--- title: 'Mission Lead - SOF (Clearance Required) at Vannevar' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/mission-lead-sof-clearance-required-vannevar-raleigh-9nx0pb3eat9g' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-14' --- # Mission Lead - SOF (Clearance Required) at Vannevar - **Company:** Vannevar - **Location:** Raleigh, NC / Tampa, FL / Washington, DC - **Posted:** 2026-09-21 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-14 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/vannevarlabs/jobs/5240248007 ## Job description Vannevar builds AI systems for the Department of War's most consequential missions. We have 125 deployments across every branch and combatant command spanning our core platform and five distinct products. An an example of how we work, when major combat operations started with Iran, we fielded a new product supporting 24/7 operations and 9,000+ users in three months. How we build is our advantage: we deploy forward with the people who own the mission. Our engineers, product team, and CTO deploy forward to the point of friction, including visiting units in Ukraine. We focus on embedding directly with operational units supporting great power competition with China, combat operations with Iran, and counter-narcotics missions. ## 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 on the East Coast (preferably Washington D.C.). Candidates should have experience in the SOF community or PSYOPs/IO community, and work will require time in secure or classified environments and frequent travel. U.S. Persons status with at least a current Top Secret US DoD or IC clearance is required. This is a customer-facing role required to be based on the East Coast. Work will require time in secure or classified environments and periodic travel. ## What you'll do - Lead mission engagements. Build trusted relationships with operational, technical, and leadership stakeholders to understand mission needs, constraints, and success criteria. - Translate mission problems into plans. Turn mission needs into clear problem statements, requirements, milestones, and measurable outcomes. - Shape pilots and pathways to scale. Define objectives, timelines, and adoption plans that convert early wins into sustained programs. - Communicate the “why” and the “how.” Create crisp technical narratives that map our agent-based capabilities to mission requirements and operational constraints. - Run the operating cadence. Lead weekly customer syncs, internal standups, executive updates/QBRs, action-item tracking, and risk reviews, as applicable. - Coordinate cross-functional delivery. Partner closely with Product and Engineering to ensure mission context is reflected in scope, tradeoffs, and delivery plans. - Navigate program realities. Help stakeholders work through requirements development, budgeting cycles, contracting pathways, and coordination across organizations. - Enable adoption. Coordinate onboarding, training, and customer success so the customer can use and sustain the capability. - Maintain durable account knowledge. Keep high-signal documentation in Notion: stakeholders, org charts, use cases, timelines, deliverables, decisions, and lessons learned. - Support expansion. Identify adjacent use cases and partner with Account teams where applicable. ## What we're looking for - 6+ years owning outcomes in complex customer environments (preferably in the SOF or PSYOPs/IO community) - Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functionally without consistent guidance - Strong written and verbal communication; able to synthesize ambiguity into clear plans and execution - Ability to scope and articulate a solution credibly: connect mission problems to software capabilities and measurable outcomes - Sufficient technical fluency to partner effectively with Product and Engineering and translate complex concepts into mission-relevant narratives - Strong operational skills: planning, prioritization, stakeholder management, and follow-through ## Nice to have - Experience with deployments or fielding in secure/regulated environments (e.g., ATO/IL environments, classified workflows, compliance constraints) - Experience navigating within programs (requirements, budgets, authorities, timelines, contracting pathways) - Deep expertise in a specific mission or technical domain (e.g., cyber, information warfare, ISR, networks, operations, warfare systems/command and control) - Experience running executive-level customer updates (QBRs, steering committees) ## Benefits The salary range for this position is $150,000-$170,000 + equity + 401K match. Within the range, individual pay is determined by experience, relevant education, and/or training. - Health, dental, and vision insurance - 100% remote first culture. You can work from anywhere in the US and all full time employees have WeWork access - Unlimited PTO including competitive vacation and holiday schedules - Lifestyle stipends - Monthly mental health, wellness & fitness stipend, in-home office setup stipend and family planning assistance - Salary top-up during military reserve duty - Fully paid parental leave - Child and pet care reimbursement during travel Vannevar is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, or disability status. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply, even if you don't feel like you're a perfect fit. If you're passionate about contributing to our mission, we'd love to hear from you! ## IMPORTANT NOTICE We are committed to protecting the privacy of all applicants. Official emails from the company will come from an @vannevarlabs.com domain. Under no circumstances will a legitimate representative from our company contact you to request passwords, financial information, or other sensitive personal data. Please be vigilant of potential scams. ## About Vannevar ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Vannevar Labs builds next-generation AI-powered defense software for information dominance and decision advantage across the U.S. military and homeland security missions. - **Entity Type**: Private (Series B, total funding $91.5M) - **Headquarters**: Palo Alto, California, USA - **Founded**: 2019 - **Founders**: Brett Granberg (CEO) and Nini Hamrick (President) ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Defense and Space Manufacturing; National Security Software - **Target customers**: U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), Intelligence Community, Homeland Security – including combatant commands (INDOPACOM, SOCOM, AFSOC, etc.) and federal agencies. - **Mission**: Build 21st-century software that operates at the speed of modern conflict to give the U.S. and its allies battlefield information dominance and decision advantage. ## Products & Services - **[Decrypt](https://www.vannevarlabs.com/)** – Flagship product: a foreign text workflow platform that processes vast amounts of open-source intelligence (OSINT), translates languages (Mandarin, Russian, etc.), and surfaces critical patterns and insights for intelligence officers. SaaS deployed at the tactical edge. - **[Curator](https://research.contrary.com/report/vannevar-labs)** – (Beta) A translation and search-and-discovery tool built on top of Decrypt’s data pipeline. - **Unreleased Products** – At least two additional tools in beta (as of Nov 2024) focused on computer vision and/or NLP for battlefield applications. - **Forward Deployed Engineering** – Custom integration and mission support for specific units, often requiring security clearances. ## Market Standing - **Valuation**: Not disclosed (last known post-Series B in 2023) - **Total Funding**: $91.5M - Seed (Apr 2019): $4.5M - Seed (Jan 2021): undisclosed amount, led by Costanoa Ventures and General Catalyst - Series A (Aug 2021): $12M, led by Costanoa Ventures and Point72 Ventures - Series B (Jan 2023): $75M, led by Felicis (with 7 investors) - **Annual Revenue**: Conflicting reports – [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/vannevar-labs) lists $25M; [Contrary Research](https://research.contrary.com/report/vannevar-labs) states revenue grew from $3.5M in 2021 to $80M in 2024, achieving profitability within three years. - **Key Customers & Partners**: U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Air Force Special Operations Command, U.S. Special Operations Command, National Air and Space Intelligence Center; partner with Databricks (announced Oct 2024). - **Notable Investors**: Costanoa Ventures, General Catalyst, Point72 Ventures, Felicis. - **Growth Signals**: Featured on Forbes AI 50 (2024 & 2025); headcount reportedly over 200 as of Dec 2025 (per Contrary); active in major joint exercises (Balikatan 2025, Talisman Sabre 2025); secured a $99M production contract from the Defense Innovation Unit in late 2024. ## Competitive Advantages - **Rare Proprietary Data** – Over one petabyte of adversarial, hard-to-access data that powers fine-tuned AI models not available to commercial firms. - **Tactical Edge Deployment** – AI systems designed to run at the edge, on low-bandwidth battlefield environments, ensuring real-time decision superiority. - **Rapid DoD Adoption** – Uses flexible Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements and DIU partnerships to bypass traditional procurement timelines. - **Cross-Domain Expertise** – Combines talent from elite military units (SEALs, Marines, Intelligence) with top tech companies (Google, Palantir, Scale AI, Amazon, Apple). - **Profitability at Scale** – Achieved profitability within three years – a rare achievement in defense tech. ## Strategic Focus - **Expand International & Homeland Security** – Growing footprint beyond all‑military to include Homeland Security, border security, and diplomatic economic security tools. - **Agentic AI Platform** – Building “armies of agents” that can autonomously steer fleets, detect threats, and keep missiles from flying, with human-in-the-loop oversight. - **Indo‑Pacific Deterrence** – Deepening capabilities for theater‑specific deterrence and partner‑nation data sharing. - **Talent Heavy‑Up** – Actively hiring for 28+ roles (as of mid‑2026) across engineering, mission, and operations, especially those requiring TS/SCI clearances. ## Why Work Here - **Mission‑Driven Culture** – Described as “a workplace like no other” where ex‑Googlers work alongside ex‑SEALs to build AI that protects American lives. Employees focus on “real‑world difference” rather than incremental consumer apps. - **Work Environment** – Hybrid / remote‑friendly, though many roles require on‑site presence in D.C., Honolulu, or other cleared facilities. Remote positions exist for those with existing clearances. - **Engineering Philosophy** – Emphasis on building agent‑based systems, working with rare datasets, and pushing AI to the tactical edge. Employees cite high compensation but note work‑life balance challenges (rating 2.7/5 on Glassdoor). - **Career Growth** – Rapidly growing organization with direct exposure to defense decision‑makers, opportunities to lead mission‑critical deployments, and a strong alumni network feeding into top defense tech (Palantir, Anduril, Scale AI). - **Security Clearance Required** – Most engineering and mission roles require (or sponsor) U.S. government security clearances (TS/SCI). This is a strong signal of deep‑end work. ## Sources 1. [vannevarlabs.com](https://www.vannevarlabs.com/) – Company website 2. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/vannevar-labs) – LinkedIn Company Page (financials, headcount, reviews) 3. [research.contrary.com](https://research.contrary.com/report/vannevar-labs) – Contrary Research Report (funding details, revenue, products, headcount, customers) 4. [job-boards.greenhouse.io](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/vannevarlabs) – Greenhouse careers page (open roles, job descriptions) 5. [vannevarlabs.com/careers/open-roles](https://www.vannevarlabs.com/careers/open-roles/) – Official open roles listing ## Other roles at Vannevar - [Mission Lead - Economic Security (Clearance Required)](https://feeny.ai/job/mission-lead-economic-security-clearance-required-vannevar-washington-hvg4m0sa4q63) — Washington, DC - [Senior Business Operations Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-business-operations-manager-vannevar-remote-h6qsr43fdbgp) - [Senior Full-Stack Engineer - Product (TS/SCI Required)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-full-stack-engineer-product-ts-sci-required-vannevar-new-york-h8g9064nyfn1) — New York, NY - [Mission Lead - USV Software](https://feeny.ai/job/mission-lead-usv-software-vannevar-norfolk-sqx8zrd0frb3) — Norfolk, VA - [MBA Intern Summer 2027 (Mission Lead - Clearance Required)](https://feeny.ai/job/mba-intern-summer-2027-mission-lead-clearance-required-vannevar-remote-avzdxn94n0m6) - [Site Reliability Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/site-reliability-engineer-vannevar-san-diego-p9976d72d3t7) — San Diego, CA - [Backend Engineer, Security Platform](https://feeny.ai/job/backend-engineer-security-platform-vannevar-remote-gd6m1yp60vpm) - [Mission Lead - Tampa (Clearance Required)](https://feeny.ai/job/mission-lead-tampa-clearance-required-vannevar-tampa-xvmbqzgnd8e4) — Tampa, FL - [Mission Lead - Minneapolis (Clearance Required)](https://feeny.ai/job/mission-lead-minneapolis-clearance-required-vannevar-minneapolis-wbjzys1gy9my) — Minneapolis, MN - [Government Contracts Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/government-contracts-manager-vannevar-remote-a4ncnwmaa3mb)