Development Director Jobs in District of Columbia
Development Director jobs in District of Columbia are concentrated in Washington, D.C., with additional activity in neighboring Silver Spring and Arlington, where major nonprofits, advocacy organizations, and federal-adjacent institutions drive consistent demand. Employers with deep roots in the market include the American Red Cross, National Geographic Society, and AARP, all of which maintain active fundraising and development operations. The most sought-after specialties are major gifts, federal grants management, and corporate partnerships. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
Find Development Director JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 39+ Development Director jobs
Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century's most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril's family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.
ABOUT THE TEAM
The Precision Engagement Systems (PES) team is part of the larger Tactical Recon & Strike (TRS) division at Anduril responsible for developing, testing, and producing autonomous aerial small drones (Group 1-2) and all equipment to deploy and operate across non-combat and combat threat environments. The team is responsible for advancing products like Bolt (ISR/strike), Anvil (CUAS interceptor), and emerging technologies from concepts to operational systems, constantly iterating to ensure the capability remains relevant and reliable as conditions in various domestic and international environments continue to evolve. PES works in close coordination with specialist teams to solve some of the hardest problems facing our customers.
ABOUT THE JOB
We are looking for a highly independent and motivated Senior Director, Business Development, Precision Engagement Systems (PES) to join our rapidly growing team in Costa Mesa, CA. In this role, you will be responsible for understanding and continuously assessing the market to rapidly capitalize on opportunities that lead to successful capture, expanding and achieving PES growth objectives. You will serve as the bridge between clients and the broader Anduril enterprise, conveying client perspectives to internal teams while serving as an external brand ambassador, while also working in the technical trenches with software/hardware engineers, roboticists, and mobile developers to shape product features. This will require a strong understanding of operational use cases, customer requirements associated with PES drone technologies, and the ability to translate these needs into technical system attributes. If you are someone who has strong interpersonal skills, a passion for working in a fast-paced environment, and thrives as part of a high-performing, diverse team, then this role is for you.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
- Build a cohesive Precision Engagements Systems (PES) growth strategy within the relevant DOW Program Executive Offices and DOS Acquisition Authorities - U.S. Army, U.S. Special Operations Command, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy programs and their supported organizations to penetrate, expand, and deliver at scale Anduril's tactical reconnaissance and strike capabilities. Requires a solid understanding of creating and negotiating the right business deals based on continuous market assessment and competitive analysis.
- Work with the product teams to identify and structure resource planning for Growth, drive favorable Terms and Conditions / Contract types that are aligned and favorable to the PES business line financial forecast
- Lead end-to-end capture of major domestic DOW, DOS, State/Federal, and international opportunities from proposal strategy to product delivery to customer
- Work with cross-functional teams within PES to identify and shape new business opportunities, proactively communicate and resolve program issues, and provide strategic direction to program teams across mission operations, product engineering, and manufacturing
- Lead the strategic expansion effort of Anduril's PES portfolio - group 1 tactical strike/CUAS (Bolt/Anvil) systems - planning, coordinating, and driving capture campaigns across the business line to close deals
- Assist in informing the PES and TRS Division's strategic growth and long-range planning.
- Identify and pursue new business opportunities within the Department of Defense and other government agencies, both domestically and internationally
- Lead the expansion of Anduril's TRS systems beyond DOW and DOS, targeting other government agencies and allied forces globally
- Develop and coordinate programmatic funding and growth with direct coordination with Anduril Government Relations, Strategy team, and adjacent business lines.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- 7+ years of relevant business development, sales capture, or growth/acquisition experience in the government and/or private sector
- Proven growth leader with demonstrated experience shaping and capturing complex programs within the DoD and USG
- Demonstrated knowledge in defense acquisitions, with a history of scaling large Program of Record defense program growth from either government or industry experience
- Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Top Secret security clearance
- Must be comfortable and effective working in a fast-paced, highly entrepreneurial, and creative environment
- Extremely organized and detail-oriented with exceptional communication skills
- Ability to travel up to 50%
- Must be located within commutable distance of Anduril's Costa Mesa, California headquarters, with the ability to be on-site as needed
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Possess general knowledge and experience with Group 1-3 drones system employment
- Intimate understanding of requirements generation, acquisition strategy development, programming, planning, and budgeting cycles for the purposes of transitioning prototype capabilities to production
- A technically minded leader who can build, adapt, and implement new and innovative approaches to market
- Ability to identify, establish and use important customer relationships with program stakeholders within defense and intelligence community to drive capability adoption
- Demonstrated high-energy individual who will drive performance and exhibit strong interpersonal skills with a high level of emotional intelligence
The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including:
Benefits
At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you're supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits.
Protecting Yourself from Recruitment Scams
Anduril is committed to maintaining the integrity of our Talent acquisition process and the security of our candidates. We've observed a rise in sophisticated phishing and fraudulent schemes where individuals impersonate Anduril representatives, luring job seekers with false interviews or job offers. These scammers often attempt to extract payment or sensitive personal information.
To ensure your safety and help you navigate your job search with confidence, please keep the following critical points in mind:
No Financial Requests: Anduril will never solicit payment or demand personal financial details (such as banking information, credit card numbers, or social security numbers) at any stage of our hiring process. Our legitimate recruitment is entirely free for candidates.
- Please always verify communications:
- Direct from Anduril: If you receive an email from one of our recruiters, it will only come from an @anduril.com address.
- Via Agency Partner: If contacted by a recruiting agency for an Anduril role, their email will clearly identify their agency. If you suspect any suspicious activity, please verify the agency's authenticity by reaching out to contact@anduril.com.
Exercise Caution with Unsolicited Outreach: If you receive any communication that appears suspicious, contains grammatical errors, or makes unusual requests, do not engage. Always confirm the sender's email domain is @anduril.com before providing any personal information or clicking on links.
What to Do If You Suspect Fraud: Should you encounter any questionable or fraudulent outreach claiming to be from Anduril, please report it immediately to contact@anduril.com. Your proactive caution is invaluable in protecting your personal information and upholding the security and trustworthiness of our recruitment efforts.
Data Privacy
To view Anduril's candidate data privacy policy, please visit https://anduril.com/applicant-privacy-notice/.
By submitting your application, you consent to Anduril Industries using a third-party service provider to conduct pre-employment risk, integrity, and due diligence screening and assessing potential risks as part of your application process. This third-party service provider provides risk-intelligence services that may include analysis of sanctions and watchlists, adverse media, public-record information, and other lawful open-source or commercial data sources. This third-party service provider does not act as a consumer reporting agency. Use of this provider helps to ensure compliance with applicable laws and protect technology, intellectual property, and organizational security.
Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century's most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril's family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.
ABOUT THE TEAM
The Precision Engagement Systems (PES) team is part of the larger Tactical Recon & Strike (TRS) division at Anduril responsible for developing, testing, and producing autonomous aerial small drones (Group 1-2) and all equipment to deploy and operate across non-combat and combat threat environments. The team is responsible for advancing products like Bolt (ISR/strike), Anvil (CUAS interceptor), and emerging technologies from concepts to operational systems, constantly iterating to ensure the capability remains relevant and reliable as conditions in various domestic and international environments continue to evolve. PES works in close coordination with specialist teams to solve some of the hardest problems facing our customers.
ABOUT THE JOB
We are looking for a highly independent and motivated Senior Director, Business Development, Precision Engagement Systems (PES) to join our rapidly growing team in Costa Mesa, CA. In this role, you will be responsible for understanding and continuously assessing the market to rapidly capitalize on opportunities that lead to successful capture, expanding and achieving PES growth objectives. You will serve as the bridge between clients and the broader Anduril enterprise, conveying client perspectives to internal teams while serving as an external brand ambassador, while also working in the technical trenches with software/hardware engineers, roboticists, and mobile developers to shape product features. This will require a strong understanding of operational use cases, customer requirements associated with PES drone technologies, and the ability to translate these needs into technical system attributes. If you are someone who has strong interpersonal skills, a passion for working in a fast-paced environment, and thrives as part of a high-performing, diverse team, then this role is for you.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
- Build a cohesive Precision Engagements Systems (PES) growth strategy within the relevant DOW Program Executive Offices and DOS Acquisition Authorities - U.S. Army, U.S. Special Operations Command, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy programs and their supported organizations to penetrate, expand, and deliver at scale Anduril's tactical reconnaissance and strike capabilities. Requires a solid understanding of creating and negotiating the right business deals based on continuous market assessment and competitive analysis.
- Work with the product teams to identify and structure resource planning for Growth, drive favorable Terms and Conditions / Contract types that are aligned and favorable to the PES business line financial forecast
- Lead end-to-end capture of major domestic DOW, DOS, State/Federal, and international opportunities from proposal strategy to product delivery to customer
- Work with cross-functional teams within PES to identify and shape new business opportunities, proactively communicate and resolve program issues, and provide strategic direction to program teams across mission operations, product engineering, and manufacturing
- Lead the strategic expansion effort of Anduril's PES portfolio - group 1 tactical strike/CUAS (Bolt/Anvil) systems - planning, coordinating, and driving capture campaigns across the business line to close deals
- Assist in informing the PES and TRS Division's strategic growth and long-range planning.
- Identify and pursue new business opportunities within the Department of Defense and other government agencies, both domestically and internationally
- Lead the expansion of Anduril's TRS systems beyond DOW and DOS, targeting other government agencies and allied forces globally
- Develop and coordinate programmatic funding and growth with direct coordination with Anduril Government Relations, Strategy team, and adjacent business lines.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- 7+ years of relevant business development, sales capture, or growth/acquisition experience in the government and/or private sector
- Proven growth leader with demonstrated experience shaping and capturing complex programs within the DoD and USG
- Demonstrated knowledge in defense acquisitions, with a history of scaling large Program of Record defense program growth from either government or industry experience
- Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Top Secret security clearance
- Must be comfortable and effective working in a fast-paced, highly entrepreneurial, and creative environment
- Extremely organized and detail-oriented with exceptional communication skills
- Ability to travel up to 50%
- Must be located within commutable distance of Anduril's Costa Mesa, California headquarters, with the ability to be on-site as needed
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Possess general knowledge and experience with Group 1-3 drones system employment
- Intimate understanding of requirements generation, acquisition strategy development, programming, planning, and budgeting cycles for the purposes of transitioning prototype capabilities to production
- A technically minded leader who can build, adapt, and implement new and innovative approaches to market
- Ability to identify, establish and use important customer relationships with program stakeholders within defense and intelligence community to drive capability adoption
- Demonstrated high-energy individual who will drive performance and exhibit strong interpersonal skills with a high level of emotional intelligence
The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including:
Benefits
At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you're supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits.
Protecting Yourself from Recruitment Scams
Anduril is committed to maintaining the integrity of our Talent acquisition process and the security of our candidates. We've observed a rise in sophisticated phishing and fraudulent schemes where individuals impersonate Anduril representatives, luring job seekers with false interviews or job offers. These scammers often attempt to extract payment or sensitive personal information.
To ensure your safety and help you navigate your job search with confidence, please keep the following critical points in mind:
No Financial Requests: Anduril will never solicit payment or demand personal financial details (such as banking information, credit card numbers, or social security numbers) at any stage of our hiring process. Our legitimate recruitment is entirely free for candidates.
- Please always verify communications:
- Direct from Anduril: If you receive an email from one of our recruiters, it will only come from an @anduril.com address.
- Via Agency Partner: If contacted by a recruiting agency for an Anduril role, their email will clearly identify their agency. If you suspect any suspicious activity, please verify the agency's authenticity by reaching out to contact@anduril.com.
Exercise Caution with Unsolicited Outreach: If you receive any communication that appears suspicious, contains grammatical errors, or makes unusual requests, do not engage. Always confirm the sender's email domain is @anduril.com before providing any personal information or clicking on links.
What to Do If You Suspect Fraud: Should you encounter any questionable or fraudulent outreach claiming to be from Anduril, please report it immediately to contact@anduril.com. Your proactive caution is invaluable in protecting your personal information and upholding the security and trustworthiness of our recruitment efforts.
Data Privacy
To view Anduril's candidate data privacy policy, please visit https://anduril.com/applicant-privacy-notice/.
By submitting your application, you consent to Anduril Industries using a third-party service provider to conduct pre-employment risk, integrity, and due diligence screening and assessing potential risks as part of your application process. This third-party service provider provides risk-intelligence services that may include analysis of sanctions and watchlists, adverse media, public-record information, and other lawful open-source or commercial data sources. This third-party service provider does not act as a consumer reporting agency. Use of this provider helps to ensure compliance with applicable laws and protect technology, intellectual property, and organizational security.
See All 39 Development Director Jobs in District of Columbia
Find roles in District of Columbia that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Development Director JobsDevelopment Director Jobs by City in District of Columbia
Where District of Columbia roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Development Director Job Market in District of Columbia
A snapshot from current District of Columbia openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- Anduril5
- BDO1
- AAMC1
- YUPRO1
- Bisnow1
Top Industries Hiring
- Non-Profit & Social Services2
- Education1
- Science & Research1
- Accounting & Auditing1
- Technology & Software1
What District of Columbia Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in development director jobs across District of Columbia.
- Bachelor's degree in nonprofit management, communications, public policy, or a related field
- Five or more years of progressive fundraising or development experience in a nonprofit setting
- Demonstrated success managing major gifts, annual fund campaigns, or federal grant portfolios
- Experience leading and mentoring a development team of two or more staff members
- Proficiency with donor management platforms such as Salesforce Nonprofit, Raiser's Edge, or similar CRM
- Strong written communication skills for grant proposals, donor stewardship materials, and board reports
Development Director Jobs in District of Columbia: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a development director in District of Columbia?
Most development directors in D.C. enter the field through nonprofit program or communications roles and move into fundraising over several years. D.C. does not require a state-issued license for this role, but employers here strongly favor candidates who hold or are pursuing the Certified Fund Raising Executive credential, administered by CFRE International. A bachelor's degree is standard, and many D.C. organizations prioritize candidates familiar with federal grant compliance and congressional relations.
Which companies hire development directors in District of Columbia?
Employers hiring development directors in District of Columbia right now include Anduril, BDO, and AAMC, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of July 2026. D.C.'s high concentration of national nonprofits, advocacy groups, and policy-focused foundations means the market stays active year-round, with particularly strong demand among organizations tied to health equity, international development, and civil rights.
Which District of Columbia cities have the most development director jobs?
Washington have the most development director openings in District of Columbia. Washington itself accounts for the largest share because it is home to the national headquarters of hundreds of major nonprofits and associations, while Silver Spring and Arlington attract development talent from organizations that operate just outside the District's core but draw heavily from the same regional donor networks.
Are there remote development director jobs in District of Columbia?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 80% of development director openings tied to District of Columbia are remote or hybrid as of July 2026, reflecting how much of the role involves writing, relationship management, and digital communications. Prospect research, grant writing, and donor stewardship work lend themselves well to remote arrangements, while major donor cultivation and board meetings typically require periodic in-person presence.
How can I get hired as a development director in District of Columbia with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is through a development associate or grants coordinator role at a D.C.-area nonprofit, where you gain hands-on experience with donor databases and grant reporting. Organizations like the Washington Area Women's Foundation and local chapters of United Way regularly hire entry-level development staff. Building a portfolio of successful grant applications or annual fund results, and earning the Associate CFRE designation, can accelerate promotion into a director-level position.
Where can I find and apply to development director jobs in District of Columbia?
You can find and apply to development director jobs in District of Columbia on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings across the region. Search the listings for roles that match your experience and specialty, then apply directly to the employers posting them. No account or profile is required to view and apply to the positions listed.
See All 39 Development Director Jobs in District of Columbia
Find roles in District of Columbia that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Development Director Jobs