--- title: 'Mission Lead - USV Software at Vannevar' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/mission-lead-usv-software-vannevar-norfolk-sqx8zrd0frb3' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-14' --- # Mission Lead - USV Software at Vannevar - **Company:** Vannevar - **Location:** Norfolk, VA - **Work type:** remote - **Posted:** 2026-09-18 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-14 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/vannevarlabs/jobs/5242039007 ## 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 Most of the companies in the USV space build hulls. We are building the software that enables the planning, operational monitoring, and post-mission analysis for what these hulls do. We're hiring a forward-deployed Mission Strategist to embed with the Navy's unmanned surface vessel community in Norfolk. This is an in-person, on-site role requiring you to work alongside USV operators at least 3 days per week - whether you're based locally, willing to relocate, or able to travel to Norfolk weekly. This includes waterfront and operational testing time that may involve additional travel during experimentation periods. The doctrine for USV operations is being written right now by the operators you'll be working with. This is a 0 to 1 role. How these systems best operate and what software is required to most effectively enable these operations has not yet been determined. You will be on the cutting edge figuring this out with the Navy and with our mission and engineering teams. Your job will be to understand what USV operators and mission commanders are trying to accomplish, decompose ambiguous operational problems into specific software problems, drive the capability development required to solve them, and implement that capability with the Navy. Some of that is configuration and workflow design in existing products. A meaningful share of it is net-new capability that we will be developing side-by-side our mission partners. This is not a traditional customer success, solutions, or product role. You will be forward deployed with access to government systems and operational environments that most of the company will not have access to. You will translate between these USV teams and our engineers, identify and prioritize mission problems to solve from first-hand observation and test and troubleshoot releases. Some of this work will be gritty. Configurations may take hours and multiple iterations to get right. The impact of your work on the people operating these vessels and the future employment of these systems across the Navy will be high. You will often operate independently on site. You will have support from product, engineering, mission development, and leadership, but you will be responsible for deciding where to focus and how to maximize mission impact. ## What you’ll do - Embed with USV operators. Sit on-site with operators and mission planners in Norfolk and build deep intuition for how unmanned surface operations work including underway and during fleet experimentation. - Synthesize USV operational problems. Leverage the expertise you will develop by being on -site to help distill and prioritize the mission problems for us to work on. - Configure and prove workflows. Stand up high-value workflows through creative, iterative configuration and validate them against real mission tasks. - Test and troubleshoot releases. Debug product issues on deployed government systems and work with engineering to resolve them. - Generate mission wins. Leverage what we deploy during operations to generate wins with our Navy counter-parts. - Operate independently. Set priorities on site and push work through without waiting for perfect direction. ## What we’re looking for - This role is required to be in person in Norfolk every week. This can be because you are local, through relocation - which we will cover, or via traveling each week. - Experience or strong demonstrated interest in unmanned systems, unmanned surface vessels, manned surface vessels, or software relating to planning, executing, or monitoring hardware operations (e.g., space, etc.) - Experience using technology to solve difficult problems - either through previous development experience (e.g., product or engineering) or previous operational experience fielding new technology on problems (e.g., in the military). Previously demonstrated ability to decompose problems into component parts and creatively using technology to impact those parts. - High ownership amid ambiguity. You take responsibility for outcomes and operate independently. - Grit and persistence. You work through ambiguity, iteration, and friction until you get to impact. - Experience working with autonomous or unmanned platforms. ## What we value TS/SCI clearance. Must be eligible and willing to get cleared, but clearance is not required. ## What we offer We’re proud to offer competitive benefits that support our employees. Some key highlights of our benefits package include: - Health, dental, and vision insurance - Remote friendly with WeWork access - Unlimited PTO, shared downtime during the federal holiday calendar, and company-wide off time at the end of each year - 401(k) match - Lifestyle & wellbeing stipends - 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 - SOF (Clearance Required)](https://feeny.ai/job/mission-lead-sof-clearance-required-vannevar-raleigh-9nx0pb3eat9g) — Raleigh, NC / Tampa, FL / Washington, DC - [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)