Combat Air Force Business Development Manager

Who We Are: 

• CAE Vision: be the trusted partner in advancing safety and mission readiness, defining the standard of excellence in training and critical operations by harnessing technology and enhancing human performance. 

• CAE USA Mission: Support national security and defense readiness by providing cutting-edge training systems, simulation technologies, and operational support to the U.S. military and allied forces. 

• CAE Values: Empowerment, Innovation, Excellence, Integrity and OneCAE make us who we are and we strive to make a difference in the world while helping each other succeed. 

What We Have to Offer: 

• Comprehensive and competitive benefits package and flexibility that promotes work-life balance 

• A work environment where all employees are valued, respected and safe 

• Freedom to succeed by enabling team members to deliver, take initiatives and make decisions 

• Recognition, professional development, advancement and having fun! 

Summary  

The Combat Air Forces (CAF) Business Development Manager leads new business growth and customer engagement efforts in support of U.S. Air Force operational units and MAJCOMs and acquisition commands.  Identify, qualify and pursue new business growth prospects, particularly in fighter platforms, Live/Virtual/Constructive (LVC) training, advanced modeling and simulation (M&S), and integration within next generation training environments (NGTE).   The CAF Business Development Manager will collaborate with program and functional teams to develop investment and growth strategies in direct coordination with customer priorities and lead the efforts to introduce CAE’s capabilities and  solutions to current and new customers.  Responsibilities include customer and partner relationship management, engagement planning, competitive intelligence, gathering, customer and budget analysis, and capture and proposal support.  This position reports to the DUSAF Business Development Lead.  Active Top Secret Clearance/SCI eligibility. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities  

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  

• Develop and implement business growth strategies in line with U.S. Air Force CAF priorities, 5th GEN and Next Gen platforms. 

• Strengthen relationships while developing F-35 & Simulator Common Architecture Requirements Standards (SCARS)-related opportunities with the USAF, with additional focus on expansion of NGAD programs and opportunities 

• Provide subject matter expertise in flight training technologies and/or flight training systems design relevant to meet customer needs, crafting innovative solutions that align with customer requirements and offer significant advantages to CAE proposed solutions 

• Establish thought leadership in military flight training, leveraging strong communications and relationship-building skills to shape customers’ LVC training initiatives within the Joint Synthetic Environment (JSE)  

• Participate in color reviews to provide unbiased assessment of customer environment, competitor strategies and proposal compliance with requirements. Identify key risks and opportunities in the development and execution of flight training programs that add value to current and future programs. 

• Demonstrated understanding, knowledge and relationships with USAF’s Air Combat Command (ACC), Nellis AFB Virtual Test & Training Center (VTTC), Air Force Material Command (AFMC), Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC), Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), AFWERX, and HQ Air Staff 

• Proven knowledge of USAF acquisition processes and industry pursuit cycles with the ability to influence, build relationships, communicate, understand customer needs, and develop winning strategy/solutions 

• Develop and nurture relationships with key customers and industry peers at various levels throughout their respective organizations 

• Prepare and package concise clear and compelling briefings that include the positioning strategy/plan, customer map, needs, and action plans required to implement a winning strategy 

• Generate and communicate business case rationale, risks, and customer value propositions to Senior Leadership and teams 

• Generate detailed assessments of the customer landscape through experience, research and engagement 

• Monitor and assess changes in defense policy, budgets (POM/PB) and requirements documents (RFIs, RFQs, RFPs, BAAs) 

• Organize and guide cross-functional teams in developing the strategies and business cases to support positioning and capturing new opportunities 

• Represent the company at trade shows, industry days, partner meetings, and training exercises 

• Coordinate and lead customer demonstrations and oral presentations 

• Support fellow BD leads with adjacent pursuit strategies providing customer and capability subject matter expertise 

• Lead preparation of a competitor analysis to support capture strategies as necessary 

• Coordinate development and implementation of marketing communications campaigns to support pursuits 

• Strong presentation skills are required to make presentations to potential partners, customers, government entities and internal management at all levels 

• Ensures compliance with company policies and procedures and other practices set forth by upper management 

Qualifications and Education Requirements  

• Bachelor’s Degree in business, engineering, national security, or another applicable field 

• Prior military experience in the U.S. Air Force, particularly rated experience as a pilot or weapons system operator 

• Experience with F-16, F-35, F-22, or other 4th/5th Gen aircraft programs 

• Familiarity within CAF mission sets, especially advanced air combat training and simulations 

• Experience with the Distributed Mission Operations (DMO) and Joint Synthetic Environment (JSE) 

• Extensive experience with joint training requirements and synthetic training environments 

• Knowledge of the Department of Defense acquisition process, export, and policy governing sales of defense equipment 

• Understanding of the USAF (DoD) acquisitions process, priorities and the expertise to turn that knowledge into new business through capture management 

• Excellent written and oral presentation skills including the ability to generate written material to communicate to customers at all levels, including senior executives 

• Experience leading teams and managing budgets 

• Demonstrated ability to build customer and industry relationships 

• Ability to travel up to 25% of the year 

Preferred Skills  

• Advanced Degree is preferred 

• Minimum of 2 years of combined strategy, business development and/or capture experience within the defense industry, with a focus on the USAF, pursuing competitive opportunities with TCVs greater than $100M 

• Pilot / Weapons System Operator with experience in both 4th and 5th generation weapons systems 

• Weapons school graduate 

• Knowledge of LVC and Red Flag/Nellis operations 

• Background in training and modeling and simulation  

• Understanding of software development, secure networking, cyber security 

• Knowledge and experience with Live/Virtual/Constructive Training solutions 

• Technical/Proposal writing 

• Technical presentations 

• Extensive knowledge of US DoD training methodology and procurement practices/regulations  

• Strategy development 

• Relationship development and management 

• Business case development 

• Understanding of Foreign Military Sales process 

• ITAR familiarity 

Security Responsibilities  

Must comply with all company security and data protection / usage policies and procedures.  Personally responsible for proper marking and handling of all information and materials, in any form. Shall not divulge any information, or afford access, to other employees not having a need-to-know. Shall not divulge information outside company without management approval.  All government and proprietary information will be accessed and stored electronically on company provided resources.   

Due to U.S. Government contract requirements, only U.S. citizens are eligible for this role.  

Work Environment  

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines. 

Physical Demands  

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.   

• Must have the ability to work overtime as necessary. 

• Must be able to sit and operate a personal computer for long periods. 

• Extensive domestic and occasional international travel may be required 

Other Duties  

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for their job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.  

CAE USA Inc. is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to any protected characteristic, including disability and protected veteran status, as defined under federal, state, or local laws.  

Applicants needing reasonable accommodations should contact their recruiter at any point in the recruitment process.  If you need assistance to submit your application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at hrops@caemilusa.com