International Capture Director

About Varda

Low Earth orbit is open for business. Varda is accelerating the development of commercial space infrastructure, from in-orbit pharmaceutical processing to reliable and economical reentry capsules. Varda’s W-Series vehicles are built, designed, and operated by Varda in-house, including the pharmaceutical processing payloads, the capsules, the C-PICA heat shields, and the satellite buses.

From life-saving pharmaceuticals to more powerful fiber optics, there is a world of products used on Earth today that can only be manufactured in space. Varda is accelerating innovation in the orbital economy by creating both the products and infrastructure needed so space can directly benefit life on Earth. Our mission is to expand the economic bounds of humankind.  

Our team is uniquely suited to accomplishing this goal, with leadership and staff comprised of veterans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, major pharmaceutical companies and Silicon Valley. Varda was founded in January 2021 by Will Bruey and Delian Asparouhov with significant backing from world class investors including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, Founders Fund, Caffeinated Capital, General Catalyst, and Also Capital.  

Varda is headquartered in El Segundo, California, where we have offices and a production facility where our vehicles, equipment, and materials are built, integrated, and tested. Varda also has offices in Washington, DC and Huntsville, AL. 

Join Varda, and work to create a bustling in-space ecosystem.

About Varda

Varda Space Industries is pioneering the future of space-based manufacturing and terrestrial reentry technologies. We support a diverse portfolio of customers, from pharmaceutical companies leveraging microgravity for novel product development to domestic and international defense partners utilizing our Hypersonic and Reentry testbed. Our Reentry Targets offerings validate cutting-edge missile defense capabilities for the U.S. government, allied nations, private industry, and elite academic institutions globally.

The Role

As the International Capture Director, you will serve as the strategic bridge between global Business Development and Mission Management, driving Varda’s expansion across the international defense, aerospace, and space intelligence markets. Based on-site in Huntsville, AL, you will own the end-to-end capture lifecycle for foreign opportunities, orchestrate complex cross-border campaigns, and continuously optimize our international capture processes and toolsets. 

In this role, you will lead formal Color Team reviews, execute "Black Hat" competitive assessments for foreign and domestic customers, and architect sophisticated international Price-to-Win (PTW) strategies. You will directly accelerate the growth of Varda’s, Hypersonic Test Bed, Targets-as-a-Service (TaaS), and Orbital Cargo portfolio by securing multi-million dollar contracts with allied ministries of defense, international aerospace conglomerates, and global R&D entities. 

What You'll Do

• Global Opportunity Management: Identify, qualify, and capture high-value international defense solicitations across allied foreign governments, international defense agencies, and commercial aerospace R&D entities. 
• Lifecycle Ownership: Assume full accountability for international proposals at the handoff gate, driving the strategy through US regulatory compliance, multi-nation evaluations, contract negotiation, and closure. 
• Export & Regulatory Compliance: Apply deep expertise in Foreign Military Sales (FMS), Direct Commercial Sales (DCS), ITAR/EAR regulations, and international space treaties to structure compliant and secure international testbed, orbital cargo and target pursuits. 
• Organic Global Growth: Partner with Mission Management to execute global "keep-sold" strategies, deepening penetration within existing international accounts and cross-border defense partnerships. 
• Gate Reviews: Conduct rigorous global go/no-go assessments, evaluating international customer alignment, geopolitical risk, competitive positioning, and financial ROI. 
• Competitive Intelligence: Analyze allied nations' defense budget documents and processes, procurement cycles, and geopolitical threat landscapes to map program schedules and funding profiles. 
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Coordinate with engineering, pricing, legal, and mission management to translate complex technical specs into winning proposal frameworks tailored for international clients. 
• Stakeholder Engagement: Cultivate trusted, high-level relationships across foreign government agencies, US military attachés, US Embassies, and global private defense industry leaders to embed key discriminators into Varda's offerings. 
• Market Visibility: Represent Varda as a global thought leader at premier international defense conferences, air shows (e.g., Paris, Farnborough), and global symposia to expand the brand's international footprint. 

Basic Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in international business/marketing, Engineering, Science, Global Affairs, or a related technical discipline. 
• Experience: 7+ years of dedicated capture management or business development experience within the international aerospace, defense, or national security technology sectors. 
• Domain Expertise: Proven track record leading end-to-end international defense captures via FMS or DCS tracks from opportunity identification through contract award. 
• Regulatory Mastery: Demonstrated experience navigating ITAR, EAR, export control compliance, and cross-border technology transfers. 
• Leadership: Experience directing matrixed, cross-functional proposal teams, including engineering, pricing, legal, and international trade compliance officers. 
• Communication: Exceptional written skills with a demonstrated ability to author compelling white papers, executive summaries, and technical proposals accessible to a global audience. 
• Clearance: Active TS/SCI security clearance (or the ability to be fast-tracked for one). 
• Travel: Ability to travel 35% – 50% of the time, including extensive international travel. 
• Citizenship: U.S. Citizenship required to conform with ITAR and U.S. space technology export control regulations. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA), Strategic Studies, Global Security, or Engineering. 
• Established professional network within allied defense ministries (e.g., Japan MoD, UK MoD, Australian DoD, NATO), global hypersonic communities, or international missile defense agencies. 
• Familiarity with international space frameworks, multilateral defense agreements, and academic research funding mechanisms. 
• Experience utilizing modern AI-driven capture tools and advanced prompt-engineering techniques to optimize international proposal workflows.