Back to jobs

Business Development Manager

Washington D.C.

About Us:
Vatn Systems is an autonomous underwater vehicle startup focused on developing cutting-edge technology to support underwater exploration, research, and defense applications. Our team is passionate about creating innovative solutions that push the boundaries of what is possible underwater. We are based in Bristol, Rhode Island with a waterfront workshop and office. This is a work-from-home position, but the candidate must live in or be willing to relocate to the Washington D.C. area.

Job Overview:
The Business Development Manager (BDM) is responsible for identifying new business opportunities, building, and maintaining relationships with potential and existing clients, and driving revenue growth. The BDM will develop strategies to expand market presence, generate new sales leads, negotiate contracts, and manage partnerships.

Key Responsibilities:

Client Acquisition & Relationship Management:

  • Organize and conduct a deliberate prospecting effort to identify potential clients and business partners and expand the company’s market reach.
  • Generate, assess, and convert new leads.
  • Qualify leads and convert them into long-term clients or partnerships.
  • Build and maintain long-term relationships with key clients, prospects, and stakeholders.
  • Prepare proposals, quotes, and rough orders of magnitude (ROM).

Sales & Revenue Generation:

  • Coordinate demonstrations and experiments to support client understanding and requirements development.
  • Support contract negotiation and closing.
  • Maintain customer engagement to support repeat and follow-on sales.
  • Meet or exceed individual and team sales and performance targets.

Market Expansion & Product/Service Promotion:

  • Develop and execute marketing plans to promote new products or services to existing and new customers.
  • Identify potential new markets and contribute to market expansion plans.
  • Support solution development alongside engineers and technical teammates.
  • Attend industry events, conferences, and networking opportunities to stay current with market trends.
  • Attend experiments, demonstrations, and industry expositions.
  • Conduct social media engagement on behalf of the company, pending CRO approval of messaging.

Strategic Planning:

  • Develop and implement business development strategies to achieve company goals.
  • Conduct market research to identify new business opportunities and trends.
  • Analyze competitors, customer needs, and market conditions to guide business growth.
  • Prepare and deliver presentations to clients, stakeholders, and leadership teams.

Collaboration & Teamwork:

  • Work closely with internal teams (Project Management Engineering and Operations) to ensure that client needs are met.
  • Provide feedback on product or service offerings based on client interactions and market demand.
  • Ensure smooth handover of clients to account management or project management after deals are closed.

Reporting & Analysis:

  • Maintain accurate records of business development activities, including prospecting, meetings, and deal progress.
  • Track sales metrics, report on progress to senior leadership, and adjust strategies, as necessary.
  • Prepare regular reports on business development activities, including leads, conversions, and revenue growth.

Continuous Improvement:

  • Stay updated on geopolitical trends, technology shifts, and competitor activity.
  • Proactively identify areas for process improvement in business development strategies.
  • Participate in professional development opportunities to enhance skills and knowledge.

Qualifications:

  • Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Sales, or equivalent experience.
  • Experience: 1-2 years of experience in business development, sales, or a related field or equivalent coursework at the undergraduate level. Experience in government acquisitions is advantageous.
  • Experience with Government Acquisitions is a plus
  • Military experience a plus
  • Language skills a plus, particularly: Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Korean
  • Security Clearance a plus, must be eligible for a SECRET clearance or above
  • Sales experience a plus

Working Conditions:

  • Willing to travel extensively; both domestic and international

Vatn Systems is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds.

 

 

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Education

Select...
Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Vatn Systems’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...