Strategic Account Manager – Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Washington, DC
Full Time
Experienced
Position Overview
Mission Bridge Partners is supporting a growing federal technology organization seeking an experienced Strategic Account Manager to drive growth across its Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) portfolio.
This is a highly customer-facing growth role focused on building relationships across the VA, understanding mission and technology priorities, identifying and qualifying new opportunities, and positioning the organization for long-term account expansion.
The Strategic Account Manager will serve as a key market-facing representative across assigned VA organizations and mission areas. This individual will develop trusted customer relationships, build awareness of emerging requirements and acquisition priorities, and connect customer challenges with relevant technology and service capabilities.
Unlike a traditional Capture Manager role, this position is primarily focused on the front end of the federal growth lifecycle — customer engagement, account development, opportunity identification, qualification, and pre-RFP shaping. As opportunities mature, the Strategic Account Manager will transition them into the formal capture process while remaining engaged to provide customer intelligence and relationship continuity.
Success will be measured by the strength and expansion of customer relationships, development of a qualified opportunity pipeline, identification of strategic pursuits, and overall growth of the VA account. The position is remote within the D.C. Metro area, with approximately 25% onsite support required.
Key Responsibilities
VA Account Development & Customer Engagement
The ideal candidate is a relationship-driven federal growth professional who already understands the VA landscape and knows how to turn customer engagement into actionable business opportunities.
We're looking for someone who can open doors, develop trusted relationships, understand where the VA is investing, and identify opportunities well before an RFP reaches the market. This person should be equally comfortable meeting with government executives, developing an account strategy, working alongside technical teams to shape a solution, and handing a well-qualified opportunity to a capture team.
Most importantly, this individual should bring a growth mindset and an established understanding of the VA customer — someone who can help expand existing relationships while creating new pathways for long-term growth.
Compensation
The estimated salary range for this position is $180,000 – $220,000 annually, based on market benchmarks within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. This range represents a good faith estimate and may vary depending on several factors, including the scope of the role, geographic location, education, certifications, technical skills, and overall relevant experience.
Mission Bridge Partners is supporting a growing federal technology organization seeking an experienced Strategic Account Manager to drive growth across its Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) portfolio.
This is a highly customer-facing growth role focused on building relationships across the VA, understanding mission and technology priorities, identifying and qualifying new opportunities, and positioning the organization for long-term account expansion.
The Strategic Account Manager will serve as a key market-facing representative across assigned VA organizations and mission areas. This individual will develop trusted customer relationships, build awareness of emerging requirements and acquisition priorities, and connect customer challenges with relevant technology and service capabilities.
Unlike a traditional Capture Manager role, this position is primarily focused on the front end of the federal growth lifecycle — customer engagement, account development, opportunity identification, qualification, and pre-RFP shaping. As opportunities mature, the Strategic Account Manager will transition them into the formal capture process while remaining engaged to provide customer intelligence and relationship continuity.
Success will be measured by the strength and expansion of customer relationships, development of a qualified opportunity pipeline, identification of strategic pursuits, and overall growth of the VA account. The position is remote within the D.C. Metro area, with approximately 25% onsite support required.
Key Responsibilities
VA Account Development & Customer Engagement
- Build and maintain trusted relationships with VA customers, industry partners, and key stakeholders across assigned organizations and mission areas.
- Develop a deep understanding of VA mission priorities, strategic initiatives, technology challenges, funding trends, acquisition plans, and emerging requirements.
- Establish a consistent customer engagement strategy to strengthen relationships and increase visibility into future opportunities.
- Develop and maintain strategic account plans outlining customer priorities, key stakeholders, opportunity pipelines, engagement strategies, and growth objectives.
- Represent the organization at customer meetings, industry events, conferences, and other engagements across the federal health and VA community.
- Build relationships with strategic industry and technology partners that can strengthen future solutions and pursuits.
- Identify, qualify, and shape new opportunities aligned with organizational growth priorities and technical capabilities.
- Engage customers early in the acquisition lifecycle to understand requirements, challenges, procurement strategies, and decision drivers.
- Monitor VA acquisition forecasts, budgets, organizational changes, modernization initiatives, and procurement activity to identify emerging opportunities.
- Gather and communicate customer intelligence, competitive insights, stakeholder dynamics, and market trends.
- Build and maintain a healthy, qualified pipeline of near- and long-term VA opportunities.
- Develop stakeholder maps and engagement strategies for priority accounts and pursuits.
- Translate customer needs and mission challenges into actionable growth strategies.
- Partner with growth leadership, delivery teams, technical SMEs, solution architects, and strategic partners to align customer requirements with company capabilities.
- Transition qualified opportunities into the formal capture process with clear customer intelligence, competitive positioning, and opportunity context.
- Remain engaged throughout capture to maintain customer relationships and provide continuity as pursuits progress.
- Support teaming strategies and cultivate relationships with federal contractors, systems integrators, and technology partners.
- Maintain accurate account, customer engagement, and opportunity information within CRM and pipeline management systems.
- 8+ years of experience supporting federal customers in business development, account management, growth, capture, customer engagement, program leadership, or a related function.
- Demonstrated experience supporting the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
- Proven ability to develop trusted relationships with federal customers and leverage those relationships to identify and qualify new business opportunities.
- Experience identifying, qualifying, and shaping federal opportunities prior to solicitation release.
- Strong understanding of the federal acquisition process and business development lifecycle.
- Experience gathering customer and market intelligence and translating that information into account and opportunity strategies.
- Demonstrated ability to influence customers, partners, and internal stakeholders without direct authority.
- Strong executive-level communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
- Experience developing and maintaining federal opportunity pipelines and account growth strategies.
- Ability to operate independently while collaborating across growth, delivery, technical, contracts, pricing, recruiting, and proposal teams.
- Ability to travel periodically throughout the Washington, DC metro area and to customer locations as required.
- U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain a minimum Public Trust clearance.
- Established relationships and a strong professional network within the Department of Veterans Affairs, particularly across OIT, VHA, VBA, or enterprise modernization organizations.
- Previous experience as an Account Manager, Client Executive, Business Development Executive, Growth Executive, or similar customer-facing federal growth professional.
- Demonstrated success originating opportunities that progressed into qualified pipeline, formal capture efforts, proposals, or contract awards.
- Experience developing strategic account plans, stakeholder maps, call plans, and customer engagement strategies.
- Familiarity with VA budgeting, acquisition planning, procurement forecasting, and contracting processes.
- Experience supporting federal growth initiatives involving Health IT, digital modernization, cloud, cybersecurity, data and analytics, AI, or enterprise IT services.
- Experience developing teaming relationships with federal contractors, systems integrators, and technology providers.
- Familiarity with federal market intelligence platforms, CRM systems, and opportunity pipeline management.
- Experience operating within a matrixed federal contracting organization.
- Shipley Business Development or Capture certification, Certified Capture Manager (CCM), PMP, or related professional certification is a plus.
The ideal candidate is a relationship-driven federal growth professional who already understands the VA landscape and knows how to turn customer engagement into actionable business opportunities.
We're looking for someone who can open doors, develop trusted relationships, understand where the VA is investing, and identify opportunities well before an RFP reaches the market. This person should be equally comfortable meeting with government executives, developing an account strategy, working alongside technical teams to shape a solution, and handing a well-qualified opportunity to a capture team.
Most importantly, this individual should bring a growth mindset and an established understanding of the VA customer — someone who can help expand existing relationships while creating new pathways for long-term growth.
Compensation
The estimated salary range for this position is $180,000 – $220,000 annually, based on market benchmarks within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. This range represents a good faith estimate and may vary depending on several factors, including the scope of the role, geographic location, education, certifications, technical skills, and overall relevant experience.
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