Director of Business Development: Top Recruiters in Joliet, Illinois
The Joliet Aerospace & Defense Market
Joliet is home to the U.S. Army's Elwood Ordnance Plant, one of the nation's premier ammunition production facilities, alongside a strong industrial and logistics base supporting defense supply chain requirements.
About This Role
The Director of Business Development owns the company's near-term and long-term pipeline of new defense program opportunities, driving capture strategy from opportunity identification through proposal award. This director builds customer relationships, leads pursuit teams, and ensures the company's discriminating capabilities are effectively communicated in competitive government procurements.
Key Responsibilities
- Own and grow the company's qualified defense program pipeline in assigned business areas or geographies
- Develop and execute capture plans for priority pursuits including competitive analysis, win themes, and teaming strategy
- Build and sustain relationships with DoD program offices, acquisition commands, and key government influencers
- Lead industry day attendance, RFI responses, and pre-solicitation customer engagement activities
- Manage the bid/no-bid evaluation process and present opportunity assessments to senior leadership
- Lead proposal kickoff, color team reviews, and price-to-win analysis for major competitive procurements
- Coordinate with contracts, finance, and legal on teaming agreements, NDA execution, and small business strategy
- Monitor FYDP, POM cycles, Congressional budget actions, and competitor moves to identify emerging opportunities
- Represent the company at defense industry conferences, AUSA, NDIA, and professional associations
- Develop and manage a business development team of 3-10 BD managers and capture managers
Leading Employers in Joliet
The Aerospace & Defense talent pool in Joliet is shaped by movement between these anchor employers and their tier-one supplier base:
Required Experience & Background
- 12+ years in A&D with 5+ years in business development, capture management, or BD leadership
- Active TS/SCI clearance strongly preferred for classified customer engagement
- Demonstrated track record of winning competitive defense procurements as capture lead or BD manager
- Deep understanding of the DoD acquisition lifecycle, POM cycle, and government contracting regulations
- Existing network of senior relationships with DoD program offices in the company's target markets
- Shipley or equivalent capture management methodology training preferred
Core Leadership Competencies
- Customer Intelligence: Deep understanding of government customer missions, priorities, and acquisition strategies
- Competitive Analysis: Ability to assess competitive landscape and develop winning discriminating strategies
- Relationship Architecture: Skill in building and sustaining senior government and industry relationships
- Capture Leadership: Proven ability to lead multi-functional pursuit teams from opportunity to award
- Strategic Pipeline Management: Discipline in qualifying opportunities and focusing resources on highest-probability pursuits
Regulatory & Compliance Context
Defense Business Development Directors must comply with ethics regulations under FAR Part 3, the Anti-Kickback Act, and the Procurement Integrity Act. Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) must be carefully managed when pursuing new business in areas where advisory work exists. Export control regulations govern customer engagement activities with foreign government customers.
Compensation Benchmarks for Joliet, IL
Nexoval Search Partners' Approach in Joliet
Nexoval Search Partners's dedicated Aerospace & Defense practice maintains active relationships with the executive talent community across Joliet and the broader Illinois market. Our consultants conduct thorough market mapping of available passive and active candidates across the region's leading employers, from established industry leaders to innovative growth companies. Every engagement includes confidential outreach, rigorous competency-based assessment, and candidate presentation within 45 to 60 days of engagement launch. Nexoval Search Partners's retained search model and one-year replacement guarantee ensure every executive we place in Joliet, Illinois delivers long-term organizational value.