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Salary: USD 224,000 - 260,000 / annual
Hadrian is building autonomous factories to reindustrialize America, combining AI, advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing to help aerospace and defense companies build mission-critical systems up to 10x faster and at significantly lower cost. Following a $1.37B Series D at a $7.87B valuation, the company is rapidly expanding its manufacturing footprint and Factory-as-a-Service platform.
This is a dual-front role designed for someone with deep expertise in the defense budget process. You will shape the budget build inside the Pentagon and OMB, and engage Congress on how the defense topline is set—a process driven by congressional leadership, Armed Services Committee leaders, and Budget Committees. You will also develop close fluency in how funding is spent once appropriated: apportionment, allocation, obligation, and execution. Particular depth is needed on organic industrial base management, National Defense Stockpile operations, defense working capital funds, and the reprogramming process.
You will own Hadrian's engagement on the President's Budget request build inside the Pentagon and OMB before it reaches Congress. You will build and maintain relationships with congressional leadership and House and Senate Armed Services and Budget Committee leadership—the offices most responsible for setting the defense topline. You will support the Head of Government Relations on Appropriations Committee engagement and NDAA authorization requests as a dotted-line partner, while representing Hadrian directly on budget-build and topline matters.
You will translate the federal budget calendar—President's Budget rollout, markups, topline agreements, continuing resolutions—into concrete, timely guidance for the CEO, SVP, Federal sales lead, and executive team. You will bring deep fluency in how funding moves once appropriated and use that knowledge to anticipate rather than react to funding shifts. You will understand how the organic industrial base and National Defense Stockpile are managed and funded, and flag where Hadrian's factories and public-private partnership plans intersect with those investment decisions.
You will own oversight of defense working capital funds and the reprogramming process—including above- and below-threshold reprogramming and omnibus reprogramming actions—especially how to influence reprogrammings prior to submission to congressional defense committees. You will operate proactively to identify opportunities during the execution year and surface and mitigate risk before it becomes a problem.
You will partner with Federal sales and capture teams to ensure budget-build, topline, and execution-year intelligence directly informs pursuit strategy, pricing, and timing on Hadrian's federal opportunities. You will prepare board- and investor-facing materials on federal budget risk and opportunity exposure as needed. This role is an individual contributor to start; as the portfolio grows, it may expand into building and leading a small team.
Reports directly to SVP, Public Policy. Works in dotted-line partnership with Head of Government Relations - Federal Legislative and closely collaborates with Head of Government Relations – Executive Branch.
**REQUIREMENTS:**
- 15+ years alternating between legislative and executive branches of the defense budget process, with understanding of how these processes influence defense industries' business decisions and legislative engagement
- Direct, hands-on ownership of the defense reprogramming review process, including omnibus reprogramming actions, and oversight of defense working capital funds, organic industrial base, and National Defense Stockpile (not just paper familiarity)
- Track record of driving institutional change requiring sustained relationships across Pentagon and Hill—multi-year advocacy such as pushing the Department toward audit readiness
- Recognized subject-matter authority such that outside institutional reviews of the defense budget process (e.g., PPBE Reform Commission) have sought your input directly
- Experience translating a defense contractor's long-range business plan into federal fiscal-policy advocacy
- Track record of being the person budget staff, defense committee staff, and financial managers call first—someone whose read of budget, policy, and politics is trusted at face value on both sides of the branch divide
- Deep, working familiarity with congressional budget committees, Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Government Accountability Office (GAO), and Congressional Research Service (CRS), and how their analysis shapes appropriations and NDAA outcomes
- Fluency in distinction between mandatory and discretionary spending and how reconciliation process works, including potential effects on defense topline
- Close, standing relationships across military comptroller community—built over a career, not assembled for single engagement
- Fluency in turning dense budget detail into clear, actionable intelligence for company executives, including knowing where to find execution and obligation rate data and how reprogramming moves through the system
- Deep understanding of defense financial management regulations and PPBE process from the inside
- Comfortable operating with real independence and exercising judgment on what's binding, what's advisory, and what needs to go to SVP directly
- Relentless, genuine focus on Hadrian's mission: rebuilding American industrial capacity and workforce
- Proactive and collaborative, with sense of levity that makes work better without letting up on bar for excellence
- Currently practicing as registered federal lobbyist, or immediately eligible to register
- Holds or can obtain national security clearance
- Advanced degree in business administration, public administration, or related field is a plus
- Must be U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident, or eligible to obtain required ITAR authorizations from U.S. Department of State
