Vice President, Special Programs Washington, District of Columbia,

Washington, District of Columbia, United States

At Vast, our mission is to contribute to a future where billions of people are living and thriving in space. We are building artificial gravity space stations, allowing long‑term stays in space without the adverse effects of zero‑gravity. Our initial crewed space habitat will be Haven‑1, scheduled to be the world’s first commercial space station when it launches into low‑Earth orbit in 2026.

It is part of our stepping stone approach to continuous human presence in LEO. Our team is all‑in, committed to executing our mission safely and on time. If you want to work with the most talented people on Earth furthering space exploration for humanity, come join us.

Reporting to the Chief Revenue Officer, this full‑time exempt position is located in Washington D.C. The role leads all national security focused business development for Haven‑1 and future Vast systems. Responsibilities include customer engagement, opportunity development, capture strategy, and partnership efforts that advance Vast’s initiatives to operate the world’s leading in‑space infrastructure in support of national security objectives.

• Strategic Leadership
  • Develop and execute a comprehensive national security market strategy aligned with Vast’s revenue and mission objectives.
  • Collaborate with Leadership, Engineering, Marketing, Legal, Communications, and other internal teams to ensure alignment between national security customer needs and station development priorities.
  • Coordinate the preparation and delivery of space‑relevant national security threat briefings to support strategic planning and defense engagement activities.
  • Lead internal planning for national security opportunity prioritization, capture strategy, and pipeline development.
• Business Development and Capture Execution
  • Lead customer engagement across opportunity identification, mission scoping, capability briefings, and early concept development.
  • Identify, shape, and advance opportunities for national security use of Vast systems across crewed missions, experimentation, training, test and evaluation, and payload hosting.
  • Lead proposal development and coordinate cross‑functional contributions from engineering, program management, legal, and operations teams.
  • Manage pipeline development, forecasting, and reporting across all national security accounts.
  • Negotiate and close contracts for national security missions and associated services.
• External Representation
  • Represent Vast at national security, aerospace, and space industry events where defense and government stakeholders are present.
  • Deliver presentations, participate in panels, and provide senior‑level briefings that communicate the capabilities and value of Vast stations.
  • Support Communications and Marketing in the development and delivery of defense‑related public materials, messaging, and engagement strategies.

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, physics, aerospace, business, or a related field.
• 10+ years of relevant experience including substantial work in Department of Defense business development, capture management, special programs, or defense contracting.
• Deep understanding of DoD procurement and contract structures, including IDIQ, OTA, FFP, CPFF, Programs of Record, and SBIR Phase III.
• Demonstrated experience leading efforts that secured Programs of Record, including strategy, teaming, and proposal.
• Excellent communication, analytical, collaboration, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong technical understanding and ability to communicate complex systems to defense audiences.
• Ability to operate independently, prioritize effectively, and manage multiple efforts simultaneously in a fast‑paced environment.

• Master’s degree in engineering, science, business, or a national security discipline.
• Experience working with the U.S. Space Force, Space Development Agency, Defense Innovation Unit, DARPA, Air Force, or similar organizations.
• Strong understanding of the flexible acquisition approaches DoD uses to explore new technologies, support research and experimentation, and rapidly evaluate emerging…