---
title: 'Analyst - Defense Acquisition at Obviant'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/analyst-defense-acquisition-obviant-arlington-k5yr7xs1gczg'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-19'
---

# Analyst - Defense Acquisition at Obviant

- **Company:** Obviant
- **Location:** Arlington, VA
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-09-30
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-19
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/obviant/a47003ce-eb5b-41f1-969b-6c9919914cdd

## Job description

## About Obviant

The defense market is surging, but the data that drives it hasn’t kept up. Companies, government, and investors are forced to perform heavily manual processes and piece together hundreds of disparate sources to make decisions. Obviant is building a data source of truth and AI tools for defense acquisition to solve this. We fuse information from thousands of sources – structured + unstructured – to provide a cohesive picture of budget, programs, the organizations running them, and much more. Whether it’s a company navigating GTM or a program manager developing capabilities, we’re providing all sides with the intelligence they need to execute effectively. We’re growing fast and backed by top funds and DoD/national security veterans. We believe that public sector mission sets matter above anything else. If you feel the same way, we’d love for you to join us.

## The role

As our Defense Acquisition Data Analyst, you make sure the data behind Obviant is right and that it means what acquisition professionals think it means. You sit between the people who know how a program element, a contract line item, or a milestone decision actually works and the engineers and managers who turn that knowledge into models, pipelines, and products.

Who we're looking for. Someone with deep defense acquisition expertise how requirements become programs, get funded, and get put on contract who also knows the data systems that track that process: what they contain, what they leave out, and how far they can be trusted.

## What you'll do

- Be the authority on our sources. Know what each defense data system contains and what it doesn't, including how and when data is reported.
- Know the limitations. Explain reporting lags, coverage gaps, omitted or restricted data, inconsistent identifiers, and where official sources disagree and what that means for the conclusions users draw.
- Connect the dots across sources. Explain how a budget request relates to the program it funds, the contracts that execute it, and the organizations that manage it, and where those links break down.
- Catch what's substantively wrong. Flag data and results that are technically valid but don't match how acquisition, budgeting, or contracting actually work.
- Advise product and engineering. Tell the team how each source should be interpreted and presented, so the product reflects what the data actually says.
- Evaluate AI outputs. Write test questions and review model-generated answers so our AI features give acquisition professionals decision-grade results.
- Support customers. Join customer conversations, explain where our data comes from and its caveats, and help government and industry users trust what they see.
- Capture and encode SME knowledge to improve our systems

Who we're looking for You're a defense acquisition expert first. You understand how the system works end to end, and you know the data systems that record it well enough to explain their strengths and blind spots.

Required:

- 6+ years in defense acquisition, budgeting, or contracting e.g., program office, comptroller/financial management, contracting, PPBE, either as a government employee or a contractor supporting those functions
- Complete working knowledge of the defense acquisition system from requirements (e.g., JCIDS), funding (e.g., PPBE), and management (e.g., DAS)
- Fluency in budget concepts: appropriations and colors of money, program elements and budget line items, justification exhibits (R-1, P-1, J-books), and how funds move from request to obligation
- Understanding of contracting vehicles, contract types, and how awards and modifications are made and reported
- Deep familiarity with the DoW data systems of record behind acquisition, budget, or contracts or related domains including what they contain, what they omit, reporting lags, and where they conflict
- Strong analytical skills; comfortable working hands-on with large, messy datasets in Excel or similar tools
- Ability to explain complex concepts plainly to engineers, customers, and executives
- Comfort with ambiguity and incomplete data you know what "good enough" is and isn't
- Strong written communication; you document what you know so others can use it

Nice to have:

- DAWIA / DAU certification (Program Management, Contracting, or Business – Financial Management)
- Experience at DoD/DoW, a military service, DIU, or a defense-focused consultancy or FFRDC
- Familiarity with LLMs, retrieval, or evaluating AI-generated answers
- Experience querying data with SQL or Python
- Active security clearance

What success looks like

- The product team and engineers come to you first when they need to know how a budget, program, or contract concept actually works.
- You've documented what each of our core sources contains, what it leaves out, and its known limitations, and the team uses that reference every day.
- Customers trust our data because you can explain where it comes from, what it means, and where its caveats are.
- Our AI features give accurate, acquisition-grade answers, backed by test questions and reviews you've built.
- You catch substantive errors numbers that look valid but don't match how acquisition works before users do.
- You've helped shape new product features by turning real acquisition workflows and user questions into clear requirements.

Our Principles We live these every day. If they don't sound like you, this won't be a fit and we'd both rather know now.

- Impact. Our work matters. We take a lot of pride in building to advance mission outcomes.
- Overdeliver. We go above and beyond in everything we do - creating products and serving our users
- Hustle. We get stuff done, no matter what it takes.
- Empathy. Our users’ problems are our own. We don't push products, we solve problems.
- Humility. We’re not afraid to admit what we don’t know. Our job is to listen and grow.
- Integrity. Transparency & respect above all else. It’s non-negotiable, even when it isn't easy

## Benefits & Structure

- Flexible schedule - We all have other things going on in our lives. Doctor visits, kids’ activities, dog walks - take care of it whenever you have to. And work from home when you need to.
- Sizeable equity - We’re building something with massive upside potential, and you’ll have ownership in that. This is ours.
- Flexible vacation time - Use what you want, as long as you’re taking care of what needs to get done.
- Full health, dental, and vision insurance.

To apply, visithttps://www.google.com/search?q=https%3A%2F%2Fobviant.com%2Fcareers[obviant.com/careers](http://obviant.com/careers) Obviant is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

## About Obviant

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Obviant unifies thousands of structured and unstructured defense acquisition data sources into a single intelligence platform that helps government agencies, defense contractors, and investors make faster, more informed decisions.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Seed stage)
- **Headquarters**: Washington, DC, United States
- **Founded**: 2021 (LinkedIn reports 2021; Built In reports 2023)
- **Founders**: Dylan Taylor (Co-Founder)

## Core Business
- **Industry**: Defense acquisition, data intelligence, national security technology
- **Target Customers**: Government agencies (civil servants, program offices, warfighters) and defense contractors (incumbents and new entrants) – primarily B2G/B2B
- **Mission**: Equip all sides of the defense market with the tools to execute effectively, delivering better capability to the end-user and advancing national security.

## Products & Services
- **Obviant Platform**: A unified data intelligence platform that synthesizes thousands of structured and unstructured sources (budgets, programs, contracts, vendors, requirements) into real-time, source-backed insights. Provides dashboards, curated reports, analytics, and decision-support tools.
- **Research & Curated Reports**: Analyst-grade intelligence tailored to specific needs, distilling complex data into clear courses of action.
- **Enterprise Intelligence**: Allows organizations to connect their own data with market intelligence for a holistic view of the acquisition landscape.
- **Unmatched Analytics**: Transforms complex data into actionable insights for strategy and tactical execution.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly available
- **Key Metric**: **$7.1M** in Seed funding raised (June 2025)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Led by **Shield Capital**; 6 total investors in the Seed round. Also secured a contract expansion with the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment in February 2026.
- **Growth Signals**:
  - 110% year-over-year headcount growth (16 employees as of mid-2025, +11 people)
  - 560% year-over-year web traffic growth
  - Active job postings increased 700% year-over-year (8 open roles as of early 2026)
  - Awarded a contract expansion with the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment (Feb 2026)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Unified Data Source of Truth**: Unlike fragmented manual processes, Obviant provides a single, continuously updated platform covering requirements through contracts across the entire defense acquisition lifecycle.
- **Deep Domain Focus**: Purpose-built for the defense market, with heavy-hitting national security veterans and technology industry advisors.
- **Backed by Defense Leaders**: Investor support from Shield Capital and relationships with key government stakeholders provide credibility and market access.
- **Mission-Driven**: Strong alignment with national security outcomes, attracting top talent motivated by impact.

## Strategic Focus
- Scale the data intelligence platform to serve both government and commercial customers more broadly.
- Expand government contracts (e.g., the recent contract expansion with the Under Secretary of War).
- Grow the team across engineering, mission success, and account executive roles, with emphasis on data engineering, AI/ML, product management, and government-facing roles.
- Continue to digitize and accelerate defense acquisition by replacing manual data gathering with automated intelligence.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-First Culture**: "Our work matters. We take a lot of pride in building to advance mission outcomes." Strong sense of purpose in national security.
- **Values**: Impact, overdeliver, hustle, empathy, humility, integrity. "We get stuff done, no matter what it takes."
- **Work Environment**: In-office presence is expected most days (headquarters in Washington, DC), with flexibility to work from home as needed. Small, agile team (currently ~16 people) with high growth.
- **Tech Stack**: Modern stack including Python, TypeScript, React, Node.js, Kubernetes, Docker, Snowflake, Terraform, PyTorch, TensorFlow, Kafka, and various BI tools.
- **Opportunities**: High-autonomy roles with direct impact on product and national security outcomes. Employees come from Booz Allen, Deloitte, Capital One, AWS, and other top firms.
- **Perks**: Not explicitly listed, but the small team and mission focus suggest a tight-knit, driven culture with room for ownership.

## Sources
1. [Obviant.com](https://www.obviant.com/) – main site, platform description
2. [Obviant About](https://www.obviant.com/about-us) – mission, values
3. [Obviant Careers](https://www.obviant.com/careers) – values, open positions
4. [LinkedIn Company Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/company/obviant) – headcount, funding, key executives, growth metrics
5. [Built In Obviant Profile](https://builtin.com/company/obviant) – office policy, tech stack, open roles
6. [Business Wire: $7.1M Seed Round](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250624200000/en/Obviant-Raises-7.1M-in-Funding-to-Scale-its-Data-Intelligence-Platform-for-Defense-Acquisition-Contracting-and-Budgeting) – funding details
7. [FinSMEs: Seed Round](https://www.finsmes.com/2025/06/obviant-raises-7-1m-in-funding.html) – funding confirmation
8. [Business Insider: Selling to Pentagon](https://www.businessinsider.com/selling-to-pentagon-is-messy-and-complex-startups-try-make-easier-2025-6) – market context
9. [Yahoo Finance: Contract Expansion](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/obviant-awarded-contract-expansion-under-100000152.html) – February 2026 contract win

## Other roles at Obviant

- [Senior Data & BI Automation Analyst](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-data-bi-automation-analyst-obviant-arlington-eeeeh06me1c4) — Arlington, VA
- [Analyst - Defense Acquisition](https://feeny.ai/job/analyst-defense-acquisition-obviant-arlington-0zd2mvftxs2h) — Arlington, VA
- [Senior Fullstack Software Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-fullstack-software-engineer-obviant-tampa-rads12h6ahpg) — Tampa, FL
- [Senior Engineering Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-engineering-manager-obviant-tampa-xj2geedm4wav) — Tampa, FL
- [Senior Data & BI Automation Analyst](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-data-bi-automation-analyst-obviant-arlington-8y54d20ezeyc) — Arlington, VA
- [Senior Product Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-product-manager-obviant-arlington-gry9j99dc5dh) — Arlington, VA
- [Senior Engineering Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-engineering-manager-obviant-arlington-ewkt8nt48feg) — Arlington, VA
- [Senior Fullstack Software Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-fullstack-software-engineer-obviant-arlington-94hh1tg7qwtg) — Arlington, VA
- [Account Executive, Commercial](https://feeny.ai/job/account-executive-commercial-obviant-arlington-b0bmxkgjfs5t) — Arlington, VA