Mission Lead - Cyber (Clearance Required)

Vannevar is a defense technology company building AI to deter our adversaries. In the 21st century, conflict moves at algorithmic speed and foresight equals firepower. Our agentic AI is purpose-built to compete with China—from cross-Strait conflict to gray zone coercion. Trained on the most mission-relevant datasets in defense, our technology models adversary behavior, simulates campaigns, and recommends the best course of action to decision makers. Our AI systems are some of the most trusted in the industry and actively used on the front lines of the Indo-Pacific to keep the peace and save lives. Exceptional technology starts with exceptional people. Vannevar is a small agile team combining world-class engineers with veteran strategists who bring deep expertise in defense and tradecraft. We’re building a company defined by mission impact, user empathy, and disciplined growth. In just three years, we grew from $3M to $80M in ARR, achieved early profitability, and reached unicorn status—proving that disruption doesn’t require an ego, and staying power doesn’t mean standing still. About the role Mission Leads are customer-facing owners of mission outcomes. You will lead engagements with government stakeholders to identify high-value mission problems, shape pilots and deployments, and turn demonstrated mission value into durable, funded programs. This role blends mission credibility with strong execution and technical intuition. You will operate with high autonomy in ambiguous environments, translate mission needs into clear technical narratives, and coordinate across functional teams (Product, Engineering, Mission, Security, and Operations) to deliver and scale. This is a customer-facing role required to be based in Washington D.C. Candidates should have experience in the Cyber community. U.S. Persons status with at least a current Top Secret clearance in required. This is a customer-facing role required to be based in Washington D.C. Work will require time in secure or classified environments and periodic travel. What you'll do Lead cyber mission engagements. Build trusted relationships with operators, analysts, planners, technical teams, and senior leaders across the cyber mission community to understand operational priorities, mission objectives, and capability gaps. Translate mission needs into actionable plans. Turn operational challenges into clear problem statements, requirements, success metrics, and execution roadmaps aligned to mission outcomes. Map technology to cyber workflows. Identify where AI-enabled capabilities can improve cyber mission planning, targeting, intelligence production, defensive operations, vulnerability analysis, or command decision-making. Shape pilots and pathways to operational adoption. Define objectives, timelines, evaluation criteria, and transition plans that move capabilities from initial deployment to sustained operational use. Communicate technical value in mission terms. Build compelling narratives that connect our technology to real cyber mission workflows, demonstrating measurable impact and differentiation. Drive mission execution. Lead customer engagements, working groups, operational reviews, executive updates, action-item tracking, and risk mitigation efforts across multiple stakeholders. Coordinate cross-functional delivery. Partner closely with Product and Engineering teams to ensure mission requirements, operational realities, and user feedback directly inform product development. Navigate the cyber enterprise. Help stakeholders work through requirements development, capability integration, acquisition processes, budgeting cycles, security considerations, and organizational coordination. Enable operational success. Support onboarding, training, workflow integration, and change management efforts to ensure users can effectively employ and sustain the capability. Maintain mission awareness. Develop and maintain deep knowledge of customer organizations, operational priorities, sta…