Manager, Defense Business Development

At Polaris Inc., we have fun doing what we love by driving change and innovation. We empower employees to take on challenging assignments and roles with an elevated level of responsibility in our agile working environment. Our people make us who we are, and we create incredible products and experiences that empower us to THINK OUTSIDE.

Position Overview:

You will lead business development and capture activities focused on U.S. and allied military customers, with primary emphasis on Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and U.S. security-assistance channels. In this role, you will build relationships across the U.S. security-assistance enterprise, including USASAC, Security Assistance Management Directorates (SAMDs), Offices of Defense Cooperation (ODCs), Security Cooperation Organizations (SCOs), Combatant Commands, military organizations, and partner-nation stakeholders. You will translate customer capability gaps, funding availability, and acquisition timelines into executable capture strategies while helping shape growth opportunities across Polaris Defense. This is a compelling opportunity to directly influence defense market growth, support mission-critical customers, and help expand Polaris solutions across U.S. and allied military organizations.

Key Responsibilities:

Develop and execute growth strategies for U.S. and allied military customers across Foreign Military Sales (FMS), U.S.-funded security assistance programs, and domestic defense opportunities.

Identify, qualify, and prioritize opportunities based on operational need, funding, procurement pathway, product fit, competition, timing, risk, and probability of success.

Build and maintain a qualified opportunity pipeline and provide accurate inputs to forecasts, annual plans, long-range plans, and product investment decisions.

Develop customer and stakeholder engagement plans while monitoring customer priorities, force structure changes, budgets, policy developments, acquisition plans, competitor activity, and market trends.

Recommend pursuit and bid/no-bid decisions supported by customer insight, competitive positioning, resource requirements, risk assessment, and expected return.

Identify follow-on opportunities for vehicles, parts, accessories, training, and lifecycle support.

Serve as the subject matter expert for Foreign Military Sales and U.S. security-assistance activities.

Build productive relationships across the U.S. security-cooperation and defense enterprise, including USASAC, SAMDs, ODCs/SCOs, Combatant Commands, service components, operational organizations, advisory organizations, and partner-nation representatives.

Engage customers during the pre-LOR phase to understand capability gaps, help define requirements, and position appropriate Polaris solutions.

Clarify anticipated procurement methods, funding sources, timing requirements, and pathways to actionable Letters of Request.

Support requests for information, ROM estimates, Price and Availability requests, Letters of Offer and Acceptance, amendments, modifications, and related case-development activities.

Coordinate customer visits, product demonstrations, industry events, trade shows, and delegation engagements that support qualified pursuits.

Lead capture planning activities, including customer analysis, competitive assessments, win strategies, partner strategies, influence plans, resource planning, and risk mitigation.

Serve as capture manager for assigned pursuits, coordinating cross-functional teams and partnering with proposal leaders to support successful proposal development and execution.

Provide the voice of the customer into product, pricing, forecasting, and investment decisions while ensuring commitments remain aligned with cost, schedule, capability, and compliance requirements.

Desired Competencies:

Business Acumen: You understand how your work impacts financial performance, operational efficiency, and organizational goals, and you make decisions with the broader business context in mind.

Communication: You clearly convey information, ideas, and expectations to diverse audiences, adjusting your message to ensure understanding and alignment.

Collaboration: You work effectively with others across functions and levels, contributing to shared goals while respecting different perspectives.

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in a related field or an equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience.

Minimum of 10 years of military, defense industry, security cooperation, government acquisition, or related business development experience.

Demonstrated understanding of the U.S. Army, military operational organizations, acquisition environment, and security-assistance enterprise.

Practical knowledge of the Foreign Military Sales lifecycle, including pre-LOR engagement, LOR development, Price and Availability processes, Letters of Offer and Acceptance, case-development stakeholders, and case execution.

Experience engaging organizations such as USASAC, Army SAMDs, ODCs/SCOs, Combatant Commands, Army program or requirements organizations, and international military customers.

Proven ability to qualify opportunities, develop capture strategies, shape requirements, and support complex government proposals.

Ability to interpret military operational requirements and communicate how vehicle, accessory, training, and sustainment solutions address customer needs.

Strong written, verbal, presentation, relationship-building, negotiation, and executive communication skills.

Ability to operate independently while effectively leading matrixed teams.

Prior service in the U.S. Armed Forces is preferred.

Experience in security assistance, international programs, operations, logistics, acquisition, requirements development, or capability integration is preferred.

Experience with tactical wheeled vehicles, ultra-light mobility platforms, off-road vehicles, logistics, sustainment, or related military ground systems is preferred.

Graduate degree in Business, International Relations, National Security, Acquisition, or a related field is preferred.

Ability to travel domestically and internationally approximately 40–50%, including customer meetings, military installations, security cooperation engagements, demonstrations, trade shows, industry events, partner-nation meetings, and business development activities supporting U.S. and allied military customers. Travel may include both planned and short-notice trips based on customer requirements and opportunity milestones.

This position is not eligible for sponsorship.

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The starting pay range for Minnesota is $135,000 to $200,000 per year. Individual salaries and positioning within the range are determined through a wide variety of factors including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge, skills, and geography. While individual pay could fall anywhere in the range based on these factors, it is not common to start at the high end or top of the range.

To qualify for this position, former employees must be eligible for rehire, and current employees must be in good standing.

We are an ambitious, resourceful, and driven workforce, which empowers us to THINK OUTSIDE. Apply today!

At Polaris we put our employees first, by offering a holistic approach to their health and financial wellbeing. Polaris is proud to offer competitive compensation, including a market-leading profit-sharing plan that is fundamental to our pay-for-performance culture. At Polaris, employees are owners of the company through company contributions to our Employee Stock Ownership Plan and discounted employee stock purchases plan. Employees receive a generous matching contribution to 401(k), financial wellness education and consultation to plan for their financial future. In addition to competitive pay, Polaris provides a comprehensive suite of benefits, including health, dental, and vision