Corporate Strategic Ventures & Partnerships Director 2

About this role

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No

CLEARANCE TYPE: None

TRAVEL: Yes, 25% of the Time Description

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.

Northrop Grumman's Corporate Strategy & Technology organization is seeking a Director of Corporate Strategic Ventures & Partnerships to support the company's growth strategy. Reporting to the Vice President of Corporate Strategy, this role leads the strategy, prioritization, structuring, negotiation, and execution of enterprise strategic partnerships and venture relationships with external companies — including technology providers, startups, adjacent-market players, investors, and complementary primes — to accelerate growth, expand capability, close strategic gaps, and expand market access across the sectors. This role works in close partnership with the technology partnerships lead in the CTO office. In that collaboration, the CTO office provides leadership on technical partnership alignment, technology relevance, and transition considerations, while this role leads enterprise partnership strategy, investment and transaction framing, cross-sector prioritization, governance, and business value realization.

The Director serves as the enterprise integrator across Corporate Strategy, sector leadership, Business Development, the CTO office, Legal, Finance, and other functional leaders to identify strategic capability, portfolio, and market-access gaps and lead external partnership and venture actions to address them through formal business relationships, investment structures, and governance mechanisms. Success in this role means developing and governing an enterprise partnership and venture pipeline; shaping and prioritizing opportunities aligned to growth objectives; leading business case development, diligence, transaction structuring, and negotiation; and delivering, along with other internal stakeholders,  measurable strategic, financial, capability, and market-access outcomes across the sectors. Note: This position will be located in Falls Church, VA .  A hybrid on-site work arrangement may be considered.

Key Responsibilities: • Lead enterprise-wide identification, prioritization, and governance of strategic partnership and venture opportunities across all Northrop Grumman sectors to create differentiated capabilities, accelerate growth, and advance sector and corporate strategic objectives

• Own the enterprise partnership and venture pipeline, including opportunity sourcing, prioritization, executive decision support, and resource alignment against sector and corporate growth priorities

• Structure partnership models (JV, licensing, teaming agreement, minority investment, supplier/co-development) and negotiate agreement terms

• Working with internal stakeholders, establish and oversee post-signing efforts, performance management, value capture, expansion, renewal, and exit decisions to ensure partnerships deliver sustained strategic and business value; coordinate with the CTO office and sector stakeholders on adoption, transition, and technical execution considerations as applicable

• Advise corporate and sector leadership, including VP-level stakeholders, on partnership strategy, venture activity, market landscape, competitive positioning, strategic tradeoffs, and portfolio implications affecting growth and long-range objectives

• Establish enterprise frameworks, decision criteria, and governance mechanisms for partner sourcing, evaluation, approval, integration, and performance management, in coordination with the CTO office where technical partnership standards and transition considerations apply

• Represent the company at industry events, conferences, and with external ecosystem players (e.g. VCs and industry associations)

• Oversee the corporate venture relationship portfolio and lead new investment execution, while working across sectors and with CTO office

•  Partner closely with the technology partnerships lead in the CTO office to align enterprise partnership strategy with technology roadmaps, technical differentiation priorities, ecosystem insights, and technology transition opportunities

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of professionals, to meet the broad demands of corporate strategy

Basic Qualifications: • Bachelor's degree with 14 years of experience OR Master's degree with 12 years of experience

• Experience in corporate development, strategic partnerships, business development, or related roles in industrial, aerospace/defense, or adjacent technical sectors

• Significant experience shaping enterprise strategy, growth initiatives, market development, strategic partnerships, or venture/investment activity in large, complex organizations

• Track record structuring and managing complex external agreements

• Strong financial and commercial acumen, with comfort in deal structuring and negotiation

• Demonstrated ability to influence senior executives and align complex, matrixed cross-functional stakeholders across Corporate Strategy, sectors, the CTO office, Legal, Finance, Engineering, Business Development, and operating leadership Excellent executive communication skills — this role regularly briefs senior leadership

Similar jobs

• Commercial Partnerships & Operations Director — Cloverhealth · Remote
• Strategic Partnerships Director — Fieldguide · Remote
• Strategic Partnerships Director — Demandbase · Remote
• Director - Strategic Partnerships — Billcom · Draper, Utah, United States; San Jose, California, United States; United States
• Director of Strategic Partnerships — Probablygenetic · San Francisco
• Director of Strategic Partnerships — Opensesame · Remote
• Director, Corporate Partnerships — Excelsportsmanagement · New York, New York, United States; West Hollywood, California, United States
• Director, Corporate Partnerships — Sollishealth · 500 Fifth Avenue, 37th Floor New York, NY 10110