Principal, Opportunity Development

Job Description

Job Description

Location : HQ, Arlington, VA

Work Days in Office : 5days

Travel : Up to 50%

Position Type: Full-time

FLSA Status : Exempt

About Spirit of America:

Spirit of America is a privately funded 501c3 nonprofit headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. Our mission is to engage citizens in preserving the promise of a free and better life. We do this by working alongside US troops and diplomats and providing private assistance to defend freedom, and strengthen America’s national security, and save and improve lives.

Spirit of America leverages an unprecedented partnership with the US military based on a groundbreaking agreement with the Department of Defense. Our agreement with the Department of Defense allows the military to collaborate with us, identify needs, receive and distribute our assistance, and provide us with logistical support. No other nonprofit has such an agreement. Thus, every dollar invested in Spirit of America builds on and leverages investments made by the US government and military. That leverage — combined with our entrepreneurial, venture capital capability — provides philanthropic investments in Spirit of America with asymmetric impact and return on investment.

Our work saves and improves lives, prevents conflict, and strengthens America’s security. In the world’s toughest places, people experience the best of who Americans are and what we stand for.

About the Role:

The Principal, Opportunity Development will serve as a member of SOA's Opportunity Development Team, a small, entrepreneurial team responsible for exploring and developing high-potential opportunities that may advance the organization's mission, impact, and growth.

This role is designed for a builder, problem-solver, and opportunity hunter. The Principal will investigate emerging challenges, identify opportunities, test assumptions, engage experts, conduct research, develop business cases, and help determine whether new concepts warrant piloting, investment, or further development.

Unlike traditional program roles, this position is not responsible for implementing projects or managing regional portfolios. Instead, the focus is on exploration, validation, incubation, and opportunity development.

The Opportunity Development Team serves as a force multiplier for SOA's regional and functional teams. Success in this role requires deep collaboration across the organization, an appreciation for field and regional expertise, and the ability to connect ideas, insights, and opportunities that can advance SOA's mission and impact.

The ideal candidate combines the curiosity of an entrepreneur, the structured thinking of a management consultant, and the mission orientation of a national security professional.

Reports To: Chief Executive Officer

Direct Reports : None

What You'll Do:

Identify Opportunities

• Scan globally for emerging opportunities relevant to SOA's mission
• Monitor geopolitical, security, humanitarian, technology, and philanthropic trends
• Identify unmet needs, white-space opportunities, and potential areas for impact
• Connect ideas, trends, and observations across regions, functions, and external networks to identify opportunities that might otherwise go unnoticed

Collaborate Across the Organization

• Build strong relationships across SOA's regional, programmatic, development, communications, and operational teams
• Actively engage internal stakeholders to understand emerging challenges, opportunities, lessons learned, and successful approaches across the organization.
• Convene opportunity development working sessions, tiger teams, and cross-functional discussions (roundtables) to explore ideas and assess potential opportunities
• Listen carefully to regional and program leaders to identify what is working, where momentum exists, and where opportunities may exist to expand, replicate, scale, or adapt successful approaches
• Connect insights, trends, and opportunities across regions and functions that may not otherwise be visible from a single vantage point
• Serve as a catalyst for collaboration by bringing together the right people, expertise, and perspectives to evaluate and develop promising opportunities
• Ensure opportunity development efforts are informed by operational realities, regional expertise, donor considerations, and mission priorities

Conduct Opportunity Assessments

• Evaluate potential opportunities through research, stakeholder engagement, and analysis
• Test assumptions and identify key risks, dependencies, and success factors.
• Assess mission alignment, feasibility, scalability, and potential impact
• Develop recommendations regarding whether opportunities warrant further investment, piloting, partnership, or development

Build Business Cases

• Translate concepts into actionable proposals and recommendations
• Develop pilot concepts, implementation approaches, resource requirements, and success metrics
• Prepare briefing materials, investment cases, and recommendations for senior leadership
• Present findings and recommendations in a concise, compelling, and decision-oriented manner

Convene Expertise

• Engage internal subject matter experts, regional leaders, advisors, partners, donors, and external specialists
• Lead temporary cross-functional tiger teams to explore specific opportunities
• Build networks of expertise that can be activated quickly as new opportunities emerge

Support Organizational Growth

• Contribute to a culture of innovation, experimentation, learning, and continuous improvement
• Help identify opportunities that expand SOA's impact, influence, and effectiveness
• Support the development of a repeatable organizational capability for opportunity identification, validation, and incubation.

What We're Looking For:

Required:

• 7+ years of experience in management consulting, venture development, entrepreneurship, national security, international affairs, business development, venture capital, private equity, corporate strategy, or a related field
• Exceptional analytical, strategic thinking, and problem-solving abilities
• Ability to structure ambiguity and develop actionable recommendations
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills
• Demonstrated ability to influence without formal authority
• Intellectual curiosity and a bias toward action
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to build trust across diverse stakeholder groups
• Willingness to travel internationally, often on short notice.

Preferred:

• Experience at a top-tier consulting firm (McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Deloitte, EY-Parthenon, Kearney, or similar)
• Experience building, scaling, or launching new ventures, initiatives, programs, or businesses
• National security, foreign policy, defense, philanthropy, international development, or humanitarian experience
• Experience working in complex, ambiguous, or rapidly changing environments.

What Success Looks Like:

High-Quality Opportunity Pipeline

• Develop and maintain a pipeline of vetted opportunities annually that are aligned with SOA's mission, strategic priorities, and areas of comparative advantage

Validated Opportunities Advanced to Decision

• Deliver 5 plus fully developed opportunity assessments or business cases per year that result in clear leadership decisions regarding investment, piloting, partnership, or pursuit

Opportunities Transitioned to Implementation

• Successfully transition 3–5 opportunities annually into pilot, programmatic, fundraising, partnership, or organizational initiatives with clear ownership and execution plans

Mission and Growth Impact

• Identify opportunities that contribute meaningfully to SOA's impact, influence, donor engagement, geographic reach, or organizational growth, with at least one to two opportunities annually resulting in significant strategic value

Cross-Organizational Collaboration

• Earn strong partnership ratings from Regional Directors, Program leaders, Development, and Executive Leadership, evidenced by being viewed as a trusted collaborator, connector, and force multiplier rather than an additional layer of process

Institutionalized Opportunity Development Capability

• Establish repeatable frameworks, tools, and processes for opportunity identification, validation, incubation, and decision-making that can be adopted and leveraged across the organization.

Compensation:

Salary ranges from $145,000 to $170,000 based on experience. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance, and 403(b) contribution match to 4%.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

Spirit of America is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on merit and business needs without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, disability, or other protected characteristics in accordance with applicable laws.