--- title: 'Managing Director, Government Relations - Legislative Branch at Hadrian Automation' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/managing-director-government-relations-legislative-branch-hadrian-automation-pv4d6peb6qkr' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-11-10' --- # Managing Director, Government Relations - Legislative Branch at Hadrian Automation - **Company:** [Hadrian Automation](https://feeny.ai/companies/hadrian-automation) - **Location:** Washington, DC - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-09-29 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-10 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/hadrian-automation/bdc3fd16-f4b7-4acb-9f7c-9dcc4fce2fc1 ## Job description Hadrian - Manufacturing the Future Hadrian is building autonomous factories to reindustrialize America. By combining AI, advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing, we help aerospace and defense companies build rockets, satellites, aircraft, ships, and other mission-critical systems up to 10x faster and at significantly lower cost. Following our $1.37B Series D at a $7.87B valuation, Hadrian is rapidly expanding our manufacturing footprint, launching new capabilities across welding, casting, forging, electronics, additive manufacturing, and more, while scaling our Factory-as-a-Service platform to transform how critical products are built. Backed by leading investors including JPMorgan Chase, Valor Equity Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, 137 Ventures, Lux Capital, T. Rowe Price, and Morgan Stanley, we’re building the future of American manufacturing—and looking for exceptional people to help make it happen. If you’re ready to take on the most challenging and rewarding work of your career while helping create American manufacturing jobs for generations to come, you’re exactly who we’re looking for. ## The Role This role owns Hadrian's relationship with Congress: the committees, members, and staff whose decisions shape defense policy, program funding, and the operating environment Hadrian builds in. It sits inside the Government Relations pillar alongside the Executive Branch and State & Local functions and works closely — but not interchangeably — with the Chief of Staff's office and the Strategic Engagement Partnerships pillar to keep congressional engagement, budget strategy, and outside validation moving in the same direction. This is an explicitly nonpartisan role. Hadrian's mission depends on durable relationships with policymakers across the political spectrum, and this role is accountable for building and sustaining that trust on both sides of the aisle. This role starts with one direct report and is expected to grow the Legislative Branch team over time as Hadrian's congressional footprint expands. On budget and NDAA matters specifically, this role receives dotted-line support from the Principal, Government Relations — Defense Budget & Resourcing. This role also coordinates with the Head of Government Relations, Executive Branch for Legislative Branch support as needed. This role also manages Hadrian's outside lobbying consultants, directing their work and drawing on their relationships to extend Hadrian's reach on the Hill beyond what an in-house team can cover alone. ## What You’ll Do Congressional Strategy & Relationships - Build and hold relationships with congressional leadership, the Armed Services and Appropriations Committees, the Rules Committee, relevant oversight committees, and members and staff whose priorities affect Hadrian's factories, programs, and customers. - Set legislative strategy for Hadrian's priorities in relevant legislation, translating company and program needs into legislative language and asks. - Own day-to-day congressional outreach: identifying which relationships matter most, sequencing engagement, and keeping the broader team informed of shifting political and legislative dynamics. - Partner with the Principal, Government Relations — Defense Budget & Resourcing, incorporating their financial management regulation and execution expertise into Hill strategy. - Manage Hadrian's external lobbying consultants and firms, directing their scope of work and leveraging their existing relationships to extend Hadrian's congressional reach and coverage. Nonpartisan Relationship-Building - Build and maintain credibility with offices across the political spectrum, adapting outreach and messaging to different congressional offices' priorities without compromising Hadrian's nonpartisan posture. - Coordinate political giving and stakeholder engagement strategy, where applicable, to reflect the composition and priorities of the sitting Congress. - Represent Hadrian at congressional hearings, briefings, and member or staff meetings, ensuring consistent, on-message engagement. - Develop and maintain a congressional engagement strategy that anticipates and manages political risk for Hadrian. ## Team & Cross-Functional Coordination - Manage and develop the Legislative Branch team, starting with one direct report, and build out the function's structure as it grows. - Coordinate as needed with the Public Policy leadership team, so Hadrian speaks with one voice across the function. ## What We’re Looking For - A career spanning both congressional staff experience — such as a senior national security advisor for a member of Congress or defense committee staffer — and corporate government affairs leadership. - A track record of translating policy priorities into legislative language and outcomes, including experience getting specific provisions included in an enacted defense authorization bills and appropriations bills. - Demonstrated ability to build and sustain relationships with congressional offices across the political spectrum, grounded in trust rather than partisan alignment. - Experience designing structured outreach efforts — stakeholder engagement plans, political giving strategies, or similar — to match a changing Congress. - Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience with speechwriting, public statements, or testimony preparation. - Comfortable managing and developing a small but growing team. - Prior military service is a meaningful plus given Hadrian's mission and its customer base. - A relentless, genuine focus on Hadrian's mission: rebuilding American industrial capacity and the workforce that runs it. - Proactive and collaborative, with a sense of levity that makes the work better without ever letting up on the bar for excellence. - Currently practicing as a registered federal lobbyist, or immediately eligible to register. - Holds or can obtain a national security clearance. ## Compensation For this role, the target salary range is $224,000 - $260,000 (actual range may vary based on experience). This is the lowest to highest salary we reasonably and in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range, and the range may be modified in the future. An employee's pay position within the salary range will be based on several factors, including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, performance, and business or organizational needs. ## Benefits for Full-time Employees - Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans for employees 401k - Relocation support may be provided for certain situations, based on business need. - Flexible vacation policy - Equity ITAR Requirements To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident, protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here. Use of AI in hiring Hadrian uses AI-assisted tools in our recruiting and hiring processes to help our team work more efficiently. This may include tools that help organize and analyze recruiting data, as well as an AI-powered notetaker that can record and transcribe interviews and help coordinate feedback. These tools support our team and are not used to make hiring decisions. All candidate evaluations and hiring decisions are performed by humans. If an interview will be recorded, you will be notified in advance and may opt out at any time with no impact on your candidacy. Candidate data processed through these tools is subject to the same protections described in our [Privacy Policy](https://www.hadrian.co/privacy-policy). Consideration of Criminal History Hadrian will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of all applicable laws. We do not ask about criminal history on our application, and we do not consider criminal history before making a conditional offer of employment. Hadrian Is An Equal Opportunity Employer Hadrian does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, marital status, mental status, physical disability or any other legally protected status. When necessary, the Company also makes reasonable accommodations for disabled candidates and employees, including for candidates or employees who are disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. ## About Hadrian Automation ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Hadrian builds AI-powered autonomous factories to manufacture precision components for the aerospace and defense industries, aiming to reindustrialize American manufacturing. - **Entity Type**: Private (Series C) - **Headquarters**: Los Angeles, California, USA - **Founded**: 2021 - **Founders**: Chris Power ## Core Business - **Primary Industry**: Defense and Space Manufacturing, Advanced Manufacturing - **Target Customers**: B2B; startups, Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers, and major defense contractors across space, shipbuilding, and aviation. - **Mission/Purpose**: To rebuild America’s industrial base with highly automated factories that combine process engineering, AI, and robotics, helping space and defense manufacturers produce at scale in the U.S. and giving American workers the tools to compete globally. ## Products & Services - **Precision Components Manufacturing**: Produces precision parts for aerospace and defense customers, from prototype to production. - **Opus (Factory Autonomy Platform)**: A full-stack, AI-powered platform that interprets legacy designs and automates manufacturing and inspection processes, enabling world-class speed, quality, and utilization. - **Factories-as-a-Service**: Dedicated manufacturing or inspection cells deployed in Hadrian facilities or customer sites, as well as entire product, assembly, and component factories designed and operated by Hadrian. - **Atlas Supply Chain Platform**: A "Supply Chain as a Service" offering that gives customers a single, scalable path from early development through full-rate production, managing end-to-end procurement across a vetted network of suppliers. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed. - **Key Metric**: Total Funding of **$363.95M** across 8 rounds. - **Revenue**: Annual revenue estimated at **$3.0M** (per LinkedIn). - **Notable Investors**: Lux Capital, Founders Fund, Andreessen Horowitz, T. Rowe Price (led Series C). - **Growth Signals**: - Headcount of **325 employees** (as of recent data), with **+112.9% YoY growth**. - **156 active job postings** (as of mid-2026), with job postings up **+457.1% YoY**. - Opened a new 270,000 sq ft factory in Mesa, AZ (Factory 3), creating 350 new jobs. - Unveiled **Factory Four**, a 2.2 million sq ft facility in Huntsville, AL. - Launched **Hadrian Maritime** to serve naval production. - Acquired **Datum Source** (2024) to strengthen supply chain capabilities. - Added veteran security and defense leaders (Caleb Sima as CSO, Wallis Laughrey as VP of Munitions) in June 2026. ## Competitive Advantages - **Full-Stack Automation**: Their AI-powered "Opus" platform automates the entire manufacturing and inspection process, reducing reliance on skilled labor and increasing speed. - **Speed & Cost**: Claims to deliver parts up to 10x faster and 2x cheaper than the legacy defense industrial base. - **New American Workforce**: Their system trains factory technicians in 30 days or less, solving the skilled labor shortage. - **Flexible Capacity**: Offers a "Factory-as-a-Service" model, providing dedicated facilities or production lines integrated into customer sites, reducing overhead for clients. - **Deep Defense & Space Focus**: A clear, singular focus on the most demanding and high-stakes manufacturing challenges in the U.S., creating a strong moat. ## Strategic Focus - **Scaling Production Capacity**: Rapidly expanding factory footprint (Torrance, Mesa, Huntsville) to meet surging demand from defense and space programs. - **Broadening Capabilities**: Expanding into new domains like naval production (Hadrian Maritime) and munitions. - **Deepening the Tech Stack**: Continuing to invest in Opus and the Atlas platform to drive further automation and efficiency. - **National Security Mission**: Positioning itself as a critical partner in reindustrializing the U.S. defense industrial base. ## Why Work Here - **Mission-Driven**: A clear and compelling mission to rebuild America’s industrial base and enable a free, abundant, spacefaring future. - **High-Growth Environment**: Explosive growth (headcount up 113% YoY) with hundreds of open roles across engineering, manufacturing, and business functions. - **Impactful Work**: Directly contribute to building the factories and software that produce critical components for rockets, satellites, jets, and ships. - **Culture of Solving Hard Problems**: The company explicitly seeks people who "solve hard problems" across software, hardware, and operations. - **Locations**: Major hubs in **Los Angeles, CA**; **Mesa, AZ**; and **Washington D.C.**, with a new massive facility in **Huntsville, AL**. - **Diverse Roles**: Actively hiring for Software Engineers, Manufacturing Engineers, Robotics Engineers, Technicians, and business talent. - **Backing**: Strong financial backing from top-tier VC firms (a16z, Founders Fund, Lux Capital), providing stability and resources. ## Sources 1. [hadrian.co](https://www.hadrian.co/) 2. [hadrian.co/about](https://www.hadrian.co/about) 3. [hadrian.co/careers](https://www.hadrian.co/careers) 4. [linkedin.com/company/hadrianautomation](https://www.linkedin.com/company/hadrianautomation) 5. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/hadrian-1) ## Other roles at Hadrian Automation - [Manufacturing Engineer, Production](https://feeny.ai/job/manufacturing-engineer-production-hadrian-automation-los-angeles-yf056vdrxq9r) — Los Angeles, CA - [Build Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/build-engineer-hadrian-automation-los-angeles-d5vhyhx852ha) — Los Angeles, CA - [Technical Program Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-program-manager-hadrian-automation-los-angeles-y9ahmscvcs4p) — Los Angeles, CA - [Engineering Manager, Materials Test](https://feeny.ai/job/engineering-manager-materials-test-hadrian-automation-los-angeles-1g74acv8ec7j) — Los Angeles, CA - [Capital Markets Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/capital-markets-manager-hadrian-automation-los-angeles-dd7x3f4hec1h) — Los Angeles, CA - [Capital Markets Associate](https://feeny.ai/job/capital-markets-associate-hadrian-automation-los-angeles-cjc8r5wmzxkp) — Los Angeles, CA - [Training Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/training-specialist-hadrian-automation-cherokee-ted0m7yq8ec3) — Cherokee, AL - [Senior Manager, Purchasing](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manager-purchasing-hadrian-automation-los-angeles-fffxhf3egx01) — Los Angeles, CA - [Program Finance Associate](https://feeny.ai/job/program-finance-associate-hadrian-automation-los-angeles-7kzgcx57nn0z) — Los Angeles, CA - [Corporate Finance Associate](https://feeny.ai/job/corporate-finance-associate-hadrian-automation-los-angeles-ftw0g368w6z6) — Los Angeles, CA