Strategy & Business Operations Lead (Engineering)

Vannevar is a defense technology company building AI to deter our adversaries. In the 21st century, conflict moves at algorithmic speed and foresight equals firepower. Our agentic AI is purpose-built to compete with China—from cross-Strait conflict to gray zone coercion. Trained on the most mission-relevant datasets in defense, our technology models adversary behavior, simulates campaigns, and recommends the best course of action to decision makers. Our AI systems are some of the most trusted in the industry and actively used on the front lines of the Indo-Pacific to keep the peace and save lives.

Exceptional technology starts with exceptional people. Vannevar is a small agile team combining world-class engineers with veteran strategists who bring deep expertise in defense and tradecraft. We’re building a company defined by mission impact, user empathy, and disciplined growth. In just three years, we grew from $3M to $80M in ARR, achieved early profitability, and reached unicorn status—proving that disruption doesn’t require an ego, and staying power doesn’t mean standing still.

About the role

This role sits at the intersection of engineering and executive leadership at Vannevar. You will partner closely with our technical leaders to drive high-impact, cross-functional initiatives that directly shape how our engineering organization scales. This role is focused on enabling technical excellence at scale — improving engineering execution, building operational rigor across technical teams, and ensuring we can grow quickly without sacrificing quality, cost discipline, or velocity.

What you’ll do

• Serve as a force multiplier to the Executive Vice President of Engineering and other engineering leaders, helping translate executive priorities into clear technical roadmaps and execution plans

• Improve engineering prioritization, planning, and delivery across multiple concurrent initiatives

• Build and scale operating systems that increase visibility into performance, resourcing, and technical execution

• Lead high-impact, cross-functional engineering initiatives from ambiguity to shipped outcomes

• Strengthen the foundations for engineering scale, including org design, hiring alignment, documentation, and ownership clarity

What we’re looking for

• 3–5+ years of experience in a technical environment (startup or high-growth tech company)

• Strong technical fluency — able to interface credibly with engineers and understand architectural tradeoffs

• Demonstrated experience working directly with engineering teams (not purely strategy or consulting exposure)

• Comfort operating in ambiguous, fast-paced environments

• High ownership and bias toward action

• Exceptional cross-functional partnership skills

What we value

• Degree in engineering, physics, computer science, or another technical field

• Exposure to US government or defense environments

• Familiarity with national security or dual-use technology

What we offer

Competitive Salary

The salary range for this position is $160,000 - $190,000 + equity. Within the range, individual pay is determined by experience, relevant education, and/or training.

Comprehensive Benefits

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.