Vice President, Head of Government Partnerships
$300,000–$330,000 year
On-siteCambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Job Summary
Own Lila's senior federal relationships across DOE, ARPA-E, NIH, DARPA, BARDA, DoD, and adjacent agencies by shaping pre-solicitation engagement, prioritizing opportunities, and closing partnerships end-to-end. Lead the Government Partnerships team from scratch, building systems to scale federal engagement while acting as the primary executive interface with agency leadership and Congress. Deliver against revenue targets by converting meetings into pilots, CRADAs, and major procurements, and brief the CEO on critical federal developments. Report to the Chief Revenue & Product Officer, representing Lila at the highest levels of government and industry. This role requires extensive travel to build relationships and translate complex science into compelling narratives for policy-facing audiences.
Required Qualifications
- You already know the people who run the programs we care about, from program directors to senior agency leadership
- You have a track record of winning major awards (FOAs, BAAs, NOFOs, CRADAs)
- You have built a BD or partnerships function from scratch
- You are comfortable working without established process or infrastructure
- Track record of building and managing high-performing teams
- The judgment and presence to represent Lila at the highest levels of government and industry
- Experience translating complex science and AI into clear, credible narratives for non-technical, senior, and policy-facing government audiences
- Strong cross-functional leadership: comfort partnering with scientists, product managers, communications, policy, and legal to drive aligned outcomes under tight timelines
- Excellent written communication
- Comfort operating with ambiguity in a founding-team environment
- Willingness to travel regularly to build the relationships required for Lila to succeed
Desired Qualifications
- Advanced degree in a relevant scientific discipline
- Experience at a venture-backed startup
- Experience standing up a government affairs or business development function from scratch
- Experience selling SaaS
- Active U.S. security clearance
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