Back to jobs
New

Growth Manager – Commercial, State, and Local Markets

Bristol, RI

Job Overview

The Growth Manager – Commercial, State, and Local Markets is responsible for building Vatn's business outside the federal defense customer base. This role focuses on identifying and closing new opportunities with commercial customers, port and harbor authorities, state and local government agencies, and maritime research institutions. Alongside this, it shapes the go-to-market strategy for Vatn's autonomous underwater vehicles, spanning ports and waterways security, environmental monitoring, search and rescue, offshore energy, and marine research applications. This role blends strategic market-building, such as identifying new verticals and use cases, with hands-on sales execution, including prospecting, demonstrations, proposals, and closing deals through commercial and state/local procurement processes.

Key Responsibilities

Client Acquisition & Relationship Management:

  • Organize and conduct a deliberate prospecting effort to identify potential commercial customers, port and harbor authorities, and state and local government agencies, expanding the company's market reach beyond federal defense.
  • Generate, assess, and convert new leads across target verticals, including ports, offshore energy, environmental agencies, public safety and marine law enforcement, and research institutions.
  • Qualify leads and convert them into long-term clients or partnerships.
  • Build and maintain long-term relationships with key clients, prospects, and stakeholders across commercial and state/local markets.
  • Prepare proposals, quotes, and rough orders of magnitude (ROM) tailored to commercial and public-sector procurement processes.

Sales & Revenue Generation:

  • Coordinate demonstrations and pilot deployments to support client understanding and requirements development.
  • Navigate state and local procurement pathways, including cooperative purchasing agreements, state contract vehicles, and competitive RFPs.
  • Support the contracting and program management teams during handoff to ensure smooth project execution kickoff.
  • Support the CGO in contract negotiation and deal closing.
  • Maintain customer engagement to support repeat and follow-on sales.

Market Expansion & Product/Service Promotion:

  • Develop and execute go-to-market plans to promote Vatn's products to new and existing commercial and public-sector customers.
  • Identify new markets and use cases and contribute to market expansion plans, including ports and waterway security, environmental and hydrographic monitoring, search and rescue, offshore energy inspection, and marine research.
  • Support solution development alongside Engineering and technical teammates to adapt Vatn's platform to commercial and civil requirements.
  • Attend industry events, conferences, and trade shows to stay current with market trends and support pipeline growth.
  • Attend demonstrations and pilot deployments with customers and partners.
  • Coordinate with Marketing and Strategic Communications team for specific and targeted communication campaigns.

Strategic Planning:

  • Develop and implement growth strategies for commercial, state, and local markets that align with overall company goals.
  • Conduct market research to identify new business opportunities and trends outside the federal defense space.
  • Analyze competitors, customer needs, and market conditions to guide go-to-market decisions.
  • Prepare and deliver presentations to clients, stakeholders, and leadership.

Collaboration & Teamwork:

  • Work closely with Engineering, Programs, and Operations to ensure customer needs are understood and met.
  • Partner with the Proposal/Capture function on pursuits that involve state or local government procurement.
  • Provide feedback on product and service offerings based on client interactions and market demand.
  • Ensure a smooth transition of clients to the program management team following deal closure.

Reporting & Analysis:

  • Maintain accurate records of business development activity, including prospecting, meetings, and deal progress, in the company CRM.
  • Track sales metrics, report on progress to senior leadership and adjust strategy as necessary.
  • Prepare regular reports on pipeline, leads, conversions, and revenue growth in commercial and state/local markets.

Continuous Improvement:

  • Stay current on market trends, regulatory changes, and competitor activity across target commercial and public-sector verticals.
  • Proactively identify areas for process improvement in the growth and sales process.

Qualifications

  • Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Sales, or equivalent experience. 
  • Experience: 2+ years of experience in business development, sales, or a related field, ideally with exposure to commercial or state/local government sales.
  • Experience with state or local government procurement is advantageous.

Skills:

  • Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills
  • Strong customer engagement and interpersonal abilities
  • Highly organized, with the ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team
  • Self-motivated with a high level of initiative
  • Experience selling to ports, marine authorities, or public safety/first responder agencies is a plus.
  • Experience in the maritime, offshore energy, or environmental sectors is a plus.

Key Attributes for Success

  • Goal-oriented: Driven by results and focused on achieving sales and revenue objectives.
  • Adaptable: Able to adjust strategies based on market conditions, client needs, and business objectives.
  • Relationship-building: Strong ability to build and maintain lasting relationships with clients and partners across commercial and government customers.
  • Analytical: Capable of evaluating market, financial, and regulatory conditions and using those insights to inform strategic decisions.

Working Conditions

  • Full-time position, based in Bristol, RI with willingness to travel extensively, both domestically and internationally.
  • Willing to work on commercial and government watercraft, including large and small boats.
  • Must be able to wear PPE such as life preservers, helmets, protective clothing, eye protection, and hearing protection.

Vatn is an equal opportunity employer.

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...

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...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.