BONUS EDITION 001_Defense Tech Jobs 🚀
BONUS EDITION 001_Defense Tech Jobs 🚀
So you want to work in defense tech... 🇺🇸 🚀
Dear DTJ Community,
We’ve loved hearing from so many of you over the last few weeks, whether you’re looking to break into the industry, looking for your next role, or just curious about the defense tech hype.
To help sort through our jobs roundups, we’re sending this BONUS EDITION of DTJ on what would normally be an off-week, with a rundown of the core business functions in early stage defense tech startups.
This post offers an overview of the types of roles commonly found in (early stage) defense tech startups - the roles we focus on at DTJ. We’ll break it down into three job families:
The GROWTH Family: Business Development / Pre-Sales, Sales, Proposals + Contracting
The PRODUCT Family: Product Management, Program Management, Customer Success
The STRATEGY / OPS Family: Business Operations, Chief of Staff, People, and Policy / Government Affairs
Feel free to share with friends, and let us know what other content you’d like to see: defensetech.jobs.newsletter@gmail.com!
The GROWTH Family of Jobs
The GROWTH family are the revenue generators and enablers. In the earliest stages, these jobs will likely all be combined into one!
1️⃣ Business Development (BD) / Pre-Sales
Business development and pre-sales functions are about identifying opportunities that could become new revenue-generating contracts. These positions range from research-oriented (think market-sizing and opportunity qualification) to outbound-oriented (think million-miler status - traveling the world to attend conferences and build relationships). They range from the most junior (Sales Development Rep) to high level and strategic (Partnerships Director). They may involve market research, prospecting and cold calls, identifying new accounts for salespeople to target, or building coalitions of companies to shape or respond to government solicitations.
You might be a good “BD” teammate if you: enjoy research and are adept at leveraging databases to find a nugget (e.g., Sam.gov, Federal Procurement Data System, Govwin/Govtribe/etc.), enjoy operating in ambiguity, and aren’t afraid to pick up the phone or approach someone cold.
2️⃣ Sales
Salespeople in defense tech are responsible for closing contracts that get the company in the game. They may join the team with pre-existing customer relationships, and/or are adept at building trust quickly. They are responsible for navigating a complex, multi-stakeholder process from lead generation to close, and are usually compensated differently (a higher % variable) than other members of the team. They typically spend most of their time meeting prospective customers, and looking to “land and expand” existing customers to meet revenue goals.
You might be a good “sales” teammate if you: are competitive and love to bet on yourself (“eat what you kill”); have a network of contacts inside the defense ecosystem; aren’t dissuaded by rejection.
3️⃣ Proposals + Contracting
This function may vary quite a bit depending on company size / stage, but the Proposals / Contracting team is typically responsible for managing responses to government requests (for information, for quote, for proposal, etc.), and for leading the contracting process from “intent to buy” to deal close. This team is not typically comprised of lawyers, though they often work closely with in-house or external counsel on compliance. They may help define an acquisition strategy, and they often maintain close relationships with government contracting officers (“KO’s”). A good contracts shop is the “secret sauce” for many successful government contractors.
You might be a good “Contracting” teammate if you: have experience working with government acquisition shops (inside or outside); love to write; and are a stickler for details.
The PRODUCT Family of Jobs
The PRODUCT family are cross-functional roles that infuse the voice of the customer into product development and delivery. They are crucial in determining what should be built, on what timeframe. Like the GROWTH family, at early stage companies many of these jobs may not exist, or may all be combined into one!
4️⃣ Product Management
Product leaders operate like “mini CEOs” inside a tech company: they are responsible for working with every part of the organization (sales, engineering, marketing, etc.) to deliver the right product to solve user pain. Different companies take different approaches to product - some will look at leaders with highly technical backgrounds, while others will look for leaders with deep expertise in the use case (e.g., a former intelligence analyst for a new analytic suite, or a logistics / supply chain leader for a new route optimization application). While product organization philosophies vary, all require a high degree of collaboration for these cross-cutting roles.
You might be a good “Product” teammate if you: have some technical literacy / have worked with engineers, are a planner with experience building roadmaps / workplans, and are comfortable translating between users, builders, and salespeople.
5️⃣ Customer Success + Implementation
Also known as “Mission Support” or “Forward-Deployed,” the success function usually comes about after the company has closed a deal or two and is now tasked with delivering. This team is responsible for making the engagement a win. They will work closely with sales to ensure deliveries go smoothly and requirements are met, as well as identify opportunities to expand the engagement. They will also work closely with product and/or engineering teams to ensure that the all-valuable customer feedback finds its way back to the people who can modify a product roadmap or prioritize additional features. And especially in the early days, they will be a crucial input into determining product-market fit.
You might be a good “success” teammate if you: have served in uniform and are intimately familiar with a mission set; have a consulting / client services background; love travel and being side by side with product users.
6️⃣ Program Management
If you’ve seen someone referring to themselves as a “PMP,” a “Certified ScrumMaster,” or a “Lean Six Sigma Black Belt” you’ve got yourself a program (or project) manager. The numerous training and certification programs for program management focus on different ways of organizing, tracking, and executing internal initiatives and contractual obligations. These “conductor”-type roles are often close relatives of product and success, as they involve managing multiple stakeholders across different functions, and typically have extensive reporting responsibilities.
You might be a good “Program Management” teammate if you: are a planner, believe a good process is as important as the outcome, don’t mind chasing folks and wrangling different personalities, have experience turning requirements into reporting.
The STRATEGY / OPS Family of Jobs
Strategy / Ops roles are “G&A” roles that highly general and in short supply in the earliest days of a new company. This family grows over time to include focus on Corporate Strategy (M&A), Finance, Marketing, Communications, etc.
7️⃣ Business Operations
Business operations - also known as “BizOps” - is a wide-ranging function, especially in the earliest stages of a startup’s growth. BizOps staff spend much of their time analyzing data to predict, prevent, or optimize for a business outcome. For example, they may be responsible for analyzing customer behavior to predict (and prevent) churn, or observing product usage data to determine which accounts can be upsold.
You might be a good Business Operations teammate if: you can synthesize large amounts of data and connect it to the revenue functions of the business; are conversant in tools like Excel, and/or SQL.
8️⃣ Chief of Staff
The Chief of Staff (CoS) role is one of the most nebulous roles in operations. An individual in this role could be anyone from a freshly-minted grad with a year of experience to a retiring flag officer. These positions range from independent contributor to process manager to proxy CEO. Our advice here is to get to know the principal you will be supporting, and what he or she is after. The role is entirely defined by them - it can be whatever you make it! CoS roles may also cover functions including: Finance, Marketing, Communications, Policy, and Strategy.
You might be a good Chief of Staff teammate if: you crave variety, are a strong communicator, have experience supporting senior leaders, have a “get stuff done” attitude, and hold a “no job too small / no challenge too large” mentality.
9️⃣ People
People Operations is one of the most important and fast evolving functions in a startup. These positions might be scouting for one or two “unicorn” designers, or going from 150 to 300 employees. At the early stage, the “People” people are often asked to do a ton, from recruiting new teammates, to setting up / managing benefits and payroll, to building out internal HR functions.
You might be a good “People” teammate if you: are a great storyteller, have experience with recruiting, love PEOPLE, and don’t mind being a “jack of all trades” (often recruiting, HR, and internal operations all rolled into one).
🔟 Policy & Government Affairs
Policy and Government Affairs roles are increasingly common at early stage defense tech startups, as government continues to roll out new authorities and programs for rapid tech acquisition. Policy & Govt Affairs roles help educate lawmakers, work closely with legal counsel to figure out what regulatory regimes might need to change, and help translate “tech” into “impact” (e.g., how the concept of operations might change as a result of new tech).
You might be a good “Policy / Govt Affairs” teammate if you: have experience on the Hill, at a Think Tank, or at a lobbying shop. Have a strong network in policy circles, and are a passionate advocate for the company’s vision.
📮 As always, if you’re hiring, submit a job to be featured in our next newsletter.
📣 We welcome your support and feedback! Please email us if you have thoughts: defensetech.jobs.newsletter@gmail.com