Ecosystem Engagement Lead, Defense Innovation Unit OnRamp Hub

RTI International•Durham, NC

13d•$138,000 - $170,000•Onsite

About The Position

RTI International is hiring an Ecosystem Engagement Lead for the North Carolina Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) OnRamp Hub. The Hub connects the Department of War with commercial technologies, startups, research institutions, investors, and industry partners. It identifies emerging technologies with military relevance, scouts and assesses companies, facilitates technology validation and testing, and supports transition into defense acquisition pathways. This position is contingent on successful project award. The Ecosystem Engagement Lead develops and sustains the Hub’s outreach, engagement, education, and pipeline-development strategies. The role cultivates relationships across the regional innovation ecosystem, manages technology scouting, and coordinates technical reviews in response to mission-area requirements. It maintains current ecosystem intelligence, attracts a diverse pipeline of commercial and dual-use companies, and translates mission needs into targeted outreach and scouting activities. The position is required to work onsite daily when not traveling, and involves travel within North Carolina and nationally as required, up to 40%.

Requirements

Master’s degree in business, engineering, science, public policy, economic development, communications, technology commercialization, or a related field and at least five years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Demonstrated experience designing and executing stakeholder outreach, ecosystem engagement, partnership-development, or pipeline-development strategies.
Experience building relationships across commercial technology companies, startups, academia, investors, accelerators, nonprofit organizations, government, or defense stakeholders in North Carolina.
Experience conducting technology scouting, market or ecosystem research, technical screening, commercialization support, or innovation program delivery.
Ability to understand technical concepts and translate between commercial capabilities and mission or operational needs.
Strong understanding of pathways for moving technology from identification to pilot, validation, acquisition, or operational use, including experience supporting, assessing, commercializing, or transitioning technologies into Department of War acquisition, operational, or mission environments.
Strong facilitation, presentation, written communication, and relationship-management skills.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple engagements, maintain accurate data, document outcomes, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
Ability and willingness to travel within North Carolina and nationally as required, up to 40%.
Required to work onsite daily when not traveling.
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States and not require now or in the future employment visa sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in a relevant field.
Recent experience working with DIU, the Department of War, military innovation organizations, federal agencies, national laboratories, or defense technology transition programs.
Knowledge of dual-use technology, defense acquisition and funding pathways, technology readiness, commercialization, venture capital, and entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Established relationships across North Carolina’s innovation, research, investment, economic development, and defense communities.
Experience facilitating cross-sector workshops or mission-informed engagements and converting them into actionable pipeline or scouting outputs.
Experience using customer relationship management systems, structured databases, market-intelligence platforms, or comparable tools to track companies, technologies, and engagement outcomes.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement an outreach and engagement strategy aligned with DIU priorities, Department of War mission needs, and North Carolina’s regional innovation strengths.
Build and sustain relationships with technology companies, startups, investors, universities, research institutions, nonprofits, accelerators, incubators, economic development organizations, industry associations, and Department of War mission partners.
Serve as an accessible point of entry for nontraditional and dual-use companies seeking to understand and pursue Department of War opportunities.
Identify, engage, cultivate, and maintain a qualified pipeline of companies, technologies, experts, and ecosystem partners relevant to current and emerging mission priorities.
Plan and support facilitated engagements, workshops, mission-informed sessions, and targeted forums; coordinate participant outreach and follow-up for approximately one to two program events per quarter.
Capture event insights, participants, opportunities, and pipeline inputs in approved program systems and knowledge repositories.
Represent the DIU OnRamp Hub at regional meetings, conferences, ecosystem events, and partner engagements, including in-state travel.
Maintain awareness of regional and national commercial and dual-use technology landscapes relevant to Department of War priorities.
Identify and catalog companies, technologies, capabilities, and trends in a continuously updated, structured, searchable ecosystem repository.
Engage mission partners to understand needs, operational problem sets, constraints, and success criteria for scouting activities.
Design and conduct time-bound technology scouting efforts using regional intelligence, external networks, research institutions, accelerators, and other sourcing channels.
Manage technical reviews by coordinating subject-matter experts to screen and prioritize technologies against mission-area requirements.
Develop curated company and technology lists and scouting reports documenting supporting data, screening criteria, rationale, and outcomes.
Translate commercial capabilities into mission-relevant applications and identify candidates for readiness assessment, validation, and transition support.
Maintain accurate, point-of-occurrence data on stakeholder engagement, companies, technologies, referrals, scouting, and pipeline progression using designated systems in coordination with the Data Manager.
Provide timely inputs for weekly SITREPS, monthly programmatic reporting, ecosystem landscape updates, event summaries, and performance reporting.
Track engagement effectiveness, including companies entering the pipeline and progressing to subsequent DIU OnRamp Hub services.
Coordinate with the Program Manager to align outreach, events, scouting, and deliverables with work plans, reporting requirements, and operational priorities.
Provide communications content and requirements to the Marketing Professional and support review and approval processes.
Share lessons learned and ecosystem insights with DIU and the national DIU OnRamp Hub network to improve services, playbooks, and standard operating procedures.
Support emerging DIU priorities, special initiatives, mission-critical engagements, and cross-Hub activities, and perform other assigned outreach, scouting, partnership-development, or program responsibilities.