Marketing Manager, Founding Marketing Hire

Lever, Inc.; Herndon (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous health coverage for employee

4% 401k match

PTO and Sick Leave

Job summary

Aventra Defense Systems, Inc. in Herndon, VA is hiring its founding marketing hire to own the full marketing function from day one, reporting to the founders and executive team.

You will shape how Aventra presents itself in defense-tech markets and build the systems and team needed to scale through Series B and beyond. This role offers a clear path to Head of Marketing, requires 3–6+ years of marketing leadership, and involves travel up to 25% as you engage at conferences, demos, and industry

Qualifications

• 3–6+ years of marketing leadership, with a track record of owning a function or major workstream.
• Strong written and visual eye; ability to brief and manage outside vendors effectively.
• Experience running both inbound (content, SEO, campaigns) and outbound motions.
• Comfortable operating with minimal structure and building process rather than inheriting it.
• Client-facing and comfortable representing the company at industry events and with customers/partners.

Responsibilities

• Own Aventra’s social media presence and brand voice across platforms.
• Lead content generation from concept through production with external creators.
• Plan and execute inbound and outbound marketing campaigns with performance tracking.
• Manage a content calendar aligned to milestones, funding announcements, and events.
• Source, hire, and manage photography and video vendors/contractors.
• Develop product collateral with engineering and product teams.
• Provide marketing support at conferences, demos, and industry events.
• Build foundational marketing systems (CRM/marketing automation, brand guidelines, content workflows) as the team scales.

Skills

Marketing leadership

Written & visual storytelling

Inbound & outbound marketing

Vendor management

Strategic planning

Job description

About Aventra

Aventra builds long-range, low-cost strike and ISR systems for the US and its allies: stratospheric platforms, precision glide vehicles, and ultra long range attack drones. Mass at range, at a price that changes the math. We’re venture-backed, based in Herndon, Virginia, and flying hardware today.

We are a mission-driven team moving at startup speed with defense-grade accountability. Our programs span contracted deliveries, government demonstrations, and ongoing system development, and our pace reflects the urgency of the problems we’re solving.

The Role

We’re hiring our founding marketing hire — someone who can own the full marketing function end to end from day one and grow into a leadership role as the team scales. You’ll work directly with the founders and executive team, shape how Aventra shows up publicly in a fast-moving defense-tech and national security landscape, and build the systems and team needed to support a company scaling through Series B and beyond. Strong performance in this role comes with a clear path to Head of Marketing, including hiring and managing a team.

What You’ll Own

Ownership

• Aventra’s social media presence and brand voice across all platforms
• Content generation, from concept through production, in partnership with outside creative resources
• Inbound and outbound marketing campaigns, including planning, execution, and performance tracking
• A social and content calendar aligned to product milestones, funding announcements, and industry events
• Sourcing, hiring, and managing photography and video vendors/contractors
• Product collateral development (data sheets, one-pagers, web content, trade show materials) in partnership with engineering and product
• Client and partner-facing marketing support at conferences, demos, and industry events
• Building the marketing function’s foundational systems (CRM/marketing automation, brand guidelines, content workflows) as the team scales

Who You Are

Minimum Qualifications

• 3-6+ years of marketing experience, with a track record of owning a marketing function or major workstream independently
• Strong written and visual eye; able to brief and manage outside creative vendors effectively
• Experience running both inbound (content, SEO, campaigns) and outbound (targeted outreach, event marketing, ABM-style campaigns) motions
• Comfortable operating with minimal structure and building process rather than inheriting it
• Client-facing and comfortable representing the company at industry events and in front of customers/partners

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience at a venture-backed startup, ideally at or near the founding marketing hire stage
• Prior exposure to defense, aerospace, government, or dual-use tech markets is a strong plus
• Willing to be based in Herndon, VA and travel roughly 20% of the time

$120,000 - $165,000 a year

Compensation Package

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience
• Generous health coverage for employee and family, premium fully covered
• 4% 401k match
• PTO and Sick Leave

Travel & Work Environment

Travel Requirements

• Travel up to 25% to customer sites, and field test locations
• Ability to work in austere field conditions and military operational environments
• Flexibility to support urgent operational requirements and schedule changes

Work Environment

• In-person role based in Herndon, VA
• Collaborative environment supporting critical national security missions
• Direct support to warfighter capabilities and mission success

This is a ground-floor opportunity to build a marketing function at a Series A defense-tech company backed by a tier-1 venture syndicate, led by a multi-time defense founding team, with direct access to the founders and a clear growth path into a leadership role as the company and team scale.
Aventra Defense Systems, Inc is a venture‑backed startup building scalable, precision‑guided capabilities for the next generation of combat. We are assembling a team of engineers and operators who believe in speed, simplicity, and delivering real capability to the field—not just PowerPoint slides.