[All remote jobs](https://jobicy.com/jobs.md)[![Defense Unicorns logo](https://jobicy.com/data/server-nyc0409/galaxy/mercury/2025/06/44a44784-221-1.png)](https://jobicy.com/company/defense-unicorns.md)[Defense Unicorns](https://jobicy.com/company/defense-unicorns.md) # Mission Director – Air Force AI Summary Defense Unicorns is seeking a quota-carrying Mission Director to develop, close, and deliver Air Force technology contracts. The role owns the full business lifecycle, from customer discovery and solution shaping through contract execution, staffing, margin, and customer satisfaction. It focuses on Air Force Enterprise Cloud, Nuke & NC3, or AOCs/C2 opportunities and requires strong federal acquisition and defense-domain knowledge. The position is remote within the United States, with approximately 25–40% travel to customer locations. As the portfolio expands, the Mission Director will build and lead program and delivery teams while retaining business accountability.[Apply for this job](#job-application)[View company](https://jobicy.com/company/defense-unicorns.md)ShareRemote from[USA](https://jobicy.com/job-region/usa.md)SalaryUSD 145k–185k / yrDepartment[Sales](https://jobicy.com/categories/seller.md)EmploymentFull TimeExperienceDirectorPublished6 Nov 2026Apply before6 Dec 2026Listing views32Application actions2Application toolkit ## Make your next move. Prepare your resume, explore your fit, and draft a cover letter for this opportunity. Opportunity details ## About this role. ### This position offers a base salary of $145,000 – $185,000. (Total on-target earnings of $290,000 to $370,000) ### Role Description: The Mission Director is a quota-carrying, full-lifecycle business owner responsible for identifying, shaping, closing, and executing new business within the Air Force, focused on Enterprise Cloud, Nuke & NC3, or AOCs/C2. You will build trusted relationships with Mission Heroes (our customers), identify meaningful problems, shape solutions using Defense Unicorns products, and lead opportunities from initial discovery through contract award. Once awarded, you will remain accountable for the contract throughout its lifecycle, including cost, schedule, performance, staffing, margin, and customer satisfaction. This role is designed for someone who wants broad ownership. As the portfolio grows in size and complexity, Mission Directors will increasingly lead through program managers and delivery leaders while retaining accountability for portfolio outcomes. We are hiring Mission Directors for each of the following focus areas/territories: * Air Force (Enterprise Cloud focused) * Air Force (Nuke & NC3 focused) * Air Force (AOCs/C2 focused) ### Responsibilities: The listed responsibilities are not exhaustive and additional responsibilities may be assigned based on the evolving needs of the organization. We are seeking a dynamic individual who is able to adapt and take on new responsibilities as they arise. 1. Build the Business * Identify and develop net-new Space Force and build trusted relationships with Mission Heroes and key stakeholders. * Own a quota and grow a diversified portfolio of business. 2. Shape and Close Opportunities * Define customer problems, scope, and desired outcomes to shape solutions using Defense Unicorns products and the right acquisition approach. * Lead opportunities through proposal, negotiation, and contract award. 3. Own Contract Execution * Serve as the program leader for new contracts you close, with direct responsibility for execution until the portfolio reaches the scale where additional program management support is warranted. * Manage delivery risks, scope changes, and mission outcomes. 4. Build and Lead the Team * Define and build the team required to execute each contract. Personally lead contract execution and, as the portfolio grows, lead program managers and other delivery leaders across the portfolio. 5. Grow the Portfolio * Maintain an active pipeline and continue developing new opportunities while executing existing contracts by identifying follow-on work, expansions, and adjacent opportunities. * Own customer retention, portfolio growth, and gross margin. * Grow from individual contract ownership into a broader portfolio leadership role. ### Candidates located near Air Force customer and acquisition hubs, particularly Boston, Dayton, Denver or the NCR, are preferred. These locations are not required; candidates in other locations will be considered. ### Ability to travel approximately 25–40%, including regular travel to customer locations, is required. ### Preferred Experience and Qualifications: * Experience within Air Force Enterprise Cloud, Nuke & NC3, AOCs/C2, or a closely related defense environment. * Strong understanding of the culture, mission, stakeholders, and terminology within the domain you support. * Experience in one or more of the following: military operations, government program management, acquisition, contracting, business development, or defense industry program leadership. * Working knowledge of federal acquisition, including contract vehicles, acquisition strategies, and contract negotiations. * Strong commercial judgment and comfort owning revenue-generating activities. * Demonstrated ability to lead teams and hold accountability for outcomes. * Willingness to operate across business development, contracting, staffing, and execution, personally driving critical work while building and leading the teams required to scale. * Comfortable operating with ambiguity, identifying opportunities, and creating a path forward without a predefined playbook. * Technical fluency sufficient to understand and communicate Defense Unicorns products, cloud-native technologies, DevSecOps, Kubernetes, and modern software delivery concepts. ### Who We Are Defense Unicorns delivers mission value by streamlining software delivery so our customers can focus on the most important challenges. We share a vision of freedom and security for the advancement of progress and innovation. Our commitment to this vision, and to our mission-driven customers, means a commitment to speed, user experience and optionality, without compromising security. Our team is composed of innovators, software engineers, and veterans with decades of experience delivering technology programs across the federal market. ### What We Do We create and deliver secure solutions for continuous software integration and delivery. Defense Unicorns consolidates the best practices for security pipelines, testing, and deployment automation in order to meet the high security requirements valued by mission owners. Our solutions are agnostic by design and we believe that growing a robust ecosystem of secure, cloud-native software solutions can help enterprise customers inside and outside the federal market buy and integrate software more easily. ### Who We Serve Defense Unicorns’ customers are mission-focused leaders across public and private enterprises. We proudly support defense and civil agencies across the U.S. government and we work closely with the creators of leading-edge software solutions to deliver value to the mission-owner by improving the security and consumability of commercial software products. ### What We Work On * Kubernetes * Cloud Environments (AWS/GCP and Azure) * Infrastructure-as-code (like Terraform/Pulumi) * Continuous Delivery and automation tooling * GitOps * Containers * CNCF projects and open source products and packages * Helm/Kustomize-Value Stream Mapping * Building and improving security delivery * Building Kubernetes and cloud native applications ### Benefits Our Unicorns Enjoy ### Health: * Medical/Dental/Vision * Premiums are 100% Company Paid * Health Savings Account * Life Insurance * Disability Insurance ### Financial: * 401k Retirement Plan * Company Stock Options * Home Office Budget ### Leave: * We offer all full-time Unicorns Flexible Time Off (FTO) plus all Federal Holidays, one week for Thanksgiving, and two weeks for Christmas and New Year’s * Paid Parental Leave ### Learning: * Reimbursement for approved trainings/subscriptions * Conferences (travel, lodging, and fees) Don’t have all the preferred experience or qualifications? Studies show that underrepresented groups like women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs if they don’t meet every requirement listed. At Defense Unicorns, we’re committed to diversity. If you’re enthusiastic about the role but don’t match every criteria, we encourage you to apply. You could be the perfect fit for this or another role! Defense Unicorns is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. [CCPA DISCLOSURE](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DzT00w2uadYw9TfdorHuEsvPccZvn_g4/view?usp=drive_link) Show more [Apply now >](https://jobicy.com/jobs/159264-mission-director-air-force.md) * ![Upload CV](data:image/svg+xml;base64,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) ### Upload your resume now To unlock remote work opportunities and be discovered by global employers. This job listing has been manually reviewed by the Jobicy Trust & Safety Team for compliance with our posting guidelines, including verification of the company's legitimacy, accuracy of job details, clarity of remote work policy, and absence of misleading or fraudulent content. ## Role DNA A quick view of the complexity, pace, ownership and collaboration implied by the job description. ### Job Complexity 5/5EasyHard ### Pace & Pressure 5/5RelaxedFast-paced ### Autonomy Level 5/5GuidedFull ownership ### Communication Load 5/5IndependentCollaborative AI insightThis is a senior, high-accountability role combining defense business development, federal contracting, program delivery, financial ownership, and team leadership. Success requires independently navigating complex Air Force stakeholders, ambiguous opportunities, and concurrent sales and execution demands. ## Salary analysis Estimated compensation compared with the broader US market for similar roles. Estimated job median (per year)Market rate$165,000US market range (per year)$140k–$200k0$220.00k AI insightThe yearly pay period is inferred from the job context; it was not explicitly stated by the employer. The employer discloses a base salary of $145,000–$185,000 USD. The annual period is inferred from the six-figure US base-pay range and senior full-time role context; the separate $290,000–$370,000 on-target earnings figure is not included in base-pay analysis. Estimated US market base pay for comparable senior federal-defense business and portfolio leadership roles is $140,000–$200,000 per year. ## Core skills Skills and capabilities most closely associated with this opportunity. [Federal business development](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Federal%20business%20development.md)[Air Force domain knowledge](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Air%20Force%20domain%20knowledge.md)[Federal acquisition](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Federal%20acquisition.md)[Government contracting](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Government%20contracting.md)[Opportunity capture](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Opportunity%20capture.md)[Proposal development](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Proposal%20development.md)[Contract negotiation](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Contract%20negotiation.md)[Portfolio management](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Portfolio%20management.md)[Program leadership](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Program%20leadership.md)[Revenue growth](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Revenue%20growth.md)[Customer relationship management](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Customer%20relationship%20management.md)[Cloud-native technologies](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Cloud-native%20technologies.md)[DevSecOps](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=DevSecOps.md)[Kubernetes](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Kubernetes.md)[Risk management](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Risk%20management.md) Sample interview questionsDescribe how you would turn an emerging Air Force customer need into a qualified opportunity.I would begin with stakeholder discovery to validate the mission problem, operational urgency, acquisition path, budget context, and success measures. I would map decision-makers and influencers, align a technically credible solution to the mission outcome, and create a capture plan with clear qualification gates, risks, and next actions. How do you balance closing new work with accountability for delivery on existing contracts? I use a portfolio operating cadence that separates pipeline reviews from delivery health reviews while connecting both to capacity, margin, and customer outcomes. I remain directly engaged in critical execution decisions, delegate clearly to delivery leaders as the portfolio matures, and avoid pursuing opportunities that cannot be staffed or delivered responsibly. What federal acquisition experience would you bring to this role? I would apply knowledge of contract vehicles, acquisition strategies, proposal development, negotiation, and award processes to reduce friction for the customer. My approach is to engage acquisition stakeholders early, shape a compliant and outcome-oriented path, and maintain disciplined documentation and risk management through award and execution. How would you explain Kubernetes and DevSecOps capabilities to a nontechnical Air Force stakeholder? I would focus on mission impact rather than tooling. For example, I would explain that secure automated delivery practices help teams release approved software faster, more reliably, and with stronger security controls, while Kubernetes provides a consistent way to run and scale applications across approved environments. Tell us how you lead effectively when the path forward is ambiguous. I establish the facts that matter, identify assumptions and decision points, and create a short sequence of testable actions rather than waiting for complete certainty. 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