Capture Manager - Defense Sector

The Defense Sector at Leidos is seeking a Capture Manager to support our Growth organization in Huntsville, Alabama. In this role you will help win new defense technology programs across our Kinetics, Defense Sensors, and Indirect Fires & Force Protection businesses, applying your capture and pursuit leadership skills to opportunities that span the acquisition lifecycle, from development and prototyping through low rate initial production (LRIP) and full rate production (FRP).

The Capture Manager is responsible for developing and executing capture strategies for qualified pursuits, supporting customer engagement activities, conducting competitive assessments, developing teaming approaches, and increasing the probability of win. Working closely with Business Developers, Solution Architects, Engineering and Program leaders, Proposal Managers, Pricing, Contracts, and industry partners, you will lead cross-functional pursuit teams and position Leidos for success across traditional and non-traditional defense acquisition opportunities. You will typically lead individual pursuits and support larger, more strategic captures while coaching and delegating work to less experienced team members.

Primary Responsibilities

Lead capture activities for qualified defense technology pursuits, including capture planning, customer engagement, competitive positioning, teaming strategies, and win strategy development.

Develop and execute capture plans and pursuit strategies that address customer technical, schedule, production, and affordability priorities across development, LRIP, and FRP phases.

Lead cross-functional pursuit teams and manage multiple concurrent opportunities across the Kinetics, Defense Sensors, and Indirect Fires & Force Protection businesses.

Conduct customer, market, and competitive assessments to identify customer priorities, discriminators, and win themes, including competitor technology, incumbent positions, and production capacity.

Plan and execute customer engagement with program offices and acquisition decision-makers, including regular engagement at Redstone Arsenal and other Huntsville-area customer organizations.

Develop and manage industry partnerships and teaming arrangements with subcontractors, suppliers, and technology partners.

Partner with Pricing and Contracts to develop price-to-win and cost strategies and to assess contract type, terms, and risk for development and production pursuits.

Collaborate with Business Developers, Solution Architects, Engineering, Program Management, Proposal Managers, Operations leaders, and industry partners to position Leidos for success.

Lead or support gate reviews, Black Hat sessions, and pursuit strategy workshops.

Communicate pursuit status, risks, and recommendations to leadership.

Partner with Proposal Managers to ensure successful transition from capture to proposal.

Maintain capture documentation, reporting, and pursuit metrics.

Basic Qualifications

Bachelor's degree and 8+ years of prior relevant experience or Master's degree with 6+ years of prior relevant experience. Additional experience may be considered in lieu of degree requirements.

Demonstrated excellent written and verbal communication skills, as well as effective collaboration, influence, and inclusive leadership skills.

Demonstrated experience supporting or leading capture activities for federal government opportunities.

Familiarity with federal and DoD acquisition types, processes, and vehicles, including FAR/DFARS-based procurements, task orders, OTAs, CSOs, RFIs, and white papers.

Demonstrated skills in capture strategy development, competitive positioning, customer engagement planning, industry collaboration, and pursuit leadership.

Experience working with or leading cross-functional teams consisting of Business Development, Solution Architecture, Engineering, Proposal Management, Pricing, Contracts, Operations, and technical personnel.

Ability to manage multiple pursuits simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.

Candidate must be able to obtain an active Secret security clearance.

U.S. Citizenship required.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience supporting or leading captures for defense technology programs such as missiles and munitions, radar and sensors, air and missile defense, counter-UAS, or fire control systems.

Familiarity with the defense acquisition lifecycle, including development, LRIP, and FRP contracting approaches, and with ITAR and export control considerations.

Experience supporting or leading captures valued at $50M+.

Experience supporting traditional FAR-based and non-traditional acquisition pathways, including OTAs, CSOs, RFIs, and white papers.

Experience working with U.S. Army customers, the Missile Defense Agency, or other DoD organizations in the Huntsville area.

Experience supporting teaming strategies, teaming agreements, and industry partnerships.

Shipley, APMP, or similar capture management training or certification.

Active Top Secret or TS/SCI security clearance.

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Original Posting: October 16, 2026

For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

Pay Range: Pay Range $107,900.00 - $195,050.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.