Forward Deployed Mission Strategist, Unmanned Maritime Systems

Sitreps; Norfolk (VA); On-site; USD 165,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

401(k) match

Unlimited PTO

Parental leave

Wellness stipends

Job summary

Sitreps in the United States seeks a Forward Deployed Mission Strategist for unmanned maritime systems. You will embed with the Navy's USV community in Norfolk, working on-site with operators at least three days a week, helping define workflows, and shaping software needs in a 0-to-1 environment.

The role blends mission understanding with engineering cooperation, turning operational challenges into concrete software requirements, and collaborating across product, engineering, and leadership.

Qualifications

• Must be in-person in Norfolk weekly.
• Experience or strong interest in unmanned or manned surface vessels, unmanned systems, or software for planning, running, or monitoring hardware operations.
• Experience solving difficult problems with technology in product/engineering or military fielding contexts.
• High ownership amid ambiguity with grit to push through iteration and friction.
• Experience working with autonomous or unmanned platforms.

Responsibilities

• Embed with operators on site with USV operators and mission planners in Norfolk to build intuition for unmanned surface operations.
• Prioritize problems learned first-hand to distill mission issues worth solving.
• Build workflows and refine them for reliability on real missions.
• Own release quality by tracking and fixing bugs on fielded government systems.
• Generate mission wins by translating deployments into Navy-partnered successes.
• Operate independently on site with support from product, engineering, and leadership.

Skills

Unmanned systems experience

On-site Norfolk

Problem solving

Autonomy under ambiguity

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Forward Deployed Mission Strategist, Unmanned Maritime Systems

Forward Deployed Mission Strategist, Unmanned Maritime Systems
Company: Venture-backed defense AI software company (name disclosed upon mutual interest)
Location: Norfolk, Virginia. On site with operators at least 3 days a week (local, relocating, or weekly travel.
Role Type: Full-Time Employee
Clearance: Not required to start; must be eligible and willing to obtain TS/SCI
Compensation: $165,000–$185,000 base, plus equity

About the Client

Our client builds AI-enabled software for high-stakes U.S. military and national security missions. Its software is already in operational use across the armed services, and its people (engineers and product leaders included) work forward, side by side with the units that own the mission, rather than building from a distance.

About the Role

The company is building software for planning, monitoring, and reviewing unmanned surface vessel (USV) missions, and is hiring a forward-deployed strategist to embed with the Navy's USV community in Norfolk. You will work alongside operators on site at least three days a week, plus waterfront and test time that may mean extra travel during experimentation periods. How these systems are operated is still being worked out, by the very operators you will sit with.
This is a 0-to-1 role. Nobody has settled yet how USVs operate best or what software they need. You will figure that out with the Navy and with the company's mission and engineering teams: understand what operators and commanders are trying to do, break messy operational problems into specific software problems, drive the capability needed, and put it into use. Some of that is configuration and workflow design in existing products; much of it is new capability built side by side with mission partners.
This is not a typical customer success, solutions, or product job. You will have access to government systems and operational settings most of the company does not, and you will be the bridge between USV teams and engineers. The work can be gritty, and you will often operate on your own on site, with support from product, engineering, and leadership.

Responsibilities

• Embed with operators. Work on site with USV operators and mission planners in Norfolk and build deep intuition for unmanned surface operations, including underway and during fleet experimentation.
• Prioritize the problems. Use what you learn first-hand to distill and rank the mission problems worth solving.
• Build what works. Set up the workflows that matter most, refining them until they hold up on actual missions.
• Own release quality. Track down bugs on fielded government systems and get them fixed with engineering.
• Generate mission wins. Turn what gets deployed during operations into clear wins with Navy partners.
• Operate independently. Set priorities on site and move work forward without waiting for perfect direction.

Requirements

Must-Haves

• In person in Norfolk every week, whether you are local, relocate (relocation is covered), or travel in weekly.
• Experience or strong interest in unmanned or manned surface vessels, unmanned systems, or software for planning, running, or monitoring hardware operations (space, for example).
• Experience using technology to solve difficult problems, from product or engineering work or from fielding new technology in the military, and a proven knack for breaking problems into parts.
• High ownership amid ambiguity, and the grit to push through iteration and friction until you get results.
• Experience working with autonomous or unmanned platforms.

Nice-to-Haves

• An active TS/SCI clearance. Not required, but you must be eligible and willing to be cleared.

Compensation & Benefits

Base salary is $165,000 to $185,000, plus equity.

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) match
• Unlimited PTO
• Fully paid parental leave
• Wellness and lifestyle stipends