Vice President, Business Development – Defense Engineering Solutions (DES)
We harness the power of innovation so that you can change the world and help our customers solve their most complex challenges

At Parsons, you can imagine a career where you thrive, work with exceptional people, and be yourself. Guided by our leadership vision of valuing people, embracing agility, and fostering growth, we cultivate an innovative culture that empowers you to achieve your full potential. Unleash your talent and redefine what’s possible.
Job Description:
Parsons is looking for an amazingly talented Vice President of Business Development, to join our Defense Engineering Solutions (DES) team! In this role you will be a strategic, mission-driven leader responsible for defining and executing Parsons’ growth strategy across defense engineering, modernization, and mission enablement markets. This role requires a leader who can shape demand, build enduring customer relationships, and drive disciplined business development execution, delivering measurable sales outcomes and sustained growth aligned to Parsons’ Defense & Intelligence strategy.
This leader will operate with a high degree of ownership and accountability for DES sales performance, pipeline health, capture excellence, and conversion outcomes. Success requires strong market instincts, customer credibility, and the ability to translate operational needs into winning strategies and differentiated solutions. The VP will lead a high-performing BD and capture team, align cross-functional stakeholders, and ensure Parsons is positioned to win both strategic new business and on-contract growth.
Remote locations near major Parsons hubs or key customer locations may be considered.
Responsibilities: The Vice President, Business Development DES will be accountable for:
Strategic Leadership & Growth Planning
Develop and execute the DES strategic growth plan and vision, aligned to the Defense & Intelligence Strategic Roadmap and Parsons enterprise priorities.
Define and lead DES growth focus areas, translating strategy into measurable pipeline creation, capture priorities, and conversion plans.
Drive short- and long-term business and marketing strategies to expand Parsons’ market position, relevance, and customer trust within DES-aligned mission sets.
Use market intelligence and customer insights to inform investment priorities across IR&D, technology differentiation, workforce strategy, and partner ecosystem development.
Sales Performance & Bookings Accountability
Own DES sales and book-to-bill performance, meeting or exceeding business plan metrics tied to awards, bookings, and conversion outcomes.
Consistently achieve a book-to-bill ratio >1.0x, with a focus on quarterly performance and measurable results.
Establish performance transparency through rigorous forecasting, pipeline analytics, and operating rhythm tied to quarterly and annual targets.
Pipeline Development, Qualification & Conversion
Build, mature, and continuously improve a high-quality pipeline across both tactical and strategic opportunities, including on-contract growth, task orders, and major competitive pursuits.
Own pipeline rigor and health metrics including: Volume: Qualified opportunities aligned to growth focus areas, Velocity: Pace from qualification through pursuit and award, Quality: Increasing pWin through positioning, shaping, and capture excellence
Team Leadership
Lead DES business development and capture management staff, ensuring organizational structure, capacity, and capability are aligned to growth goals.
Build and sustain a high-performance culture with clear accountability, coaching, and measurable outcomes.
Ensure staffing plans support near-term pursuits and long-term pipeline growth, including recruiting strategies for critical BD/capture roles.
Key Relationships
Reports to: SVP Business Development, Defense & Intelligence. Direct partnership with SVP DES and leadership team.
Functional leaders (Contracts, Procurement, Finance, Pricing, HR, Legal, Security, etc.)
External: Department of Defense customers and mission partners including: U.S. Army: DEVCOM C5ISR Center, PEO C3T, PEO IEW&S, CECOM SEC, Air and Missile Defense programs supporting air base defense and radar modernization. Joint / C2 stakeholders: Program offices and mission owners aligned to Next-Generation Command and Control (NGC2), Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2), and multi-domain integration. U.S. Air Force: Organizations focused on air base air defense, integrated sensing, and command and control modernization. Intelligence Community stakeholders including NGA, NRO. Others supporting PAI/OSINT-enabled intelligence fusion, operational intelligence, and multi-source data exploitation. Industry and mission partners enabling platform/vehicle integration, tactical network modernization, sensor integration, and operational C2 across contested environments.
Desired Outcomes
Consistently high book-to-bill ratios, reflecting strong new business wins.
Sustain a book-to-bill ratio >1.0x, demonstrating continuous growth and sales performance.
Capture multiple $250M+ contracts annually in DES mission areas.
Convert a growing percentage of pipeline into awarded work, improving BD velocity/effectiveness
Enhanced market recognition for DES growth focus areas.
Candidate Profile
Experience
20+ years of relevant experience across business development, capture, strategy, pricing, proposals, and/or P&L leadership, particularly in federal contracting within Defense & Intel markets
Demonstrated success leading growth in complex organizations, including experience operating within $2B+ enterprises and delivering results with revenue accountability for $500M+ portfolios.
Proven track record of leading capture and proposal execution for large-scale government programs, including shaping, positioning, and winning competitive pursuits.
Active Top Secret Clearance
Strong strategic orientation with the ability to translate vision into executable growth plans and measurable outcomes.
Technically fluent in mission areas such as Next-Generation Command and Control (NGC2), Joint/Coalition C2, C5ISR modernization (including DEVCOM C5ISR Center priorities), air base air defense and integrated air & missile defense, radar and sensing architectures, PAI/OSINT-enabled intelligence fusion, tactical network integration, and platform/vehicle integration and complex systems integration, Focus translating these capabilities into customer-relevant growth strategies and winning pursuits.
High emotional intelligence (EQ) and strong interpersonal capability—able to build trust, alignment, and consensus across diverse stakeholders.
Hands-on leader with the ability to drive operating rhythm, performance discipline, and sustained execution in a dynamic environment.
Proven ability to build, mentor, and retain high-performance teams with a culture of accountability, innovation, and collaboration.
Security Clearance Requirement:
An active Top Secret security clearance is required for this position.This position is part of our Federal Solutions team.The Federal Solutions segment delivers resources to our US government customers that ensure the success of missions around the globe. Our intelligent employees drive the state of the art as they provide services and solutions in the areas of defense, security, intelligence, infrastructure, and environmental. We promote a culture of excellence and close-knit teams that take pride in delivering, protecting, and sustaining our nation's most critical assets, from Earth to cyberspace. Throughout the company, our people are anticipating what’s next to deliver the solutions our customers need now.Salary Range: $186,800.00 - $357,100.00This position is eligible for incentive compensation.We value our employees and want our employees to take care of their overall wellbeing, which is why we offer best-in-class benefits such as medical, dental, vision, paid time off, Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), 401(k), life insurance, flexible work schedules, and holidays to fit your busy lifestyle!This position will be posted for a minimum of 3 days and will continue to be posted for an average of 30 days until a qualified applicant is selected or the position has been cancelled.Parsons is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other protected status.We truly invest and care about our employee’s wellbeing and provide endless growth opportunities as the sky is the limit, so aim for the stars! Imagine next and join the Parsons quest—APPLY TODAY!Parsons is aware of fraudulent recruitment practices. To learn more about recruitment fraud and how to report it, please refer to https://www.parsons.com/fraudulent-recruitment/.
COMPETITIVE BENEFIT OFFERINGS
Financial Wellness
We care about your financial wellbeing. Parsons offers competitive pay and retirement plans to help you build wealth for the future while giving you the flexibility to diversify your investments.
Work Life Harmony
Balance in life is important and time away from the office is imperative to allow you to refresh and focus your attention on the things that matter to you. Parsons supports your time away by providing paid time off and paid flexible holidays.
Career Development
We are committed to fostering the personal and professional growth of our employees. Develop and advance yourself though our comprehensive training, educational and mentorship programs.
Veteran Support
We provide Industry leading benefits to support veterans and active-duty members to provide security for you and your family by offering robust leave and benefits; including paid active-duty military leave and paid time off when transitioning back to civilian life.
Mind & Body
At Parsons we inspire healthier habits, heathier minds, and a healthier you through our wellness program. Participate in our weekly Meditation Mondays and Wellness Wednesdays. Wellness, at Parsons, is more than just your annual checkup.
Health
Health is not a one size fits all. At Parsons, we offer a robust Employee Assistance Program as well as comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans through large, national carriers with the choice of regional PPO, HDHP, or HMO networks.

Join Our Talent Community
Join our Talent Community and imagine next with us!


