[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 – Intelligence Community AI Summary Defense Unicorns is seeking a senior Mission Director to develop, close, and execute Intelligence Community business opportunities. The role combines quota-carrying business development, federal acquisition strategy, contract negotiation, program delivery, staffing, and portfolio ownership. The successful candidate will build trusted customer relationships while remaining accountable for contract performance, margin, schedule, and customer satisfaction after award. This is a highly autonomous leadership position requiring Intelligence Community or related defense experience and working fluency in cloud-native and DevSecOps technologies. The role is US-remote with approximately 25–40% travel and preference for candidates near major Intelligence Community hubs.[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[Business Development](https://jobicy.com/categories/business.md)EmploymentFull TimeExperienceDirectorPublished7 Nov 2026Apply before7 Dec 2026Listing views39Application 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 Intelligence Community. You will build trusted relationships with Mission Heroes (our customers), identify meaningful problems, shape solutions using [Defense Unicorns](https://jobicy.com/company/defense-unicorns.md) 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. ### 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 Intelligence Community opportunities 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. ### Preferred Experience and Qualifications: * Experience within the Intelligence Community, 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. Candidates located near major Intelligence Community hubs are preferred. Ability to travel approximately 25-40%. ### 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/159557-mission-director-intelligence-community.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 high-stakes senior role spanning sales, federal contracting, delivery execution, and portfolio leadership in the Intelligence Community. Success requires credible domain relationships, commercial judgment, and accountability for both revenue growth and program outcomes. ## 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–$210k0$231.00k 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 USD 145,000–185,000; the annual period is inferred from the compensation magnitude, US location, full-time status, and seniority of the role. The USD 165,000 midpoint excludes the separately stated on-target earnings. Estimated US market base pay for comparable senior defense business-development and program-ownership roles is USD 140,000–210,000 per year. ## Core skills Skills and capabilities most closely associated with this opportunity. [Intelligence Community business development](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Intelligence%20Community%20business%20development.md)[Federal acquisition](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Federal%20acquisition.md)[Contract negotiation](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Contract%20negotiation.md)[Program management](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Program%20management.md)[Portfolio management](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Portfolio%20management.md)[Pipeline development](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Pipeline%20development.md)[Customer relationship management](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Customer%20relationship%20management.md)[Proposal development](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Proposal%20development.md)[Revenue growth](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Revenue%20growth.md)[DevSecOps](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=DevSecOps.md)[Kubernetes](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Kubernetes.md)[Cloud-native technologies](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Cloud-native%20technologies.md)[AWS](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=AWS.md)[Azure](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Azure.md)[Team leadership](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Team%20leadership.md) Sample interview questionsHow have you developed and closed new opportunities within the Intelligence Community or defense sector?I begin by building credibility with mission stakeholders and understanding their operational problems, acquisition constraints, and desired outcomes. I translate those needs into a differentiated solution strategy, coordinate internal technical and delivery teams, and maintain disciplined opportunity management through proposal, negotiation, and award. Describe how you would balance quota attainment with responsibility for successful contract execution. I treat delivery performance as essential to long-term growth rather than separate from sales. I establish clear scope, staffing, milestones, risks, and customer communication at award, then use delivery outcomes and customer trust to identify follow-on work and expansion opportunities. What is your experience with federal acquisition strategies and contract vehicles? I evaluate the customer’s buying environment early, including likely contract vehicles, competition, funding timing, evaluation criteria, and compliance requirements. This enables the team to align the technical solution, pricing, teaming approach, and proposal plan with the most viable acquisition path. How would you explain a cloud-native DevSecOps solution to a nontechnical mission stakeholder? I would focus on mission impact: secure software can be delivered, tested, approved, and updated faster with consistent controls built into the delivery process. I would use the stakeholder’s operational priorities to explain how automation, Kubernetes, and secure pipelines reduce risk and improve time to capability. Tell us about a time you led through ambiguity while building a new portfolio or program. I would create an initial operating plan with assumptions, customer objectives, decision points, risks, and near-term actions, then validate it quickly with stakeholders. I would personally address critical gaps early while defining ownership and repeatable processes so the team can scale as the portfolio grows. Next step ## Apply now. Follow the employer’s application method and review Jobicy’s safety guidance before sharing personal information. 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