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Nominal builds software that lets hardware teams test, iterate, and deploy as fast as software teams.
The Role
The role focuses on designing and scaling Nominal's federal business operations, driving strategic coordination, managing pipelines, and executing high-impact initiatives in a rapidly growing environment.
Summary Generated by Built In
About Nominal
Nominal is building the connected test and operations platform powering the world's most advanced hardware systems, from spacecraft and autonomous vehicles to next-generation defense programs. Our platform gives hardware engineering teams a single place to ingest data, analyze performance, automate test execution, and collaborate across every phase of development, so they can move faster without sacrificing safety or precision. We're a fast-moving team that owns problems end-to-end, works across disciplines, and thrives at the intersection of hardware and software.
We serve top-tier commercial and defense customers, from autonomy leaders like Anduril and Shield AI to next-generation aerospace teams like Hermeus and REGENT, and performance engineering teams like Pratt Miller Motorsports, alongside mission partners within the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force on programs where failure isn’t an option. We’re backed by Sequoia, General Catalyst, Founders Fund, Lux Capital, and Lightspeed. Our team draws from SpaceX, Palantir, Anduril, Applied Intuition, and other leading companies, united by a common mission: giving hardware engineers the tools to build the future with speed, safety, and confidence.
We're looking for an operator to help design and scale the federal business during a period of rapid growth. You'll help drive how a leading defense technology company wins and scales its rapidly growing federal business, with exposure across the U.S. Government, including the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, NASA, and other critical agencies. You'll work directly with senior leadership, shape how the team operates, and help drive some of our most important opportunities from pipeline to contract.
💼 What you'll do
- Act as a force multiplier to Federal leadership: Operate as a trusted extension of leadership, helping set priorities, drive decision-making, and ensure execution against team’s highest-impact initiatives.
- Design and scale the federal operating system: Build and evolve how the team runs - including opportunity qualification, pipeline management, forecasting, and cross-functional coordination - with a focus on enabling repeatable, scalable growth.
- Drive strategic coordination across the business: Lead cross-functional efforts across BD, Commercial Sales, Product, Engineering, Legal, and Operations to move priority opportunities from pipeline to contract and through successful delivery. Coordinate with other Growth teams at Nominal to extend and adapt best practices for the Federal team.
- Improve visibility and predictability: Help design and run systems that connect pipeline, program execution, and financial outcomes - enabling leadership to make better, faster decisions.
- Translate strategy into execution: Break down ambiguous, high stakes opportunities into structured plans with clear owners, timelines, and measurable outcomes.
- In this role, success means helping Nominal’s federal business evolve from a set of high-potential opportunities into a repeatable, predictable growth engine.
🚀 We’re looking for someone with
- 5+ years in government, policy, operations, or program management (e.g., federal agencies, Congress, think tanks) or fast-paced background with similar operational rigor (e.g., consulting, startups)
- Experience operating at the intersection of strategy and execution in ambiguous, high-growth environments.
- Experience in Chief of Staff, program, or operations leadership roles where you owned outcomes, not just tasks
- Experience scaling teams and processes in fast-paced, rapid-growth, ambiguous environments: a political campaign, a new government initiative, or a startup where you helped write the playbook
- Exceptional communication skills—able to synthesize complex inputs, write clearly, and run efficient, high-impact meetings
- Strong analytical skills, with a bias to outcomes-based results
- Highly organized with strong attention to detail
- Willing to travel up to 25%
- The ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. TS Clearance is an advantage
🎯 Skills that supercharge us
- Background in military, national security, defense policy, or federal program management
- Prior experience at a defense tech or gov tech company is a plus, but not required
- Experience managing up to senior leadership and operating as a strategic partner
- A graduate degree in government affairs, technology policy, international relations, or a related field is preferred
✨ Benefits/Perks
- 🏥 100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision insurance
- 🏖️ Unlimited PTO and sick leave
- 🍽️ Free lunch, snacks, and coffee
- 🚀 Professional Development Stipend
- ✈️ Annual company retreat
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.
ITAR Requirements
To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.
CompensationThe base pay range for this role is $130,000 – $200,000 per year.
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The Company
What We Do
Nominal builds the essential software stack that enables hardware teams to test and iterate as rapidly as software teams. Nominal empowers engineers to continuously monitor, validate, and deploy innovations, transforming how mission-critical hardware is built and operated.
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