Business Development Lead - U.S. Government

About Nominal

Nominal is building the connected test and operations platform powering the world's most advanced hardware systems, from spacecraft and autonomous vehicles to next-generation defense programs. Our platform gives hardware engineering teams a single place to ingest data, analyze performance, automate test execution, and collaborate across every phase of development, so they can move faster without sacrificing safety or precision. We're a fast-moving team that owns problems end-to-end, works across disciplines, and thrives at the intersection of hardware and software.

We serve top-tier commercial and defense customers, from autonomy leaders like Anduril and Shield AI to next-generation aerospace teams like Hermeus and REGENT, and performance engineering teams like Pratt Miller Motorsports, alongside mission partners within the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force on programs where failure isn’t an option. We’re backed by Sequoia, General Catalyst, Founders Fund, Lux Capital, and Lightspeed.

Our team draws from SpaceX, Palantir, Anduril, Applied Intuition, and other leading companies, united by a common mission: giving hardware engineers the tools to build the future with speed, safety, and confidence.

• Apply a strong understanding of customer priorities, mission environments, and acquisition dynamics to shape and close strategic opportunities by aligning customer mission needs with Nominal’s platform and long-term roadmap
• Identify, shape, negotiate, and close new market opportunities, aligning account growth with overall business objectives
• Develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders across customer organizations, generating buy-in and alignment with end users, program managers, acquisition officials, technical leaders, and industry partners
• Provide insight into customer priorities, funding dynamics, acquisition pathways, and requirements to inform Nominal’s Federal growth strategy
• Own the process of qualifying, cultivating, and capturing opportunities in close partnership with growth, mission, legal, and operations teammates
• Identify and develop strategic partnerships to expand reach and strengthen positioning in key programs
• Grow early engagements into enduring, impactful programs and set the conditions for Nominal to become foundational digital infrastructure for test data management, analysis, and operations
• Represent Nominal at customer meetings, industry days, conferences

• 5+ years of experience in business development, growth, capture, program strategy, or related roles supporting or serving U.S. military and civilian organizations, particularly the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, and the Test enterprise
• Deep understanding of U.S. Government/ Defense organizational structures and priorities and experience developing, shaping, or executing complex technical opportunities
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging across technical and non-technical audiences
• Keen awareness of when and how to pull in the right teammates to build targeted demos, perform technical discovery, identify capability gaps, understand integration and deployability options, share compliance and infosec guidance, and more
• A strong sense of urgency and ownership, with the ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments and drive outcomes in ambiguous settings
• Experience managing pipelines, forecasting, and consistently hitting growth targets
  
  Technical background or degree:
  Background in computer science, mechanical engineering, or other heavy industry
• Willing to travel up to 50%
• This position requires you to currently possess and be able to maintain a U.S. security clearance, in order to meet U.S. regulatory eligibility requirements for the…