Senior Defense Mission Programs Lead

InvestedintheMission; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Remote friendly with WeWork access

401(k) match

Unlimited PTO

Job summary

Vannevar Labs is seeking a Senior Mission Manager to drive adoption of our AI-enabled defense tech within government program offices. You will work with PEOs and PMWs to shape pilots, scope capabilities, and convert mission value into funded programs.

We value deep mission credibility, strong technical intuition, and the ability to operate in ambiguous, early-stage environments. U.S. clearance is required for this role.

Qualifications

• 15–20+ years in government/defense missions or equivalent senior leadership roles.
• Deep domain expertise in a specific mission or technical area (e.g., cyber, ISR, networks).
• Proven ability to scope, pitch, and sell technical solutions to senior government stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead engagements with government program offices to identify mission problems.
• Translate program needs into technical narratives mapping to software capabilities.
• Scope and shape pilots, define objectives and timelines, and plan pathways to scale.
• Pitch technology with credibility to program managers and technical authorities.
• Coordinate budgeting, contracting, and stakeholder activities to advance programs.
• Work with product and engineering to ensure mission context is reflected in scope and delivery.
• Convert pilots into sustained programs with funding justification.
• Represent the company as a mission-credible, technically fluent partner.

Skills

mission management

stakeholder comms

technical fluency

storytelling

Tools

CRM systems

Job description

Vannevar Labs is seeking a Senior Mission Manager to drive adoption of our AI-enabled defense tech within government program offices. You will work with PEOs and PMWs to shape pilots, scope capabilities, and convert mission value into funded programs.

We value deep mission credibility, strong technical intuition, and the ability to operate in ambiguous, early-stage environments. U.S. clearance is required for this role.