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.
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- 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
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.
Skills Required
- Work in person in Norfolk every week, either locally, after relocation, or by traveling weekly
- Experience or strong demonstrated interest in unmanned systems, unmanned surface vessels, manned surface vessels, or software for planning, executing, or monitoring hardware operations
- Experience using technology to solve difficult problems, including decomposing problems into component parts and applying technology to address them
- Ability to take ownership amid ambiguity and operate independently
- Grit and persistence through ambiguity, iteration, and friction
- Experience working with autonomous or unmanned platforms
- TS/SCI clearance or eligibility and willingness to obtain clearance
What the Team is Saying
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Vannevar Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare is considered comprehensive, with top-tier medical, dental, and vision coverage highlighted alongside mental-health support and wellness stipends. These elements are consistently presented as core pillars of the package.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time off is framed as generous, featuring unlimited PTO, shared downtime aligned to federal holidays, and a company-wide year-end break. The approach signals an expectation that employees actually disconnect and use their time.
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Parental & Family Support — Parental leave is described as fully paid for 12 weeks for all parents, with an additional 4 weeks for new mothers and flexibility to take leave in blocks over a year. Family-planning assistance, monthly caregiving stipends, and travel-related child/pet care reimbursement extend support beyond leave.
Vannevar Insights
What We Do
Vannevar combines Silicon Valley innovation with former special operators to build AI for real-world national security outcomes. Since our founding in 2019, Vannevar has deployed its technology across 125 missions, safeguarding our service members and improving our country's deterrence. We believe our military service members and intelligence officers deserve access to the best technology American innovation can offer, and we are mobilizing frontier technology for this mission. Our founders have 30 years of combined experience across AI labs, national security strategy, intelligence agencies and special operations. We're supported by a number of leading VCs, including Felicis, DFJ Growth, Point72, Costanoa, and General Catalyst. Vannevar is one of the most capital efficient defense tech companies, reaching early profitability and becoming a defense tech unicorn in 2024.
Why Work With Us
We pride ourselves on being a team of passionate, low-ego professionals who share a commitment to engineering excellence and a genuine concern for the people and AI agents we deliver. Vannevar is a company that truly cares about its people and one of our core principles is "put your wellbeing first".
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Vannevar Offices
Remote Workspace
Employees work remotely.
We are distributed across the map, but united by the mission. We go where the mission takes us and deliver where others can’t. Honolulu, Seattle, San Francisco, Washington D.C., New York. You decide what's next.
