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Obviant is building a data platform and AI tools for defense acquisition, fusing information from thousands of sources to provide clarity on budgets, programs, organizations, and decision-making across the defense market. The company serves companies, government agencies, and investors navigating the complex defense acquisition landscape.
As Defense Acquisition Domain Expert, you will be the subject matter authority ensuring Obviant's defense acquisition data is accurate, properly interpreted, and actionable for acquisition professionals. You will bridge deep domain expertise with engineering and product teams, translating how defense programs actually work into data models, pipelines, and AI features.
Key responsibilities:
- Serve as the authority on defense data systems (PPBE, contract databases, program tracking systems, etc.), understanding what each contains, what it omits, reporting lags, and coverage gaps.
- Explain data limitations and where official sources conflict, helping users understand what conclusions the data actually supports.
- Connect relationships across sources: how budget requests fund programs, programs execute through contracts, and organizations manage them—and where those links break down.
- Identify substantively incorrect results that are technically valid but don't reflect how acquisition, budgeting, or contracting actually operates.
- Advise product and engineering teams on how to interpret and present each data source so the product reflects reality.
- Evaluate AI-generated outputs by writing test questions and reviewing model answers to ensure acquisition-grade accuracy.
- Engage with customers to explain data provenance, caveats, and limitations, building trust in the platform.
- Document and encode SME knowledge to continuously improve systems and processes.
You will work in Arlington, VA with a tight-knit team, primarily in-office with flexibility for remote work as needed. The role offers equity ownership, flexible vacation, and comprehensive health benefits.
REQUIREMENTS:
- 6+ years in defense acquisition, budgeting, or contracting (program office, comptroller/financial management, contracting, PPBE) as a government employee or contractor.
- Complete working knowledge of the defense acquisition system end-to-end: requirements (JCIDS), funding (PPBE), and management (DAS).
- Fluency in budget concepts: appropriations, colors of money, program elements, budget line items, justification exhibits (R-1, P-1, J-books), and fund flow from request to obligation.
- Understanding of contracting vehicles, contract types, awards, modifications, and reporting.
- Deep familiarity with DoD/DoW data systems of record (acquisition, budget, contracts) including content, omissions, reporting lags, and conflicts.
- Strong analytical skills; comfortable working hands-on with large, messy datasets in Excel or similar tools.
- Ability to explain complex concepts clearly to engineers, customers, and executives.
- Comfort with ambiguity and incomplete data; judgment about "good enough" thresholds.
- Strong written communication and documentation skills.
NICE TO HAVE:
- DAWIA/DAU certification (Program Management, Contracting, or Business–Financial Management).
- Experience at DoD/DoW, military service, DIU, or defense-focused consultancy/FFRDC.
- Familiarity with LLMs, retrieval systems, or evaluating AI-generated answers.
- SQL or Python data querying experience.
- Active security clearance.
