International Business Development Manager
$145K- — Advanced negotiation techniques
- — Specific industry knowledge
Navy 1713 (Foreign Area Officer (FAO) - Training). 480 hours of formal training translate to 5 validated civilian career pathways with salary bands of $75K–$145K. Sourced from DoD training data and Lightcast labor signals.
Industry tech roles your 1713 background maps to — picked from BLS-anchored occupations using your training, cognitive skills, and systems experience.
What 1713 training already gave you, and the specific gaps to close — not a generic checklist.
The concrete gap to bridge — specific to the roles above, not a generic checklist.
Vets Who Code is a free, full-time software engineering accelerator for veterans, active duty, and military spouses. We close the fundamentals — terminal, web platform, AI tooling, portfolio projects — so the rest of this list becomes specialization, not square one.
See VWC Programs →Cognitive skills your 1713 training built — and where they transfer in civilian work.
As a Foreign Area Officer, you constantly assess the geopolitical landscape, understanding the cultural, economic, and military factors at play in a specific region.
This translates directly to an ability to quickly grasp the nuances of a new market or industry, anticipating potential challenges and opportunities before they arise.
In your training and preparation as a Foreign Area Officer, you consider potential threats and challenges, anticipating the actions of adversaries and developing strategies to counter them.
This skill is highly valuable in competitive business environments where you need to anticipate competitors' moves and develop proactive strategies to maintain a competitive edge.
Even in training, understanding resource limitations and allocating them effectively to achieve mission objectives is vital. This includes managing time, information, and personnel.
This translates to efficient project management, strategic budget allocation, and the ability to maximize output with limited resources – a highly sought-after skill in any organization.
You're trained to meticulously review operations and training exercises, identifying areas for improvement and ensuring that lessons learned are integrated into future planning.
This ability allows you to critically evaluate business strategies, pinpoint weaknesses, and implement corrective actions to enhance overall performance and achieve continuous improvement.
Adjacent civilian roles your training maps to that conventional military-to-civilian advice tends to miss.
You've been trained to think adversarially and analyze complex situations. As a competitive intelligence analyst (19-3099.00), you'll use these skills to gather and analyze information about competitors, helping companies make strategic decisions. Your understanding of geopolitical factors gained as a Foreign Area Officer will be invaluable in this role.
Adjacent · MatchYou've developed keen situational awareness skills. As a Market Research Analyst (19-3022.00), you'll use those abilities to analyze market trends, consumer behavior, and competitor strategies, providing valuable insights to businesses. Your experience in understanding cultural nuances will be particularly useful in international market research.
Adjacent · MatchYou're skilled in resource optimization and after-action analysis. As a Management Consultant (13-1111.00), you'll apply these skills to help organizations improve their efficiency and effectiveness. You've been trained to identify areas for improvement and implement solutions, making you a valuable asset to any consulting firm.
Adjacent · MatchUp to 9 graduate-level semester hours in International Relations, Political Science, or Regional Studies
Gaps include specific international trade regulations, documentation, finance, and marketing principles used in the commercial sector. Study the CITP body of knowledge.
Gaps involve specific project management methodologies (Agile, Scrum), business analysis, and risk management techniques commonly used in civilian project management. Study the PMBOK Guide.
Military systems you operated and their civilian equivalents for your resume.
| Military System | Civilian Equivalent | Domain |
|---|---|---|
| Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT) | Language proficiency assessments (e.g., ACTFL) | Operations |
| Joint Knowledge Online (JKO) | Online Learning Platforms (e.g., Coursera, Udemy, LinkedIn Learning) | Operations |
| Foreign Military Sales (FMS) System | International Sales and Logistics Software (e.g., SAP, Oracle with International Trade modules) | Operations |
| Global Force Management (GFM) System | Resource Management and Planning Software | Operations |
| Security Cooperation Information Portal (SCIP) | Secure International Collaboration Platforms | Operations |
| Diplomatic Security Training | Corporate Security Training & Risk Assessment Programs | Operations |
Pair this guide with the VWC AI-powered translator: drop in your service record, get back ATS-optimized civilian resume language tuned to the tech roles above.