    — “experience operating in or supporting classified environments”

Things to consider

  • Full-time onsite presence in Washington, DC is mandatory with no hybrid or remote options
    — “This position is based in Washington DC and requires being onsite full-time”
  • Applicant must be eligible for TS/SCI security clearance, which is a strict requirement
    — “Must be able to hold a TS/SCI security clearance”
  • The role may require up to 50% travel to other company sites, vendors, and customers
    — “Must be willing to travel to other company sites, vendors, and customers as necessary, up to 50% travel”

How to stand out

  • Demonstrate your ability to shape responses to government solicitations with technical and compliance expertise
    — “Shape and lead SpaceX responses to RFIs, RFPs, Sources Sought”
  • Emphasize your track record in expanding government programs and identifying new revenue lines
    — “Identify new business opportunities and grow existing programs”
  • Showcase your experience managing complex government sales cycles with attention to detail
    — “Strong organizational skills and attention to detail in managing complex government sales cycles”
  • Demonstrate familiarity with federal procurement processes and contract vehicles in the DoW
    — “Familiarity with federal procurement processes and contract vehicles commonly used in the DoW”
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • Develop and execute a strategy for government stakeholder engagement
  • Identify new business opportunities and grow existing programs
  • Shape and lead SpaceX responses to RFIs, RFPs, Sources Sought, and other government solicitations
Typical background
3+ years of experience in business development or account management within the DoW, AI industry, or tech industrial base

Skills & requirements

Required

Government Procurement ProcessesBusiness DevelopmentAccount ManagementCapture ManagementProgram DevelopmentSupercomputing SolutionsAi/ml Capabilities

Preferred

Technical Project ManagementSystems EngineeringGovernment Space Systems Acquisition

About the role

Original posting from SpaceX via Greenhouse

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.

SR. GOVERNMENT PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Starshield leverages SpaceX’s Starlink technology and launch capability to support national security efforts. SpaceX Government Sales is expanding the team to support the deployment of StarshieldAI and Grok compute capabilities for the U.S. Government.

SpaceX is seeking a mission-oriented, results-driven Senior Manager to lead Government Program Development and business growth across the Department of War, focusing on government and classified supercomputing that make automated integration of global sensing a real-time decision advantage. The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of mission-aligned agentic frontier models, the ability to communicate scaled-compute applications to technical and non-technical audiences, and the depth of experience to expand our DoW footprint by identifying and advancing AI opportunities aligned with national security priorities. This position demands knowledge of government procurement processes along with the energy, initiative, and dependability to own mission-critical outcomes with new government partners.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Develop and execute a strategy for government stakeholder engagement, drive capture efforts, and develop a pipeline for supercomputing solutions addressing complex intelligence and operational challenges

Identify, build, and maintain relationships with key DoW and Service level decision-makers, program managers, and technical evaluators across space and AI portfolios

Identify new business opportunities and grow existing programs, finding new ways to fuse space sensing and supercomputing into quantifiable new lines of effort and revenue sources

Shape and lead SpaceX responses to RFIs, RFPs, Sources Sought, and other government solicitations with technical content, compliance matrices, and differentiated value propositions

Conduct continuous competition analysis and market research to stay ahead of developments in the opportunity landscape

Lead internal and external coordination across multidisciplinary teams, ensuring close coordination with engineering, mission management, finance, and contracts in the program development phase, actively preventing silos

Continuously refine engagement roadmap based on internal strategies, mission needs, customer feedback, and competitive analysis

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor's degree

3+ years of experience in business development or account management within the DoW, AI industry, or tech industrial base

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Advanced degree in science, policy, business, international affairs, or another relevant field

Direct experience supporting sales or program development within DoW

Experience leading capture for start-ups, government compute companies, or cloud compute business areas

2+ years of technical project management, systems engineering, or Government space systems acquisition experience

Experience modernizing Government AI/ML capabilities, agent workflows, generative Artificial intelligence applications, and machine lifecycle management tailored to government while meeting stringent regulatory and security standards

Experience partnering with cloud hyperscalers or other business-related system integrators

Strong organizational skills and attention to detail in managing complex government sales cycles or program development, specifically in AI/ML, data analytics, and aerospace

Familiarity with federal procurement processes and contract vehicles commonly used in the DoW

Experience operating in or supporting classified environments

Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage both technical and non-technical audiences

Ability to thrive in a dynamic, entrepreneurial environment; must exhibit high ownership, initiative, and accountability

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

This position is based in Washington DC and requires being onsite full-time – hybrid and remote work will not be considered

Must be willing to travel to other company sites, vendors, and customers as necessary, up to 50% travel

Must be able to work extended hours and weekends as needed

Must be able to hold a TS/SCI security clearance

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range:

Level 3: $115,000.00 - $165,000.00

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.

ITAR REQUIREMENTS:

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.  

SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to EEOCompliance@spacex.com. 

Source: SpaceX careers (Greenhouse)

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