Associate Business Development Director (Defense)

ICON Prime is seeking an entrepreneurial, high-impact Associate Business Development Director to expand our defense business across the military services, from military construction (MILCON) to defense technology (MilTech). You will operate with significant autonomy to generate, shape, and close complex government opportunities.

The ideal candidate has a defense background, a proven track record of winning competitive government contracts and converting relationships into awards, and knows how to navigate the Pentagon and defense innovation pathways to align ICON’s capabilities with the government’s highest-priority requirements. You will work closely with Engineering, Operations, and Regulatory teams so that BD commitments are technically grounded and contractually executable and customer needs shape our product roadmap. This role is based in Washington, DC, reports to the Senior Director, Prime Business Development & Government Affairs, and requires up to 30% travel.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and execute a business development strategy to expand ICON Prime’s presence across DoD, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and National Guard.

• Build and maintain a high-quality federal pipeline. Engage program offices, requirements owners, and contracting officers early to shape opportunities before they are released.

• Cultivate deep relationships with key stakeholders at USACE, NAVFAC, AFCEC, DIU, AFWERX, and service-specific construction and installation commands.

• Lead capture for targeted opportunities end to end, from business validation and qualification through gate reviews, proposal development, final proposal revisions, and contract negotiation, including teaming strategy and pricing guidance.

• Pursue design-build, OTA, and IDIQ opportunities, including barracks, hardened facilities, and base infrastructure, as well as expeditionary construction and SCIF deployment.

• Develop and deliver briefings, white papers, and capability narratives for general officers and senior civilian officials, and represent ICON at industry events, industry days, and installation visits.

• Conduct market intelligence and competitive analysis, and assess competitors and emerging trends to guide capture strategy and product roadmap decisions.

• Partner with Engineering, Operations, and Regulatory teams to ensure solutions align with Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) and service requirements, and bring customer feedback into product development and the product roadmap.

• Maintain pipeline and customer data in HubSpot, contribute to pipeline and gate reviews with Prime leadership, and support and manage business development and proposal professionals as the team grows.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• 7+ years of business development, capture management, or program management experience within DoD or military construction, with a track record of closing competitive federal contracts.

• Experience working with federal government agencies, DoW organizations, or military construction projects with understanding of government contracting and acquisition processes.

• Deep fluency in federal procurement, including FAR/DFARS, OTAs, IDIQs, DIU and AFWERX pathways, SBIR/STTR, the MILCON process, and defense appropriations cycles.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with proven ability to present complex technical information to government stakeholders, military officials, and internal teams, and create compelling proposals, presentations, and technical marketing content.

• Exceptional relationship-building and networking abilities with demonstrated success establishing trust and credibility with government agencies and federal stakeholders in professional and regulatory environments.

• Proven ability to engage senior DoD stakeholders at the Pentagon, service command, or major command level.

• Working knowledge of Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) and military design standards.

• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to self-direct and execute at startup speed with limited institutional support.

• Ability to travel up to 30% for customer meetings, conferences, and industry events.

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, or equivalent practical experience.

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Prior military or federal civilian service, particularly with USACE, NAVFAC, AFCEC, Marine Corps Installations Command, or a DoD R&D command, including Navy Civil Engineer Corps or Seabees, Air Force civil engineering, or Marine Corps engineering and facilities.

• Active or current eligibility for a Secret or TS/SCI security clearance (TS/SCI preferred).

• Familiarity with MILCON project delivery, OTA construction agreements, or other non-traditional defense acquisition pathways.

• Background in design-build or fast-track delivery, or in 3D printing, additive manufacturing, robotics in construction, or other innovative construction methods.

• Graduate degree in construction management, engineering, or a related discipline, or a background in management consulting or strategic advisory focused on defense.