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.
About the role
Vannevar Labs is seeking Mission Lead Interns for summer 2027. Interns may work remotely with frequent travel to customer sites, potentially 75% or more of the summer.
Mission Leads are customer-facing owners of mission outcomes. You will lead engagements with government stakeholders to identify high-value mission problems, shape pilots and deployments, and turn demonstrated mission value into durable, funded programs.
This role blends mission credibility with strong execution and technical intuition. You will operate with high autonomy in ambiguous environments, translate mission needs into clear technical narratives, and coordinate across functional teams (Product, Engineering, Mission, Security, and Operations) to deliver and scale.
U.S. Persons status with at least a current Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) US DoD or IC clearance is required as this position will require the ability to access U.S. only data systems.
What you'll do
- Embed with users. Sit on site with DOW customer groups and build deep intuition for their mission.
- Build trust. Earn credibility by understanding user problems and helping solve them over time.
- Turn ambiguity into hypotheses. Break complex mission problems into specific workflows that can be tested.
- Configure product workflows. Set up high-value workflows for users through creative, iterative configuration.
- Test and troubleshoot releases. Debug product issues on deployed DOW systems and work with engineering to resolve them.
- Generate mission wins. Identify what works, onboard users, and translate wins into evidence of impact.
- Develop new user groups. Build relationships with additional teams on site and identify where Vannevar can create value.
- Operate independently. Set priorities on site and push work through without waiting for perfect direction.
- Represent Vannevar. Be the face of the company with DOW users and customers.
What we're looking for
- Incoming, first or second year MBA or MA students interested in business development and national security, intelligence or defense.
- A motivated problem solver who takes ownership, acts with urgency, and is comfortable with ambiguity. You like a challenge, and you don’t quit.
- Prior DoD mission user experience, domain knowledge, or military service. You understand our partners' organizational constructs and challenges because you lived them.
- U.S. Persons status with at least a current Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) US DoD or IC clearance is required as this position will require the ability to access U.S. only data systems.
What we offer
The salary range for this position is competitive with market rates. Individual pay is determined by experience, relevant education, and/or training and interview performance.
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.