Defense Team - Business Development Co-Op (Spring Co-Op)

At REGENT, we’re on a mission to revolutionize regional transportation between coastal cities. We're not just building vehicles, we're creating a new category of transportation: the Seaglider. These groundbreaking wing-in-ground-effect craft travel just above the water’s surface, combining the speed of an airplane with the low operating costs of a boat. Capable of 180 miles at 180 mph on today's battery tech (and up to 400 miles with next-gen batteries), Seagliders will unlock fast, affordable, and sustainable coastal transit for passengers and cargo - connecting cities, islands, and communities like never before.

Backed by leading investors and powered by a team of passionate, forward-thinking engineers, builders, and operators, we’re now scaling from a breakthrough prototype to full production - and building the team to make it happen.

Role Overview

REGENT is reinventing coastal transportation with the Seaglider, a vessel that flies above the water on a cushion of air, and much of the opportunity to bring that technology to the Defense and government market depends on being able to explain it clearly to the people deciding whether to invest in it. As a Business Development Co-op on the Defense & Government Relations team, you'll help build the written and visual materials that do exactly that: briefs, decks, and proposals that translate what the Seaglider can do into language that resonates with government and defense customers. This is a part-time, spring-semester role based in Rhode Island, with 10-15 hours a week built around your class schedule.

You won't just be supporting from the sidelines. Over the course of the term, you'll build toward presenting a Defense Deck you helped develop to a real potential customer, and by the end of the co-op you'll have written a proposal for a defense project and worked directly with engineers to translate customer requirements into something they can build against. It's a rare chance to learn how Defense BD actually works from the inside while helping shape how REGENT shows up to the customers who matter most to this mission.

You'll sit within the Defense & Government Relations team, a group focused on connecting REGENT's engineering work to the government and military customers who need it, and one that cares deeply about clarity, precision, and credibility in every piece of customer-facing communication. If you're a sharp writer and confident communicator who's curious about defense, maritime technology, and how a growing company builds its earliest government relationships, you'll find a lot to sink your teeth into here.

What You'll Do

• Build Customer-Facing Materials: You'll help create the briefs, memos, and visual materials the team uses to explain Seaglider concepts to government and defense customers.

• Pitch the Defense Deck: By the midpoint of the term, you'll have developed slides yourself and pitched them directly to a potential customer.

• Write a Real Proposal: By the end of the co-op, you'll write a proposal for a defense project aimed at gaining real traction with a customer.

• Translate for Engineers: You'll work to translate customer requirements into language and specifications the engineering team can act on.

• Support Technical Projects: You'll help manage and develop the technical projects that turn Seaglider concepts into material a Defense customer can evaluate and understand.

• Bring Analysis to the Table: You'll use tools like Excel, SQL, or Python to analyze data and build light tooling that supports the team's BD work.

• Learn Defense BD From the Inside: You'll partner closely with the Defense & Government Relations team, picking up how proposals, pitches, and customer relationships actually come together.

What You'll Bring

• A Spring 2027 Availability: You're an enrolled undergraduate with a schedule that allows for 10-15 hours a week, on-site, throughout the spring semester.

• Strong Written Communication: You can produce concise, polished briefs and customer-facing materials, since clear writing is core to how this team communicates with customers.

• Quantitative Comfort: You're comfortable working in Excel and have some experience with SQL or Python for analysis and light tooling.

• Exposure to Federal Proposals: Experience with RFIs, SBIR/STTR programs, or federal proposal processes is a strong plus.

• Interest in Maritime Defense: A genuine curiosity about maritime autonomy, unmanned surface and undersea vessels, or Navy missions will serve you well here.

• An Engineering or Design Lens: Background in CAD, systems thinking, or engineering can help you translate technical constraints into business recommendations.

• Familiarity With Project Tools: Experience with tools like Airtable or Jira for managing pipelines or projects is a nice bonus.

Who We're Looking For

• Collaborative Team Player: You believe that great things happen when teams work together. You communicate effectively and collaborate with engineers, stakeholders, and other cross-functional teams to align on goals and move projects forward. You bring people together, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and moving towards a shared vision.

• Creative Problem Solver: You thrive on tackling complex challenges and finding innovative solutions. Whether you're resolving installation challenges, debugging elusive electrical issues, or adapting on the fly during integration and test, you bring a practical, inventive mindset to every problem. You don't just patch issues - you improve processes, anticipate downstream impacts, and help turn one-off fixes into scalable solutions that raise the bar for future builds.

• Adaptable & Agile: In a fast-paced, ever-evolving startup environment, you quickly adapt to changing priorities and requirements. You approach challenges with a calm, resilient mindset, and know how to pivot and adjust your approach as needed, ensuring that progress continues without missing a beat.

• Innovative Mindset: You’re driven by curiosity and a passion for technology. You’re passionate about driving continuous improvement, embracing new technologies and methodologies to enhance efficiency, quality, and team performance.

What We Offer

• Competitive compensation

• Daily, free catered lunches

• Learning & professional development opportunities

• Meaningful projects that make an impact

• Mentorship & guidance from experienced team members

If you’re ready to take on an exciting challenge, grow with us, and make a lasting impact, we want to hear from you. Even if you don’t meet every requirement, but you see yourself contributing to our mission, we encourage you to apply! We value diverse skillsets and experiences and believe in the potential of passionate individuals to make a big impact.

Equal Opportunity Employer

REGENT is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law.