Enagement Manager - Defense Tech

Partner Engagement Manager – Defense & Operational Planning Software

Compensation: $160-$190K Base $30-$50K Bonus Equity

Location: Fort Riley, KS

About the Client

• A cutting-edge platform revolutionizing how military staffs conduct planning and collaboration.
• Designed to accelerate real-time decision-making and operational workflows across multi-echelon commands.
• The product integrates AI-powered tools, highly customizable interfaces, and collaborative features purpose-built for high-tempo environments.
• Trusted by major commands and service branches across the globe.
• Founded by former military planners and elite technologists, the team now exceeds 180 members and includes veterans from all branches and engineers from leading software companies.
• Backed by over $100M in venture capital from top-tier investors, the company is on an aggressive growth trajectory.

Your Mission

As a Partner Engagement Manager, you will:

• Build and maintain relationships with military users, ranging from mid-grade officers to Flag and General Officers.
• Drive adoption across key planning directorates (e.g., N35, N5), working toward platform saturation across operational workflows.
• Blend traditional training with nuanced influence strategies to achieve near-total adoption across your assigned region.
• Champion user feedback to inform product development, while staying deeply proficient in platform capabilities.
• Represent the company brand and values across military and partner engagements.
• Support growth into allied and partner nation staff environments.

Core Responsibilities

• Lead or support military exercises, both virtually and in person.
• Observe users and feed back actionable insights to improve the platform.
• Deliver on-site and remote support to senior-level customers.
• Map and leverage social dynamics within commands to support account retention and expansion.
• Act as the conduit between frontline users and the product engineering team during incidents or outages.
• Advocate for engineering access, technical workarounds, and policy exceptions as needed — especially in secure environments.

Who You Are

• A seasoned operational planner who commands respect from O-4s to Generals — when you speak, the room listens.
• Experienced in working within complex military headquarters and operational constructs, especially in Europe-focused commands.
• Highly dependable — your reputation is built on follow-through. People count on you, especially in high-visibility moments.
• A problem-solver in bureaucratic systems. You don’t take “no” from someone who can’t say “yes.”
• Technically sharp. You don’t need to write code, but you can master complex software quickly and speak fluently with technical teams.
• Mission-driven. You care deeply about supporting the warfighter and enhancing the speed and quality of their decisions.
• Ambitious and adaptable — eager to grow alongside a fast-scaling company.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and taking initiative with little oversight.

Qualifications

• Deep experience in operational planning, ideally within a multi-star headquarters.
• Advanced military education (e.g., Command & Staff, SAMS, JAWS, SAW).
• Hands-on involvement in major exercises and experience deploying software on classified networks.
• Proven record of expanding software usage within government or military organizations.
• Strong interpersonal and client-facing skills, both remotely and on-site.
• Able to respond to incidents and coordinate seamlessly with technical teams.
• Track record of navigating large, bureaucratic systems and getting things done.
• Current Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility required.