Mission Manager - Government (Cleared)

Mission Managers collaborate directly with US and Allied Government customers to strategize and execute mission-critical AI solutions. You'll support new business proposals from requirements validation through solution design, prototyping, development, and rollout. As part of a team of Applied engineers, AI Researchers, and fellow Mission Managers, you'll connect disparate data points into a clear map of customer challenges—and align them with xAI products or collaborate with engineers to build new ones.

Top candidates bring a technical foundation, analytical mindset, and strong problem-solving curiosity. They exhibit user empathy and a hands-on approach to deliver results for customers. In this role, you'll tackle problems demanding curiosity, analytical thinking, product intuition, and deep user empathy to empower customers.

• Leading problem discovery and product scoping for key customers, often on-site
• Meeting customers on-site to deploy xAI models/products in their environments or integrate their software with xAI's cloud, alongside engineers
• Identifying pain points, scoping specs, and building LLM-powered software for government use cases
• Optimizing model performance via prompt tuning or fine-tuning for secure, scalable deployment, and working with SMEs at the customer to improve this process
• Analyzing logs, prompts, or outputs to ensure system reliability and effectiveness

• Government Partnership Experience: Proven success collaborating with government agencies, DoD, or federal contractors on AI, software, or data initiatives
• Clearance Preferred: Active U.S. security clearance (e.g., Secret, Top Secret, Top Secret/SCI) or eligibility to obtain one
• Expertise in designing, implementing, and maintaining secure, scalable AI solutions that comply with rigorous standards
• Ability to convert business, product, or mission needs into engineering solutions for government or enterprise clients
• Strong engineering background in areas like Computer Science, Mathematics, Software Engineering, Physics, or Data Science
• Experience in Software Engineering or Machine Learning

• Experience partnering with engineering teams to design, scope, and deploy complex AI solutions
• Background working with National Security customers, ideally as a former end-user of similar AI/software systems
• Skill in creating user manuals or onboarding materials for non-technical audiences
• Proficiency handling large datasets, optimizing performance, and scaling for high-throughput, critical workloads
• Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code tools like Pulumi or Terraform, especially in secure/government environments
• Passion for solving complex, real-world problems—especially in government missions—delivering AI-driven impact
• Low ego, prioritizing national security missions over personal credit
• Skill in structuring vague problems and communicating them clearly to engineers and customers
• Proficiency in programming/scripting (e.g., Python, SQL, TypeScript) for tool-building, data analysis, or debugging
• Adaptability to evolving priorities in a fast-paced, mission-oriented startup
• Strong communication to engage government stakeholders, users, and officers—clarifying requirements and driving project success

$150,000 - $350,000 USD 

Base salary is just one part of our total rewards package at xAI, which also includes equity, comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short & long-term disability insurance, life insurance, and various other discounts and perks.