Defense Innovation Unit Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Lodestar Space is rewriting the paradigm of national security in orbit. We don't wait for a decade-long government requirements cycle; we build autonomous capabilities ahead of the threat and deliver them at the speed of relevance.

As space transforms into a contested operational and war‑fighting domain, our national security assets and critical infrastructure that underpins our modern way of life faces unprecedented vulnerabilities. Lodestar addresses this crisis head‑on. We are the architects of Mithril, the world's first fully autonomous, AI‑driven intelligence designed to operate independently in space. We're building Mithril to autonomously maneuver and enable complex RPO missions, while simultaneously conducting the length of the kill‑chain from detection, classification and intent prediction, to responding to orbital threats in denied environments. Combining cutting‑edge machine vision, onboard edge computing, and pioneering fires and effects architectures, Lodestar gives warfighters and commercial operators unprecedented situational awareness and space superiority in the final frontier.

Backed by elite deep‑tech venture capital, international space agencies and government stakeholders, Lodestar is rapidly expanding its footprint across the U.S. Space Force, the Department of War, and major commercial satellite operators. We are a lean, high‑autonomy team of engineers and operators building the space defense infrastructure of tomorrow. Join us.

As the Director of Capture & Proposal Operations, you will own the end‑to‑end lifecycle of our federal acquisition pipeline. Moving beyond traditional business development, you will lead the strategic shaping, competitive positioning, and rigorous execution of high‑value proposals for the U.S. Space Force (USSF), SpaceWERX, Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), Space Rapid Capabilities Office (Space RCO), Space Development Agency (SDA) and other Department of War (DoW) and Intelligence Community (IC) entities. This role sits at the intersection of strategy and tactical execution, translating technical capabilities into compliant, high‑scoring, and winning programmatic bids, including formal Request for Information (RFIs), Request for Proposal (RFPs), Other Transaction Authority (OTAs), Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO’s), Broad Agency Announcements (BAA’s), etc. You will have the autonomy to manage, grow and shape your future team, directly contributing to the strategic vision for Lodestar.

In this role you will report directly to the VP, Commercial and Federal and/or Chief Business/Revenue Officer. You will work closely with the other Commercial Leads (Business Development, Mission Operations, Government Relations, Growth and Marketing) to develop a strategic vision and execution plan to grow Lodestar’s federal business and operations.

• Identify, qualify, and lead high-priority federal procurement opportunities from initial identification through contract award. Working closely with Lodestar’s technical team to craft and write winning proposals.
• Develop comprehensive capture plans, including Black Hat competitive assessments, Price‑to‑Win (PTW) strategies, cost‑vs‑price modeling and customer value proposition mapping.
• Engage directly with Space Force Program Managers, Contracting Officers, and technical stakeholders to shape upcoming requirements and mission profiles prior to solicitation release and through the selection process.
• Ensure absolute compliance with government regulations (FAR/DFARS), TINA and Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) when applicable, all while maintaining startup‑level margins, pace and agility.
• In the case of an unsuccessful bid, conduct rigorous after‑action reports, feedback sessions and de‑briefings with the internal team and external stakeholders. In certain unique situations and in conjunction with our legal team, advise if a formal protest is warranted.
• Formulate strategic teaming agreements, identifying and onboarding subcontractors or prime partners to maximize win probability.

• Own the entire proposal development process, establishing a rigorous, repeatable framework for volume management, compliance tracking, and quality control.
• Act as the Proposal Manager on major bids, generating compliance matrices, work breakdown structures (WBS), and detailed proposal schedules.
• Lead formal milestone reviews to critically evaluate technical, management, and cost volumes.
• Coordinate cross‑functional inputs from Engineering, Business Development, Marketing, Mission Operations, Finance, and Legal to synthesize complex technical data into compelling, compliant narratives.

• Write, edit, and polish executive summaries, technical descriptions, cost volumes, slide decks and past performance history.
• Establish and maintain an institutional "proposal library" containing boilerplate content, past performance sheets, security capability write‑ups, and verified technical architectures to accelerate submission cycles. Use this "proposal library" to scale and improve efficiencies across your team and the organization.

• Experience: 6–10+ years of proven experience in federal capture management and proposal operations, specifically within the defense aerospace, defense software, space systems, or national security technology sectors.
• Track Record: Demonstrated success winning prime contracts with the Department of War, U.S. Space Force, U.S. Air Force, DIU, MDA, NRO, etc. Strong familiarity with FAR/DFARS regulations, contracting structures and non‑traditional pathways such as OTAs, Consortiums, IDIQ’s, Multiple Authority Announcements (MAA’s) and Middle Tier of Acquisitions (Section 804).
• Skills: Mastery of formal capture and proposal methodologies. Exceptional technical writing skills with the ability to convey technical jargon, complex orbital mechanics, space domain awareness and hardware architecture concepts clearly to non‑technical evaluators. Previous experience using capture and proposal writing software.
• Security Clearance: Active Secret clearance required; TS/SCI preferred or must be eligible to obtain.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Aerospace, Political Science, Business, or a related field required. Master’s degree in a related field preferred.

• Experience operating within a fast‑paced, venture‑backed, defense tech startup environment, where challenging the status‑quo is the norm.
• You speak engineer and seamlessly navigate the grey space between the technical team and the commercial team. Example, you can read a system architecture diagram or orbital mechanics profile and immediately write the first‑draft compliance text without needing an engineer to hold your hand.
• You thrive in ambiguity and self‑reliance. You possess the rare ability to work independently, manage your own tasks, critically think through challenging problems, maximize limited resources and maximize returns from your highly valuable time.
• The excitement of managing and growing a future capture team that will be reporting directly to you in this position. Willingness to cultivate a culture of winning, despising bureaucratic red‑tape and moving fast.
• Existing, strong professional relationships within the defense space ecosystem (e.g., USSF, OSD, SSC, DIU, DoW, SpaceWerx, Space RCO, SDA, AFRL‑RV, etc.).

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR compliance.

• Annual Salary Pay Range: $175,000.00 to $250,000.00
• Meaningful equity incentives as part of our employee option pool
• Unlimited PTO with generous paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match
• Healthcare: medical, vision and dental coverage

Lodestar is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Lodestar 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.