Director of Business Development

What to Expect

Terranova is seeking a Director of Business Development to lead growth across federal, defense, and infrastructure markets. We are looking for someone with a strong network across the federal ecosystem, particularly Congress, the Department of War, the State Department, federal agencies, and major government contractors, who understands how to navigate complex government organizations and build relationships with the stakeholders responsible for major programs and investments.

You should understand how Washington works: how federal priorities are developed, how budgets and appropriations move, how agencies establish new programs, and how emerging technologies progress from initial engagement to pilots, procurements, and scaled deployments. You will help Terranova identify the right organizations and stakeholders to engage and build trusted, long-term relationships across government and industry.

You will work directly with Terranova’s leadership and federal government affairs partners to identify relevant programs, understand agency needs, develop partnerships, and build a pipeline spanning defense infrastructure, base hardening, coastal resilience, disaster recovery, wetland restoration, and major civil works.

This role also requires strong commercial execution. You should be able to take an early customer need or strategic relationship and develop it into a well-defined pilot, partnership, procurement opportunity, or long-term program. You should be equally comfortable walking a field site in a hard hat, briefing a congressional office, meeting with agency leadership, or negotiating with a major prime contractor.

The role is remote with a strong preference for Washington, D.C. or the SF Bay Area. Washington, D.C. candidates should expect significant engagement with federal agencies, congressional offices, industry partners, and government stakeholders. Bay Area candidates will work closely with the team at our Berkeley office. Expect frequent travel to Berkeley, Washington, D.C., military installations, project sites, state capitals, and major conferences nationwide.

Key Responsibilities

• Own Terranova’s federal, defense, and infrastructure business development strategy from initial engagement through contract close

• Build and maintain senior relationships across Congress, DoD, State Department, USACE, FEMA, other federal agencies, and major government contractors

• Identify the agencies, congressional offices, program organizations, contracting teams, and industry partners most relevant to Terranova’s capabilities

• Coordinate briefings, introductions, site visits, demonstrations, and other engagements with government and industry stakeholders

• Work with Terranova leadership and federal government affairs partners to understand relevant appropriations, authorizations, agency programs, budget priorities, pilot opportunities, and emerging mission needs

• Position Terranova early for relevant future programs and procurements by understanding customer requirements and building relationships well before opportunities reach the solicitation stage

• Develop relationships with major defense contractors, EPCs, construction primes, and strategic partners to pursue larger programs collaboratively

• Lead end-to-end BD cycles across federal, state, civil, and defense markets

• Structure multi-year partnerships and contracts ranging from $1M to $50M+

• Translate Terranova’s technical capabilities into compelling government use cases, proposals, budgets, and program concepts

• Work directly with engineering teams to scope, price, and execute pilot-to-scale programs

• Represent Terranova at congressional briefings, agency meetings, conferences, military installations, project sites, and executive-level discussions

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Strong existing network across Washington, D.C., particularly within Congress, DoD, federal agencies, the national-security community, or federal infrastructure organizations

• Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with senior government and industry stakeholders

• Experience navigating the federal budget, appropriations, authorization, acquisition, or program-development process

• Track record of developing government opportunities from early engagement through funded pilots, programs, contracts, or partnerships

• Background in defense, government affairs, federal business development, infrastructure, construction, or government contracting

• Experience working with congressional offices, federal agencies, government affairs firms, major primes, or senior government officials

• Strong understanding of federal acquisition and contracting frameworks, including FAR/DFARS

• Experience in 0-to-1 business development, ideally helping a startup grow from Seed through Series B or a comparable stage

• Exceptional commercial judgment, stakeholder management, negotiation skills, and ability to navigate complex organizations

• Strong writing and presentation ability for congressional, agency, executive, and technical audiences

• High tolerance for travel, ambiguity, long hours, and direct accountability for outcomes

Nice to Have Skills

• Existing relationships within USACE, FEMA, DoD, State Department, DHS, congressional defense or appropriations committees, or major defense and infrastructure primes

• Prior experience on Capitol Hill, in a federal agency, the military, a government affairs firm, or a major government contractor

• Familiarity with congressional appropriations and federal budget cycles

• Experience helping emerging technologies navigate federal program development and procurement

• Experience in construction, infrastructure development, earthworks, ground modification, resilience, or heavy civil projects

• Familiarity with engineering design-build workflows and bid preparation

• Technical fluency sufficient to work effectively with mechanical, controls, robotics, and field engineering teams

• Closed or led negotiations exceeding $50M+ in aggregate value

Compensation

$90k-150k base salary, stock options, and additional benefits