Executive Defense & Systems Business Development Operations Leader

Business Development Operations Leader

Are you ready to see your career take flight? At GE Aerospace, we believe the world works better when it flies. We are a world-leading provider of jet engines, components, and integrated systems for commercial and military aircraft. We have a relentless dedication to the future of safe and more sustainable flight and believe in our talented people to make it happen. The Business Development Operations Leader is responsible for the operations and process rigor of the Defense & Systems Deal Factory, ensuring compliance with key approval processes, adherence to proposal timelines, execution of weekly and monthly operating rhythms, and continuous improvement for capture and BD excellence processes including at point problem solving, expanding competitive intelligence capability, and managing D&S trade shows. This is a key Sales & Business Development Operations focused role and partners closely with the Capture organization. In this role, you will also collaborate with and influence adjacent stakeholder groups (product lines, contracts, finance, etc) to drive efficiency and customer satisfaction. In 2026, this role will also focus on incorporating employee and customer feedback to expand accessibility of tools, benchmark and share best practices, and drive continuous improvement in D&S capture and proposal development processes.

GE Aerospace's Defense & Systems (D&S) business provides the capabilities required to meet today's dynamic threat environment. Powering two thirds of all U.S. military aircraft with more than 25,000 engines in our installed base, Defense & Systems is uniquely positioned to work closely with and support the Defense sector, providing reliable high performance, sustainable, innovative military engines, systems and services.

Role & Responsibilities

Lead the proposal process and ensure process optimization, benchmarking externally (competitors and customers) to drive continuous improvement. Manage a metrics-oriented view of proposal activity and drive continuous improvement. Maintain, update, and coach use of Capture standard work alongside FLIGHT DECK GE Aerospace processes. Leverage Capture Excellence organization to drive continuous process improvement and improve Pwin for strategic captures. Facilitate breakthrough (Hoshin Kanri) and continuous improvement (Kaizen, at point problem solving) efforts, leveraging FLIGHT DECK fundamentals, engaging stakeholders from across the enterprise, enabling improved focus. Evaluate external (e.g., competitor, customer, consultant) proposal, competitive intelligence, price to win practices and incorporate best of breed into Defense & Systems practices. Partner with digital team on tool development to improve and simplify the capture and proposal process. Partner with the Capture organization to actively manage performance metrics. Own and facilitate weekly and monthly operating rhythms. Lead change management efforts across multiple functions and organizations to increase adoption of standard processes and drive sustainable improvement. Use influence, coaching, voice of the customer, etc. to increase adoption and uptake of standard processes. Demonstrate business and financial acumen including the ability to investigate, comprehend, and interpret complex business challenges, creating actionable strategies to address. Demonstrates curiosity and Problem-Solving fundamentals expertise, ensuring all stakeholder groups are heard, action plans drive impact, and resolution supports multiple portfolios. Builds effective relationships across D&S P&Ls and other GE businesses to ensure alignment on priorities and action plans. Viewed as a collaborator and influencer with these cross functional leaders. Navigates across organizational boundaries to optimize results. Sustain and expand S&BD FLIGHT DECK foundations and GE leadership behaviors (Respect for People, Continuous Improvement, and Customer-Driven), ensuring effective communication across the organization, engaging with colleagues at all levels to ensure understanding and alignment with goals. Analyze and action customer and employee feedback to focus on improving customer outcomes especially for proposal quality. Drive continuous improvement for Trade Shows through actively managing budget, marketing communications / messages, return on investment analysis, etc. Continue to grow / expand Competitive Intelligence practices. Lead a diverse team of geographically dispersed business operations professionals, leveraging FUEL coaching and robust developmental assignments to elevate and grow talent in the team.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in a technical or business discipline from an accredited college or university. A minimum of 8 years of experience working for a defense contractor in the defense industry. A minimum of 8 years of experience in a leadership role or direct experience leading cross-functional teams.

Additional Information

This position requires U.S. citizenship status. Ability and willingness to travel 25-30% based on business needs (i.e. domestic and international). Ability and willingness to obtain and maintain US Government Security Clearance; prerequisite for a security clearance is U.S. citizenship.

Desired Characteristics

The ideal candidate will reside locally to one of our GE Aerospace facilities. A minimum of 10 years of experience working for a defense contractor in the defense industry. A minimum of 10 years of experience leading cross-functional teams. Understands defense acquisition processes (U.S. and global), terms and conditions, and how to create customer value. Knows how customer value is created, financials of a deal, and competitive landscape. Able to assess competitive landscape as the industry and government regulations flex. Ability to manage multiple projects that cross a variety of areas of expertise, stakeholder groups, and timelines. Knowledge of defense acquisition processes, defense customer relationships, terms and conditions of defense deals. Clear thinker. Strong decision-making skills. Comprehensive written & oral communications skills to support proposal development activities, executive proposal reviews, defends views / positions with technical and program leadership. Ability to evaluate information, negotiate, and influence others to understand and accept new concepts, practices and approaches. Able to make and facilitate decision-making with limited information or where no standard has yet been established.

Some of our competitive benefits package includes : medical, dental, and vision insurance that begins on the first day of employment; permissive time off policy for newly hired employees; generous 401(k) plan; tuition reimbursement; life insurance and disability coverage; and more! The base pay range for this position is $200,000.00 - 250,000.00. The specific pay offered may be influenced by a variety of factors, including the candidate's experience, education, and skill set. This position is also eligible for an annual discretionary bonus based on a percentage of your base salary / commission based on the plan.