This is a U.S. based position. All of the programs we support require U.S. citizenship to be eligible for employment. All work must be conducted within the continental U.S.
Who we are:
Raft (https://TeamRaft.com) is a customer-obsessed non-traditional defense tech company dedicated to empowering U.S. military and government agencies with cutting-edge AI/ML and data solutions. We are a leader in autonomous data fusion and Agentic AI, with a purposeful focus on Distributed Data Systems, Platforms at Scale, and Complex Application Development. With headquarters in McLean, VA, our range of clients includes innovative federal and public agencies leveraging design thinking, cutting-edge tech stack, and cloud-native ecosystem. We build digital solutions that impact the lives of millions of Americans.
About the role:
We are expanding our Growth and Strategy team and are seeking a Growth Strategy Associate to support high-impact opportunities across Department of War (DoW), Intelligence Community (IC), and commercial defense markets. This role is ideal for an early-career professional with an active security clearance who is eager to learn about product-led growth, mission-critical technology solutions, and defense market development.
The Growth Strategy Associate will work closely with product managers, technical leads, and mission stakeholders to research, track, and support product opportunities across our defense technology portfolio. This position offers hands-on exposure to real operational challenges, warfighter needs, product development cycles, and a clear path for growth into product strategy or business development roles within the defense sector.
What You'll Do
• Assist in tracking and researching opportunities from initial discovery through operational deployment and customer adoption
• Help maintain business development and product tools, including GovEagle, and Salesforce
• Research market opportunities using tools such as GovWin, SAM.gov, beta.SAM.gov, and DoW/IC opportunity databases to support product planning
• Support product managers and customer-facing teams by gathering user and operator feedback, documenting mission-critical pain points, and organizing feature requests
• Assist in preparing materials for product reviews, including opportunity summaries, competitive research, threat landscape analysis, and customer insights
• Conduct research on customer mission needs, operational requirements, market trends, and competitive products in the defense technology sector
• Help coordinate product demonstrations, operational assessments, customer meetings, and pilot programs by preparing materials, scheduling sessions, and capturing feedback
• Document customer insights and lessons learned to support product improvement and mission impact
• Travel up to 70% to support industry events, customer meetings, product demonstrations, and deployment activities
What You'll Bring
• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Engineering, National Security Studies, Business, or a related field
• 0–2 years of relevant experience (internships, co-ops, or academic projects strongly considered)
• Strong research and analytical skills with attention to detail and understanding of operational contexts
• Good written and verbal communication skills with a willingness to learn and ability to communicate with military/government stakeholders
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, mission-focused team environment
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word)
• Eagerness to learn about product development, defense technology, operational needs, and government markets
• Self-motivated with a positive, can-do attitude and comfort working in ambiguous, rapidly evolving environments
Highly Preferred Qualifications
• Familiarity with agile or product development concepts and DevSecOps practices
• Exposure to DoW, IC, or federal defense technology programs and acquisition processes
• Understanding of defense technology domains (e.g., AI/ML, cyber, autonomy, ISR, C2, software-defined systems)
• Experience with CRM systems, data analysis tools, or customer research
• Previous internship or project experience in product, consulting, defense contracting, or business analysis
• Military experience or familiarity with military operations and organizational structure
• Experience working in secure environments (SCIFs) or with classified information
Clearance Requirements:
- Active Secret clearance with ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret
Salary Range:
- $85,000 – $125,000
- The determination of compensation is predicated upon a candidate's comprehensive experience, demonstrated skill, and proven abilities
Work Type:
- Selected candidate will be based onsite in Tysons Corner, VA or Colorado Springs, CO
- May require up to 70% travel
What we will offer you:
- Highly competitive salary
- Fully covered healthcare, dental, and vision coverage
- 401(k) and company match
- Take as you need PTO + 11 paid holidays
- Education & training benefits
- Generous Referral Bonuses
- And More!
Our Vision Statement:
We bridge the gap between humans and data through radical transparency and our obsession with the mission.
Our Customer Obsession:
We will approach every deliverable like it's a product. We will adopt a customer-obsessed mentality. As we grow, and our footprint becomes larger, teams and employees will treat each other not only as teammates but customers. We must live the customer-obsessed mindset, always. This will help us scale and it will translate to the interactions that our Rafters have with their clients and other product teams that they integrate with. Our culture will enable our success and set us apart from other companies.
How do we get there?
Public-sector modernization is critical for us to live in a better world. We, at Raft, want to innovate and solve complex problems. And, if we are successful, our generation and the ones that follow us will live in a delightful, efficient, and accessible world where out-of-box thinking, and collaboration is a norm.
Raft’s core philosophy is Ubuntu: I Am, Because We are. We support our “nadi” by elevating the other Rafters. We work as a hyper collaborative team where each team member brings a unique perspective, adding value that did not exist before. People make Raft special. We celebrate each other and our cognitive and cultural diversity. We are devoted to our practice of innovation and collaboration.
We’re an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.
We’re an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, Engineering, National Security Studies, Business, or a related field
- 0-2 years of relevant experience
- Strong research and analytical skills
- Good written and verbal communication skills
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite
What We Do
Raft is a digital consulting firm with niche expertise in the rapid delivery of modern, user-first, scalable, and data-intensive digital solutions. We accelerate the missions of our federal partners through human-centered design (HCD) and agile development practices, bringing deep technical expertise in DevSecOps, Kubernetes management, cloud-native microservice architectures, and secure, open source delivery. We put our people and our culture first. We work with some of the smartest, hardest working experts in their field. We owe it to them to make sure our team is free of meaningless restrictions and internal politics so they can focus on what they love, finding innovative solutions. We build off the Open-Source and resist vendor lock in. That way you’re not paying us to reinvent the wheel, our solutions play nice with others and are always adaptable. We know digital innovation doesn’t always operate during bank hours, so neither do we. (It's also why we don’t dress like bankers.) We aren’t afraid to go the extra mile or put in the extra time to find a solution. We get it right the first time; we won’t waste our time (and your money) trying to fix something that’s fundamentally broken. It’s kind of like making an exceptional cup of coffee, if the beans are roasted wrong, it doesn’t matter how much pumpkin spice you dump in your cup, it’s still not going to taste great. And above all else we’re up for a challenge; it’s in our DNA. Ask us about something that’s never been done, or better yet something that can’t be done, and we’ll find a way to do it. It’s just who we are. If you need a partner that’s looking toward the future and not the past, don’t go traditional, go Raft.
Why Work With Us
Raft partners with public agencies to solve hard complex problems that impact the lives of millions of Americans. We work hard to make it easy for humans to connect with data.
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