Vannevar is hiring a Mission Systems Director to play a senior acquisition leadership role central to our pivot into PEO-first growth. You will apply your operational and acquisition experience to shape long-cycle opportunities across Program Executive Offices and major program offices, helping to define the next generation of defense capabilities.
What You'll Do
- Advise on program structures, acquisition pathways, funding lines, risk areas, and modernization priorities.
- Identify where and how Vannevar can meaningfully support programs through capability gaps, integration challenges, or modernization timelines.
- Inform long-range strategy around $25M–$50M+ programs, major new starts, re-competes, and technical upgrade cycles.
- Leverage your network across PEOs, PMWs, and partner organizations to open doors, deepen trust, and accelerate customer understanding.
- Engage senior acquisition leaders to understand real-world constraints, mission needs, and where Vannevar's technology can be most impactful.
- Navigate program offices with fluency—knowing who the decision-makers are, how they think, and how programs actually move.
- Partner with the Senior Growth Lead to influence requirements early, shape concept of operations, and ensure offerings align to program office needs.
- Provide technical, operational, and programmatic context that positions Vannevar uniquely versus primes, integrators, and other emerging vendors.
- Support bid/no-bid calls, capture strategy, teaming strategy, and price-to-win considerations based on insider program knowledge.
- Map out acquisition timelines, key decision points, POM cycles, reprogramming windows, and PMW-specific budget patterns to inform growth roadmap.
- Help translate multi-year PEO strategies into actionable near-term opportunities.
- Provide internal teams with authentic program office insights on integration, testing, sustainment, risk, and fielding realities.
- Ensure Vannevar's offerings resonate with acquisition leaders and align with technical, operational, and contracting realities.
What We're Looking For
- Former PEO, Deputy PEO, Senior PMW lead, ACAT I/II PM, or equivalent Senior Program Manager.
- First-hand experience navigating JCIDS, DAS, budgeting cycles, POM builds, milestone decisions, integration pipelines, T&E, and sustainment pathways.
- Strong network across program offices, technical authorities, warfare centers, primes, and integrators.
- Familiarity with how software, networks, cyber, or mission systems capabilities are built, evaluated, integrated, and purchased.
- Experience partnering closely with industry or evaluating industry proposals—able to guide strategy, shaping, and competitive positioning from the government perspective.
- Strong communication instincts—able to translate complex acquisition and program realities into clear guidance for a fast-moving startup.
- Desire to help shape something new, with comfort operating in ambiguity and a bias toward action.
Team & Environment
This role is part of the Mission Systems organization at Vannevar, combining world-class engineers with veteran strategists who bring deep expertise in defense and tradecraft.
Benefits & Compensation
- Competitive salary comprised of salary + performance bonus + equity.
- Health, dental, and vision insurance.
- 401(k) match.
- Unlimited PTO, shared downtime during the federal holiday calendar, and company-wide off time at the end of each year.
- Lifestyle & wellbeing stipends.
- Fully paid parental leave.
- Salary top-up during military reserve duty.
- Child and pet care reimbursement during travel.
Work Mode
This role is hybrid and remote friendly with WeWork access.
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.
