Applied Innovation Intelligence Lead

Position Overview

The Applied Innovation Intelligence Lead is a uniquely capable individual to bridge the gap between elite end-users, design teams, and real-world problem solving. Their role focuses on identifying, understanding, and articulating mission-critical challenges faced by top-tier operators and the commercial shooting community. They translate operational experience and deep market insight into actionable innovation opportunities for our product development teams.

Company: Syndicate

Location: Remote

Full-time

Shift: Days M-F

Comp: $160 + Bonus

Organization overview: Syndicate is a growing holding company in the firearms industry that designs and manufactures an expanding variety of products in the MIL/LE and commercial shooting community, including suppressors, mounts, firearms, and optics.

• Engage directly with Tier 1, SOF, and special mission units to uncover operational needs and emerging challenges.
• Identify and articulate core problems—distilling feedback beyond what customers "say they want" to what they truly need.
• Maintain active involvement within the commercial shooting and training community, including participation in classes, forums, and events.
• Collaborate with engineering, design, and product management teams to guide early-stage product development and innovation roadmaps.
• Provide structured intelligence on current and emerging technologies, equipment trends, and pain points across defense and commercial markets.
• Contribute to ideation sessions, product evaluations, and prototype testing.

• Quality of Problem Identification
• Number of clearly defined, high-impact problems identified that transition into funded design or prototype efforts.
• Measured by clarity, novelty, and downstream product adoption.

• Frequency and value of actionable insights gathered from Tier 1 / SOF / commercial training networks.
• Evaluated by relevance, depth, and contribution to design direction or product pivots.

• Strong understanding of the commercial shooting and defense market, including hands-on experience in training, equipment use, and community engagement.
• Established access and relationships within Tier 1 or special mission unit circles; familiarity with their equipment, operational workflows, and procurement ecosystems. Primarily diverse end users, not just procurement contacts.
• Ability to analyze, synthesize, and clearly communicate complex operational problems to design and engineering teams without historical bias.
• Demonstrated capability to differentiate between symptoms and root causes, guiding teams toward solutions that matter.
• Excellent communication, situational awareness, and discretion in handling sensitive information.

• Experience in product design, R&D, or field evaluation is highly desirable.
• Tactically fluent innovator—someone who can operate comfortably in both the field and the design lab.
• Knows the culture, the gear, and is willing to fail fast and navigate an evolving landscape quickly.
• Demonstrated ability to not only collect feedback, but also interpret it, connect it, and turn it into tangible product opportunities that push the boundaries of innovation.

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