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Director of National Security Partnerships

Katalyst Space Technologies · Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Posted 2026-08-17 · Verified live 2026-09-18

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About this role

<p><strong>Katalyst Description:</strong></p>

<p>Katalyst is an American technology company&nbsp;focused on dynamic space operations.&nbsp;&nbsp;We are building a fleet of&nbsp;dual-use multipurpose&nbsp;robotic space vehicles&nbsp;to&nbsp;create the&nbsp;future where maneuvering, upgrading, refueling,&nbsp;resupply&nbsp;and exploration are as routine as they are on Earth. Getting to space and overcoming the gravity well is only half the story. What you do there is the future. We are not building the trains. We are building the machines that lay down the tracks. By developing the foundational capabilities that make sustained, responsive operations possible, we enable a new era of space&nbsp;exploration&nbsp;that strengthens national security and ensures freedom of action in an increasingly contested domain.<br><br></p>

<p><strong>Katalyst Culture:</strong></p>

<p>Working at Katalyst is intense, hands-on, and deeply rewarding. You’ll take real ownership and see your work move from concept to operations in an environment where the problems are hard and the impact is real. We value humility, craftsmanship, and doing things the right way, even when it’s harder. You’ll work closely with thoughtful, driven teammates who push each other to do their best.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>What&nbsp;You’ll&nbsp;Do</strong>&nbsp;</p>

<ul>

<li>Build,&nbsp;maintain,&nbsp;and own strategic relationships across U.S.&nbsp;national&nbsp;security space mission partners, primes, integrators, FFRDCs, labs, and other ecosystem participants relevant to&nbsp;Katalyst’s&nbsp;mission portfolio.&nbsp;</li>

</ul>

<ul>

<li>Develop&nbsp;stakeholder strategies for organizations such as USSF,&nbsp;USSPACECOM, USAF, NRO, and other government&nbsp;partners,&nbsp;identifying&nbsp;mission owners, technical influencers, acquisition stakeholders, budget owners, decision timelines, and barriers to entry.&nbsp;</li>

</ul>

<ul>

<li>Shape opportunities early by connecting&nbsp;government capability gaps&nbsp;to credible Katalyst&nbsp;solutions, developing clear value propositions and mission concepts, and creating the internal alignment needed before formal solicitations or funding&nbsp;decisions.&nbsp;</li>

</ul>

<ul>

<li>Own or lead capture strategy from opportunity qualification through award, including win themes, competitive positioning, teaming strategy, customer&nbsp;engagement plans, gate reviews, proposal strategy, executive actions, and post-submission follow-through.&nbsp;</li>

</ul>

<ul>

<li>Understand and navigate relevant government acquisition and funding pathways such as SBIR/STTR, OTA, IDIQ/task-order vehicles, BAAs, CSOs, traditional FAR-based procurements, and other pathways&nbsp;appropriate to&nbsp;the opportunity.&nbsp;</li>

</ul>

<ul>

<li>Partner closely with Product, Engineering, Programs, Mission Operations, Finance, Contracts, Security, and executive leadership to ensure external commitments are technically&nbsp;feasible, properly scoped, resourced, and aligned with company strategy.&nbsp;</li>

</ul>

<ul>

<li>Build and&nbsp;maintain&nbsp;a disciplined national security opportunity pipeline with clear qualification criteria, next actions, relationship ownership, probability, timing, funding path, competitive posture, and decision gates.&nbsp;</li>

</ul>

<ul>

<li>Support and lead&nbsp;external&nbsp;briefings, capability demonstrations, white papers, RFIs, proposals, oral presentations, industry engagements, and executive-level meetings; communicate&nbsp;Katalyst’s&nbsp;technical and mission value with precision and credibility.&nbsp;</li>

</ul>

<ul>

<li>Create repeatable capture and partnership mechanisms that allow Katalyst to scale national security business development without becoming dependent on informal relationships or individual heroics.&nbsp;</li>

</ul>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>What&nbsp;We’re&nbsp;Looking For</strong>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Required</strong>&nbsp;</p>

<ul>

<li>Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.&nbsp;Technical, aerospace, defense, policy, business, or national security&nbsp;degrees&nbsp;are all relevant if paired with strong mission and acquisition fluency.&nbsp;</li>

</ul>

<ul>

<li>10+ years&nbsp;of experience in national</li></ul>

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