Director of Business Operations

***************************************US CITIZENS ONLY
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ABOUT THE ROLE

XRDNA is seeking a Director of Business Operations to serve as the operational and execution core of a fast-moving, seed-stage defense tech company focused on spatial intelligence. This is a senior leadership role responsible for owning the full spectrum of business operations: government program delivery, proposal and submission management, internal systems development, and the operational infrastructure that scales the company from early-stage to a contract-executing defense tech organization.

The ideal candidate brings 10+ years of experience across defense tech, aerospace, or geospatial intelligence, has operated across the full program life cycle, and is equally comfortable leading proposal efforts, building internal tooling, and engaging government stakeholders on technical and acquisition topics. This is a builder role reporting directly to the CEO.

RESPONSIBILITIES

PROGRAM DELIVERY AND GOVERNMENT ENGAGEMENTS

• Own program operations across active government engagements, including CRADAs, SBIR/STTR Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III programs, including DoW partnership vehicles
• Drive full program life cycle execution, including scope management, schedule tracking, risk mitigation, and milestone reporting to leadership and government stakeholders
• Lead cross-functional execution by partnering with engineering, product, finance, and operations to maintain delivery consistency and stakeholder confidence
• Establish and maintain PMO frameworks, governance standards, and program health reporting cadences that scale with contract growth

PROPOSAL & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION

• Lead and contribute to concurrent proposal and submission efforts across multiple government agencies and vehicles, including DoW, and other federal agencies, SBIR/STTR, and CRADA solicitations
• Own end-to-end proposal management, including technical narrative development, cost structure, compliance review, and on-time submission
• Engage government program offices on topic fit, technical alignment, and acquisition strategy, including pre-submission Q&A with contracting and technical stakeholders at AFRL, Navy, and other agencies
• Maintain a disciplined BD pipeline and ensure opportunities move from identification through submission with rigor and velocity

SYSTEMS, ERP, & INTERNAL OPERATIONS

• Conceptualize, design, and build an automated ERP and program delivery system to centralize contract tracking, milestone management, and operational reporting across active programs and the pursuit portfolio
• Own CRM systems and pipeline data integrity, ensuring accurate opportunity tracking and executive visibility into business development activity
• Build and maintain operational dashboards and reporting cadences that give leadership real-time visibility into program status, pursuit activity, and company health
• Design scalable internal processes across program management, compliance, and finance operations that support company growth

FINANCE & COMPLIANCE OPERATIONS

• Support contract administration, including invoicing, deliverable tracking, accounts receivable, and collections, in coordination with leadership
• Ensure program compliance with FAR/DFARS/ITAR and applicable acquisition regulations across all active contract vehicles
• Contribute to revenue forecasting and cost tracking in support of executive decision-making

QUALIFICATIONS

• 10+ years of experience in defense tech, aerospace, geospatial intelligence, or GovCon program environments
• Proven track record driving full program life cycle execution across enterprise-scale, cross-functional programs in complex, matrixed environments
• Experience across multiple government contract vehicles, including CRADAs, SBIRs, OTAs, and DoW partnership programs
• Background in proposal development and submission across concurrent efforts spanning multiple agencies and acquisition formats
• Demonstrated ability to establish PMO frameworks, governance standards, KPI reporting, and executive-level program health reporting
• Hands-on experience conceptualizing or building ERP, CRM, or operational tooling in a startup or resource-constrained environment
• Experience with AI-augmented workflows, process automation, and data-driven decision support tools
• Strong cross-functional leadership and stakeholder engagement skills across product, engineering, finance, and operations
• Active TS/SCI clearance strongly preferred

BONUS

• Background in spatial intelligence, GIS, geospatial data products, remote sensing, or satellite-based systems
• Experience standing up, or contributing to, CMMC Level 2+ compliance programs, including gap assessments, SSP development, or NIST 800-171 control implementation
• Hands-on experience with business intelligence tools, operational dashboards, or data pipeline automation in support of program or executive reporting
• Advanced degree in a business, technical, or policy discipline relevant to defense acquisition, program management, or national security

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE IN YEAR ONE

• Active government programs are executing cleanly against milestones with consistent reporting to leadership and government counterparts
• Concurrent proposal submissions go out on time, compliant, and well-positioned across SBIR, DIU, DARPA, and CRADA vehicles
• An automated ERP and program delivery system is operational and trusted by the team as the source of truth for contract and pursuit status
• Internal operating processes are documented, repeatable, and scalable with new contract awards and team growth
• Leadership has real-time visibility into operational and business development status without having to chase it