Director of Growth - Artillery in Addison, Texas at Firehawk Aerospace Inc

Firehawk is a leading propulsion-focused aerospace and defense company located in Addison, TX. Our innovative approach empowers us to design and manufacture cutting-edge solid and hybrid rocket motors and engines. We aim to push the boundaries of propulsion technology to serve both commercial and defense sectors.

Position Details:
The Director of Growth for Artillery is Firehawk's business-line growth executive for artillery-related markets. Reporting to the Vice President of Federal Growth, this leader will independently develop and execute the business line's growth strategy and lead opportunities from initial market development through capture, proposal support, award, and transition. The role will connect Firehawk's propulsion, energetics, manufacturing, and integration capabilities to urgent customer and industrial-base needs.

This is a hands-on growth leadership role for a builder who can create structure where it does not yet exist, operate effectively with limited infrastructure, and personally move opportunities from early customer discovery through capture and award. The Director will work across federal and commercial markets and will be accountable for qualified pipeline, bookings, revenue growth, win performance, strategic captures, and the business line's long-term market position.

Responsibilities
•Own and execute Firehawk's growth strategy for the artillery business line, translating company objectives and market conditions into prioritized customers, opportunities, partnerships, and investment recommendations.
•Build and maintain a disciplined, qualified pipeline across federal and commercial markets, with clear opportunity values, timing, customer needs, acquisition pathways, competitive position, probability of win, and next actions.
•Lead the full growth lifecycle, including market analysis, customer discovery, business development, opportunity shaping, capture planning, teaming, pricing inputs, proposal strategy, negotiations, and transition to execution.
•Own opportunity qualification and bid recommendations for the business line. Present clear investment cases, risks, resource requirements, and recommended actions to company leadership.
•Direct cross-functional capture teams spanning engineering, program management, operations, finance, contracts, legal, and executive leadership. Establish capture cadence, assign actions, and drive decisions to closure.
•Partner closely with Firehawk's proposal manager to develop compliant, persuasive responses, white papers, requests for information, proposals, briefings, and other customer-facing materials. The Director owns the win strategy and substantive business-line inputs.
•Develop and manage durable relationships with government acquisition and operational stakeholders, commercial customers, primes, nontraditional defense companies, integrators, component producers, suppliers, investors, and other strategic partners.
•Create commercial and government partnership structures that accelerate qualification, market access, integration, production scale, and adoption of Firehawk capabilities.
•Maintain an informed view of customer priorities, budgets, acquisition strategies, policy developments, competitor activity, and industrial-base conditions; convert that intelligence into specific growth actions.
•Establish and report meaningful business-line metrics, including pipeline quality, bookings, revenue forecast, capture milestones, win rate, relationship development, and progress against strategic market objectives.
•Use external consultants selectively and effectively, defining clear objectives and integrating their work into a single accountable business-line growth plan.
•Represent Firehawk with credibility in senior customer meetings, industry engagements, conferences, demonstrations, partner discussions, and executive-level reviews.

Market Scope
•Cannon-artillery, ammunition, energetics, propulsion, base-bleed, rocket-assisted projectile, and related component and manufacturing opportunities.
•U.S. Army acquisition, requirements, operational, laboratory, and industrial-base stakeholders, including PEO Ammunition, JPEO Armaments and Ammunition, and PM Combat Ammunition Systems.
•Domestic and allied commercial opportunities with primes, ammunition producers, nontraditional defense companies, integrators, component manufacturers, and suppliers.

Basic Qualifications
•Eight or more years of relevant experience in defense, including government acquisition, military operations, business or commercial growth, capture execution, program leadership, or a combination of these areas.
•Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience.
•Active U.S. Government security clearance or the ability to obtain and maintain one.
•Demonstrated ability to understand complex customer problems, translate technical capabilities into operational and business value, and create an actionable path to adoption or award.
•Working knowledge of defense acquisition, budgeting, requirements, contracting, and program-development processes, with the judgment to navigate both formal procurements and emerging acquisition pathways.
•Ability to independently build and operate a business-line growth function while coordinating contributors who do not report directly to the role.
•Strong capture judgment, including opportunity qualification, customer and competitor analysis, teaming, solution positioning, win strategy, pricing considerations, and proposal development.
•Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to engage senior government, military, commercial, and industry leaders and to develop clear decision-quality materials.
•Comfort operating in a fast-moving growth company where priorities evolve, resources are finite, and leaders are expected to work at both strategic and detailed levels.
•Must be able and willing to travel 25–50% to support customers, partners, technical demonstrations, industry events, and capture activities as required.

Market Scope
•Familiarity with Army artillery requirements, program offices, acquisition organizations, laboratories, test organizations, and operational stakeholders.
•Knowledge of the artillery industrial base, including primes, ammunition producers, nontraditional defense companies, component manufacturers, and critical suppliers.
•Understanding of cannon-artillery systems, ammunition development, energetics or propulsion, qualification, production, and relevant supply chains.
Preferred Qualifications
•Prior government acquisition or program leadership related to ammunition, artillery, energetics, or industrial-base modernization.
•Operational military experience that provides direct understanding of artillery missions, constraints, sustainment, or employment.
•Growth or partnership leadership in a defense-technology company, component producer, supplier, integrator, or other resource-constrained organization.
•Experience developing new markets, forming nontraditional partnerships, or moving emerging technology toward qualification, procurement, and scaled production.

Measures of Success
•A credible, prioritized business-line strategy connected to specific customer needs, market pathways, and investment decisions.
•A qualified pipeline that supports company bookings and revenue objectives and improves in quality, maturity, and forecast accuracy over time.
•Consistent progress on strategic captures, with clear milestones, accountable owners, timely decisions, and compelling win strategies.
•Stronger relationships and market access across government, commercial, and industrial partners.
•Effective use of internal resources, the proposal manager, and external consultants without diffusing accountability for results.
ITAR Requirements:
To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements:
Employees in these positions must possess mobility to work in a standard office setting and to use standard office equipment, including a computer; stamina to sit and to maintain attention to detail despite interruptions; may occasionally lift/carry/push/pull up to 25 pounds; may require minimal walking, standing for extended amounts of time, climbing, crouching, and/or bending; and vision to read printed materials and a computer screen, and hearing and speech to communicate in person and over the telephone. May require the ability to travel by air or auto. May require the use of personal protective equipment such as safety glasses, safety shoes, and shop coat.

Security Clearance:
May be required to obtain and maintain a U.S. Security Clearance at the appropriate level. Requires U.S. Citizenship. Must also be able to satisfy federal government requirements for access to government information, and having dual citizenship may preclude you from being able to meet this requirement.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement:
Firehawk is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Firehawk is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.