Business Development & Capture Associate 

Job Title: Business Development & Capture Associate 

Location: Washington, DC, San Antonio, TX, or Boston, MA 

Clearance: Elligible for Top Secret 

 

Who We Are:

Rackner is a software consultancy that builds cloud-native solutions for startups, enterprises, and the public sector. We are an energetic, growing consultancy with a passion for solving big problems for both startups and enterprises. Each of us enable digital transformation for large organizations through the newest in distributed technologies as we are laser focused on end-to-end application development, DevSecOps, AI/ML and systems architecture and our methodology focuses on cloud-first and cost-effective innovation. Our customers hail from a diverse, ever-growing list of industries.

 

Responsibilities:

• Support the full lifecycle of business development and capture activities in the Air Force and broader DOD market. Being involved in everything from early market research and lead identification to assisting with proposal preparation for specific opportunities.
• Conduct preliminary research on potential opportunities (e.g., reviewing Air Force acquisition forecasts and SAM.gov postings) and identify leads that match the company’s DevSecOps, software, AI, and cybersecurity services. Help qualify these leads by gathering essential information on scope, timing, and fit with company capabilities​
• Maintain and update the opportunity pipeline database or tracker, ensuring that data on pursuits is current (e.g., customer contacts, next action, probability of win). Prepare regular pipeline reports for senior management review.
• Engage in outreach to customers and partners in a supporting role: schedule introductory meetings or capability briefings with Air Force contacts, prepare background materials or agendas, and join Rackner's leadership team in those meetings to learn and take notes on customer needs.
• Assist in developing capture strategies for pursuits. For smaller or less complex opportunities, work with Rackner's leadership to outline win themes, identify what information is needed from the customer, and draft a basic capture plan. For larger captures, provide support by organizing data, preparing notional winner profiles, or coordinating meetings.
• Contribute to proposal development when the time comes: help draft minor sections (like management approach or resumes), ensure proposal templates are properly formatted, collect past performance citations, and verify compliance with RFP requirements. Essentially, bridge between the BD phase and proposal phase by carrying forward knowledge gathered during customer interactions into the proposal content.

 

Required Qualifications:

• Experience: 1–3 years in roles such as sales, business development, or proposal coordination. Experience in a government contracting environment is highly beneficial, even if at an internship or entry level.
• Broad understanding of the sales process and proposal process – the candidate should know that winning government work involves identifying opportunities, building relationships, and writing proposals, even if they haven’t led these activities themselves.
• Strong interpersonal skills and professional demeanor; able to communicate effectively with internal teams and external stakeholders (e.g., scheduling meetings with a military officer’s office, or emailing a partner company professionally).
• Quick learner with initiative – capable of taking on a variety of tasks across different disciplines (both BD and capture) and eager to absorb new information about the defense contracting industry.
• Good organizational and multitasking abilities, since this role juggles research, administrative support, and creative input for strategy/proposals.
• Ability to obtain a security clearance

 

Required Qualifications:

• Exposure to both business development and capture/proposal tasks. For example, experience in a small GovCon firm or startup where you had to wear multiple hats – helping with marketing outreach as well as putting together proposal binders – would fit well.
• Familiarity with the U.S. Air Force or DoD domain, such as knowledge of Air Force bases, command structure, or previous work on a project for the Air Force. This helps in quickly understanding the context of opportunities.
• Knowledge of tools and resources used in federal BD, such as CRM software (Monday.com or Deltek GovWin) for pipeline tracking, and basic proficiency in Google Workspace, Canva, or Beautiful.ai for producing proposal and briefing materials.
• Some technical acumen in the company’s service areas (DevSecOps, AI, etc.) – you don’t need to be an engineer, but you should be comfortable learning the buzzwords and concepts so you can discuss them and identify relevant opportunities.
• Any training or certifications in either sales (e.g., Certified Sales Development Associate) or proposals (e.g., APMP Foundation) that show commitment to developing a professional skill set.

 

Benefits/Additional Info:

Rackner embraces and promotes employee development and training and covers the cost of certifications relevant to a position and the technologies/services provided. Fitness/Gym membership eligibility, weekly pay schedule and employee swag, snacks & events are offered as well!

• 401K with 100% matching up to 6%
• Highly competitive PTO
• Great health insurance with large network of providers
• Medical/Dental/Vision
• Life Insurance, and short- & long-term disability
• Industry-Leading Weekly Pay Schedule
• Home office & equipment plan