Business Operations, Federal

Arena Physica; New York (NY); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision insurance for

401(k) Retirement Plan

Unlimited PTO

Lunch from local restaurants via Share

Relocation support provided

Job summary

Arena Physica is seeking a founding member for our Federal team to scale government work and partnerships from our NYC HQ. You will own proposals end to end, manage compliance, and coordinate with engineering to align objectives with government programs.

You will move between opportunities, from drafting government submissions to creating market expansion strategies, while operating autonomously and influencing company strategy. Domestic and international travel is required.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional experience in investment banking, management consulting, or a high-growth startup focused on aerospace, defense, or government affairs.
• Highly capable writer and storyteller, with experience translating complex concepts for diverse stakeholders.
• Track record of solving problems at scale and delivering impact.

Responsibilities

• Own government opportunity submissions end to end - track solicitations, draft proposals with engineering input, and ensure compliance.
• Drive outreach and partnerships - identify strategic partners and engage program offices effectively.
• Build deep fluency in company tech, customers, and processes to support any project.
• Build a scalable operational engine including pipeline management, forecasting, and cross-functional coordination.
• Design and run systems that connect pipeline, program execution, and financial outcomes for leadership visibility.
• Travel domestically and internationally up to 30% of time; work in NYC HQ when not traveling.

Skills

Government affairs

Proposal writing

Stakeholder communication

Strategic thinking

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

Job description

Arena Physica is on a mission to accelerate hardware innovation that powers human progress. Our name is inspired by Theodore Roosevelt's 'Citizenship in a Republic' speech. To us, entering the Arena means committing fully and accepting the risk of failure in pursuit of an audacious, worthy cause. We believe the future belongs to those brave enough to build it.

Our team of 60 combines AI engineering and applied physics expertise with deep experience in enterprise deployments. We're headquartered in NYC with presences in San Francisco and Los Angeles, backed by ~$90M from Initialized, Founders Fund, Goldcrest Capital, Fifth Down Capital, and Shield Capital.

If you're ready to do the most important work of your career, join us in the Arena.

Who we are

Arena Physica is on a mission to accelerate hardware innovation that powers human progress. Our name is inspired by Theodore Roosevelt's 'Citizenship in a Republic' speech. To us, entering the Arena means committing fully and accepting the risk of failure in pursuit of an audacious, worthy cause. We believe the future belongs to those brave enough to build it.

Our team of 60 combines AI engineering and applied physics expertise with deep experience in enterprise deployments. We're headquartered in NYC with presences in San Francisco and Los Angeles, backed by ~$90M from Initialized, Founders Fund, Goldcrest Capital, Fifth Down Capital, and Shield Capital.

If you're ready to do the most important work of your career, join us in the Arena.

What we do

At Arena Physica, we're building electromagnetic superintelligence. Our AI platform Atlas operationalizes physics-grounded intelligence to verify, debug, and optimize hardware across its lifecycle. Atlas is already trusted globally by the world's most advanced hardware companies, including AMD, Anduril, and Bausch & Lomb, for applications across R&D, integration testing, production assembly, and field repair.

About the role

As a founding member of our Federal team, you will partner directly with our Head of Federal to scale this business unit. You'll wear multiple hats, jumping into internal and external problems, and own problems end to end.

On fast timelines, you'll move between domains as the company's priorities shift: one week you might be writing a proposal for a new government program, the next you're signing up a partnership with a strategic program and creating a market expansion strategy.

You’ll be trusted to operate with significant autonomy, to make recommendations that influence company strategy, and to follow through on the execution to makes those strategies real.

How you will contribute

• Own government opportunity submissions end to end - track solicitations across the agencies and programs, author proposals in partnership with our engineering team, and own compliance requirements
• Drive outreach and partnerships - proactively identify strategic partners, develop relationships with program offices, and shape how we communicate our technology with the government
• Build deep company fluency - deeply embed in the company's technology, customers, economics, and organization and be an expert across our processes so you can support any project
• Build a repeatable, scalable operational engine - this includes opportunity qualification, pipeline management, forecasting, and cross-functional coordination
• Design and run systems - connect pipeline, program execution, and financial outcomes to give leadership the visibility to make faster, better-informed decisions
• Travel domestically and internationally (up to 30% of your time)
• Work in person at Arena Physica's NYC HQ when not traveling

Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional experience, ideally in investment banking, management consulting, or a high-growth startup with a focus on aerospace, defense, or government affairs
• An incredibly high bar for quality, with deep intensity and drive – this role will be demanding and require long hours to solve complex problems
• Strong written and verbal communication & storytelling – you can move fluidly from investor-ready financial models to polished customer presentations, communicating clearly and concisely to a wide variety of stakeholders
• A track record of creative problem solving and owning impact at scale - you have a reputation for making magic happen
• A deep scrappiness and intrinsic desire to win despite the odds
• Background in national security, defense tech, gov tech or federal program management preferred

Benefits & Perks Include:

• 100% of the monthly premiums covered with Aetna medical vision, and dental insurance for you and your dependents
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Unlimited PTO
• Lunch every day from local restaurants via Sharebite
• Relocation support provided

The base salary range for this position is $150,000 - $200,000 yr. However, base pay offered may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. In addition to base salary, we also offer competitive equity and benefits packages.

This position may require access to information protected under U.S. export control laws and regulations, including the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Please note that any offer for employment may be conditioned on authorization to receive software or technology controlled under these U.S. export control laws and regulations without sponsorship for an export license.