Business Development Lead - OSW and Defense Agencies
Posted Oct 8, 2026·Open for 15 days (and counting)
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Key details
Function
Sales
Seniority
Senior
Workplace
On-site
Location
New York, USA
Specialty
Federal Defense
Why this role is notable
A hardware test-and-data software company building a dedicated government business development function aimed at the Pentagon's non-combat '4th Estate' agencies signals that it is betting its growth on defense procurement beyond the warfighting programs it already serves.
Archetype: Sales
Job Description
About Nominal
Nominal is building the connected test and operations platform powering the world's most advanced hardware systems, from spacecraft and autonomous vehicles to next-generation defense programs. Our platform gives hardware engineering teams a single place to ingest data, analyze performance, automate test execution, and collaborate across every phase of development, so they can move faster without sacrificing safety or precision. We're a fast-moving team that owns problems end-to-end, works across disciplines, and thrives at the intersection of hardware and software.
We serve top-tier commercial and defense customers, from autonomy leaders like Anduril and Shield AI to next-generation aerospace teams like Hermeus and REGENT, and performance engineering teams like Pratt Miller Motorsports, alongside mission partners within the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force on programs where failure isn’t an option. We’re backed by Sequoia, General Catalyst, Founders Fund, Lux Capital, and Lightspeed. Our team draws from SpaceX, Palantir, Anduril, Applied Intuition, and other leading companies, united by a common mission: giving hardware engineers the tools to build the future with speed, safety, and confidence.
As part of Nominal’s U.S. Government Business Development team, you will drive how we expand across the U.S. Government—owning pipeline creation, customer engagement, and deal execution across key accounts within the Department of War/Defense’s “4th Estate”. This is a highly strategic, externally-facing role focused on shaping and closing complex opportunities across organizations such as the Test Resource Management Center (TRMC), Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA), Direct Reporting Program Manager (DRPM) UxS, Chief Digital and AI Office (CDAO), and other relevant Principal Stafff Assistants (PSAs) and Defense Agencies and Field Activities (DAFAs). This role partners closely with Capture Strategy, which owns capture strategy and win positioning, while this role owns customer relationships and deal execution. You will work at the intersection of mission, product, and growth—translating customer needs into enduring programs and positioning Nominal as foundational infrastructure for test and operations.
💼 About the Role
- Apply a strong understanding of customer priorities, mission environments, and acquisition dynamics to shape and close strategic opportunities by aligning customer mission needs with Nominal’s platform and long-term roadmap
- Identify, shape, negotiate, and close new market opportunities, aligning account growth with overall business objectives
- Develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders across customer organizations, generating buy-in and alignment with end users, program managers, acquisition officials, technical leaders, and industry partners
- Provide insight into customer priorities, funding dynamics, acquisition pathways, and requirements to inform Nominal’s Federal growth strategy
- Own the process of qualifying, cultivating, and capturing opportunities in close partnership with growth, mission, legal, and operations teammates
- Identify and develop strategic partnerships to expand reach and strengthen positioning in key programs
- Grow early engagements into enduring, impactful programs and set the conditions for Nominal to become foundational digital infrastructure for test data management, analysis, and operations
- Represent Nominal at customer meetings, industry days, conferences
🚀 We’re looking for someone with
- 5+ years of experience in business development, growth, capture, program strategy, or related roles supporting or serving U.S. military and civilian organizations, with at least 2 years working directly for or with organizations within the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD).
- Deep understanding of U.S. Government/ Defense organizational structures and priorities and experience developing, shaping, or executing complex technical opportunities
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging across technical and non-technical audiences
- Keen awareness of when and how to pull in the right teammates to build targeted demos, perform technical discovery, identify capability gaps, understand integration and deployability options, share compliance and infosec guidance, and more
- A strong sense of urgency and ownership, with the ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments and drive outcomes in ambiguous settings
- Experience managing pipelines, forecasting, and consistently hitting growth targets
- Technical background or degree: Background in computer science, mechanical engineering, or other heavy industry
- Willing to travel up to 50%
- This position requires you to currently possess and be able to maintain a U.S. security clearance, in order to meet U.S. regulatory eligibility requirements for the access to classified information associated with this role.
🎯 Skills that supercharge us
- Experience delivering growth outcomes for defense or dual-use software products and proven success developing and executing go-to-market strategies for emerging defense technologies
- Familiarity with non-traditional acquisition pathways and commercial product acquisitions
- Established relationships across relevant U.S. Government stakeholders, prime contractors, and mission partners
- Background in data systems, data analysis, and/or hardware engineering is a plus
- Prior U.S. military or government experience is a plus
✨ Benefits/Perks
- 🏥 100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision insurance
- 🏖️ Unlimited PTO and sick leave
- 🍽️ Free lunch, snacks, and coffee
- 🚀 Professional Development Stipend
- ✈️ Annual company retreat
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.
ITAR Requirements
To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.
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Audit details(provenance, verification trail, raw fields)
Core fields
Posting ID
nominal:am9icG9zdDpLeojVTjVKZiY8CaIlb5QqTitle
Business Development Lead - OSW and Defense Agencies
Function
Sales
Location
New York, NY
Workplace mode
unspecified
Posted at
2026-10-08 13:43:01Z
Compensation
undisclosed
Provenance
First seen (our tracker)
2026-10-09 11:42:47Z
Last seen
2026-10-23 10:36:29Z
Last updated
2026-10-23 10:36:29Z
Removed at
still open
Days open
Open for 15 days (and counting)
ATS adapter
gem
ATS slug
nominalVerification trail
This posting hasn't been probed by our closure verifier yet. Stream C runs on a rolling schedule against postings approaching the close-decision threshold.
LLM enrichment
Enriched at 2026-10-09 20:08:45Z. Enrichment runs once per posting, never re-runs.
Seniority
ic_l3
Role archetype
sales
Specialty
federal_defense
Workplace mode
unknown
City (normalized)
New York
Country (normalized)
United States
Comp range
—
Tech stack
—
Notable role?
yes
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