Mission Manager - Government

xAI•Palo Alto, CA

56d•$150,000 - $350,000

About The Position

Mission Managers collaborate directly with US and Allied Government customers to strategize and execute mission-critical AI solutions. You'll support new business proposals from requirements validation through solution design, prototyping, development, and rollout. As part of a team of Applied engineers, AI Researchers, and fellow Mission Managers, you'll connect disparate data points into a clear map of customer challenges-and align them with xAI products or collaborate with engineers to build new ones. Top candidates bring a technical foundation, analytical mindset, and strong problem-solving curiosity. They exhibit user empathy and a hands-on approach to deliver results for customers. In this role, you'll tackle problems demanding curiosity, analytical thinking, product intuition, and deep user empathy to empower customers. A typical day may include: Leading problem discovery and product scoping for key customers, often on-site Meeting customers on-site to deploy xAI models/products in their environments or integrate their software with xAI's cloud, alongside engineers Identifying pain points, scoping specs, and building LLM-powered software for government use cases Optimizing model performance via prompt tuning or fine-tuning for secure, scalable deployment, and working with SMEs at the customer to improve this process Analyzing logs, prompts, or outputs to ensure system reliability and effectiveness Focus Passion for solving complex, real-world problems-especially in government missions-delivering AI-driven impact Low ego, prioritizing national security missions over personal credit Skill in structuring vague problems and communicating them clearly to engineers and customers Proficiency in programming/scripting (e.g., Python, SQL, TypeScript) for tool-building, data analysis, or debugging Adaptability to evolving priorities in a fast-paced, mission-oriented startup Strong communication to engage government stakeholders, users, and officers-clarifying requirements and driving project success

Requirements

Government Partnership Experience: Proven success collaborating with government agencies, DoD, or federal contractors on AI, software, or data initiatives
Clearance Preferred: Active U.S. security clearance (e.g., Secret, Top Secret, Top Secret/SCI) or eligibility to obtain one
Expertise in designing, implementing, and maintaining secure, scalable AI solutions that comply with rigorous standards
Ability to convert business, product, or mission needs into engineering solutions for government or enterprise clients
Strong engineering background in areas like Computer Science, Mathematics, Software Engineering, Physics, or Data Science
Experience in Software Engineering or Machine Learning

Nice To Haves

Experience partnering with engineering teams to design, scope, and deploy complex AI solutions
Background working with National Security customers, ideally as a former end-user of similar AI/software systems
Skill in creating user manuals or onboarding materials for non-technical audiences
Proficiency handling large datasets, optimizing performance, and scaling for high-throughput, critical workloads
Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code tools like Pulumi or Terraform, especially in secure/government environments

Responsibilities

Leading problem discovery and product scoping for key customers, often on-site
Meeting customers on-site to deploy xAI models/products in their environments or integrate their software with xAI's cloud, alongside engineers
Identifying pain points, scoping specs, and building LLM-powered software for government use cases
Optimizing model performance via prompt tuning or fine-tuning for secure, scalable deployment, and working with SMEs at the customer to improve this process
Analyzing logs, prompts, or outputs to ensure system reliability and effectiveness