Growth Strategy Associate (1166)

Who we are:

Raft (https://teamraft.com) is a customer-obsessed non-traditional small business with a purposeful focus on Distributed Data Systems, Platforms at Scale, and Complex Application Development, with headquarters in McLean, VA. Our range of clients include innovative federal and public agencies leveraging design thinking, cutting edge tech stack, and cloud native ecosystem. We build digital solutions that impact the lives of millions of Americans.

About the role:

We are expanding our Growth and Strategy team and are seeking a Growth Strategy Associate to support high-impact opportunities across Department of War (DoW), Intelligence Community (IC), and commercial defense markets. This role is ideal for an early-career professional with an active security clearance who is eager to learn about product-led growth, mission-critical technology solutions, and defense market development.

The Growth Strategy Associate will work closely with product managers, technical leads, and mission stakeholders to research, track, and support product opportunities across our defense technology portfolio. This position offers hands-on exposure to real operational challenges, warfighter needs, product development cycles, and a clear path for growth into product strategy or business development roles within the defense sector.

What You'll Do
* Assist in tracking and researching opportunities from initial discovery through operational deployment and customer adoption
* Help maintain business development and product tools, including GovEagle, and Salesforce
* Research market opportunities using tools such as GovWin, SAM.gov, beta.SAM.gov, and DoW/IC opportunity databases to support product planning
* Support product managers and customer-facing teams by gathering user and operator feedback, documenting mission-critical pain points, and organizing feature requests
* Assist in preparing materials for product reviews, including opportunity summaries, competitive research, threat landscape analysis, and customer insights
* Conduct research on customer mission needs, operational requirements, market trends, and competitive products in the defense technology sector
* Help coordinate product demonstrations, operational assessments, customer meetings, and pilot programs by preparing materials, scheduling sessions, and capturing feedback
* Document customer insights and lessons learned to support product improvement and mission impact
* Travel up to 70% to support industry events, customer meetings, product demonstrations, and deployment activities

What You'll Bring
* Bachelor's degree in computer science, Engineering, National Security Studies, Business, or a related field
* 0-2 years of relevant experience (internships, co-ops, or academic projects strongly considered)
* Strong research and analytical skills with attention to detail and understanding of operational contexts
* Good written and verbal communication skills with a willingness to learn and ability to communicate with military/government stakeholders
* Ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, mission-focused team environment
* Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word)
* Eagerness to learn about product development, defense technology, operational needs, and government markets
* Self-motivated with a positive, can-do attitude and comfort working in ambiguous, rapidly evolving environments

Highly Preferred Qualifications
* Familiarity with agile or product development concepts and DevSecOps practices
* Exposure to DoW, IC, or federal defense technology programs and acquisition processes
* Understanding of defense technology domains (e.g., AI/ML, cyber, autonomy, ISR, C2, software-defined systems)
* Experience with CRM systems, data analysis tools, or customer research
* Previous internship or project experience in product, consulting, defense contracting, or business analysis
* Military experience or familiarity with military operations and organizational structure
* Experience working in secure environments (SCIFs) or with classified information

Clearance Requirements:

• Active Secret clearance with ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret

Salary Range:

• $85,000 - $125,000
• The determination of compensation is predicated upon a candidate's comprehensive experience, demonstrated skill, and proven abilities

Work Type:

• Selected candidate will be based onsite in Tysons Corner, VA or Colorado Springs, CO
• May require up to 70% travel

What we will offer you:

• Highly competitive salary
• Fully covered healthcare, dental, and vision coverage
• 401(k) and company match
• Take as you need PTO + 11 paid holidays
• Education & training benefits
• Generous Referral Bonuses
• And More!

Our Vision Statement:

We bridge the gap between humans and data through radical transparency and our obsession with the mission.

Our Customer Obsession:

We will approach every deliverable like it's a product. We will adopt a customer-obsessed mentality. As we grow, and our footprint becomes larger, teams and employees will treat each other not only as teammates but customers. We must live the customer-obsessed mindset, always. This will help us scale and it will translate to the interactions that our Rafters have with their clients and other product teams that they integrate with. Our culture will enable our success and set us apart from other companies.

How do we get there?

Public-sector modernization is critical for us to live in a better world. We, at Raft, want to innovate and solve complex problems. And, if we are successful, our generation and the ones that follow us will live in a delightful, efficient, and accessible world where out-of-box thinking, and collaboration is a norm.

Raft's core philosophy is Ubuntu: I Am, Because We are. We support our "nadi" by elevating the other Rafters. We work as a hyper collaborative team where each team member brings a unique perspective, adding value that did not exist before. People make Raft special. We celebrate each other and our cognitive and cultural diversity. We are devoted to our practice of innovation and collaboration.

We're an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.