Space Research Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

Responsibilities

Join the Peraton Labs team to provide business development and capture support with a focus on space systems research.  This exciting domain includes technical areas such as space domain awareness, command and control, multi-domain operations, cislunar space, and space digital twins.  We are seeking a versatile business development and capture director to help grow our space research portfolio by identifying new opportunities, shaping capture strategies, engaging customers, and coordinating proposal development. This role requires a blend of customer-facing business development skills, domain experience in space research, and hands-on proposal leadership. As part of a small, agile team, the successful candidate will take ownership across the opportunity life cycle from early customer engagement through proposal submission and award.

Key responsibilities include:

Business Development and Opportunity Identification

• Identify, qualify, and pursue new business opportunities across multiple customers in the space research domain
• Develop and maintain strong customer relationships to understand mission needs, research priorities, and funding trends
• Monitor solicitations, roadmaps, and research initiatives to anticipate future opportunities
• Collaborate with management and technical leadership to align customer needs with organizational capabilities and strategic objectives

Capture and Solutioning

• Lead capture activities, including win strategy development, competitive analysis, teaming, and solution shaping
• Apply space domain expertise to inform approaches, discriminators, and value propositions
• Work closely with architects, engineers, and researchers to develop compelling, executable solutions
• Support pricing, risk identification, and execution planning in coordination with internal stakeholders

Proposal Management and Development

• Serve as Proposal Manager for selected opportunities, particularly in support of a small-team environment
• Develop proposal schedules, outlines, compliance matrices, and color team plans
• Coordinate inputs from technical, management, and business contributors
• Ensure proposals clearly articulate customer value, technical credibility, and competitive differentiation
• Manage reviews, track action items, and ensure on-time delivery

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• 12+ years of experience, including at least 5 years of experience in a business development role
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, science, business, or a related field.
• Prior experience identifying and pursuing opportunities in space or adjacent domains
• Ability to navigate unfamiliar customer organizations, develop and foster relationships, and secure meetings
• Experience supporting or leading proposal development, including strategy, compliance and integration for competitive bids.
• Strong understanding of research-focused customers, funding mechanisms, and acquisition processes
• Ability to work across multiple opportunities simultaneously in a fast-paced environment
• Self-motivated, independent, detail oriented, responsible team-player
• Strong written and oral communication skills with an ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Ability to travel regularly to support customer meetings and conferences
• U.S. Citizenship and the ability to maintain a TS/SCI clearance

Desired Qualifications:

• Familiarity and/or existing customer relationships with government research and acquisition organizations (DARPA, AFRL, NRL, SSC, IC, etc.) and/or commercial space companies
• Experience developing and managing relationships with partner companies
• Prior technical and/or management experience in a software-intensive field

Security Clearance:

Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility

Location:

Local to the DMV area

Peraton Overview

Peraton is a next-generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world's leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies. Peraton operates at the critical nexus between traditional and nontraditional threats across all domains: land, sea, space, air, and cyberspace. The company serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies and supports every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Each day, our employees do the can't be done by solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers. Visit peraton.com to learn how we're keeping people around the world safe and secure.

Target Salary Range$135,000 - $216,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individual's experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.EEOEEO: Equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veterans, or other characteristics protected by law.Employment Type: FULL_TIME