Mission Director - SOCOM

About Applied Intuition

Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy.

Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company’s solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in Washington, D.C.;
San Diego;
Ft. Walton Beach, Florida;
Ann Arbor, Michigan;
London;
Stuttgart;
Munich;
Stockholm;
Bangalore;
Seoul; and Tokyo. Learn more at

We are an in-office company, and our expectation is that employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments.

The Mission Director for SOCOM serves as the senior relationship and strategic shaping lead for Applied Intuition’s special operations portfolio. Reporting to the Head of Growth, you will be responsible for identifying and shaping strategic opportunities within special operations mission areas, building deep credibility with senior SOCOM stakeholders, and positioning Applied Intuition as the technology partner of choice for special operations forces.

You will operate as an executive-level expert who understands the unique operational problems, capability gaps, and decision makers across USSOCOM and its service component commands.

• Cultivate senior-level trust-based relationships with USSOCOM leadership, Program Managers (O-6+), requirements officers, and innovation leads within SOCOM, USASOC, AFSOC, MARSOC, NAVSPECWARCOM, and key program offices

• Shape opportunities 12-18 months in advance by influencing requirements, acquisition strategies, and program structures well before they reach the public domain

• Lead strategic customer discovery to understand long-term capability roadmaps, budget trajectories across PPBE cycles, and political dynamics within the special operations community

• Open doors and build deep credibility as Applied Intuition’s senior voice on special operations technology, translating operator problems into technology requirements that drive program shaping

• Maintain back channel sources of information across the special operations community and establish senior-level escalation paths when strategic deals encounter political or programmatic obstacles

• Make critical ‘pursue vs. walk away’ decisions and partner with Account Executives, Capture Managers, and Engineers to convert strategic shaping into a winning pipeline.

• 15–25 years of experience in or around SOCOM and special operations (Military O-5/O-6 with SOF operational background, GS-15/SES in SOCOM acquisition or requirements, or senior Industry BD/strategic growth leadership supporting SOF)

• Executive-level expertise in and knowledge of the PPBE cycle, SOCOM’s unique acquisition authorities (Section 1202, Section 1208, etc.), and how to navigate Congressional authorization/appropriation dynamics

• Proven track record of shaping requirements for multi-million dollar defense programs 12-18+ months before RFP release, ideally in autonomy, mission planning, simulation, or C4
  
  ISR domains

• Specific, warm relationships within USSOCOM, USASOC, AFSOC, MARSOC, NAVSPECWARCOM, or key SOCOM program offices—you can get meetings with O-6+ decision makers and operators

• Deep understanding of SOF capability gaps and the operational challenges of fighting in denied environments

• Active Secret or Top Secret security clearance (TS/SCI preferred)

• Prior experience as a Program Manager or innovation lead at…