Ecosystem Engagement Lead, Defense Innovation Unit OnRamp Hub

Description

Why RTIRTI International is an independent, scientific research institute dedicated to improving the human condition. Our vision is to address the world's most critical problems with technical and science-based solutions in pursuit of a better future. Clients rely on us to answer questions that demand an objective and multidisciplinary approach—one that integrates expertise across social, statistical, data, and laboratory sciences, engineering, and other technical disciplines to solve the world’s most challenging problems.We believe in the promise of science and technical solutions, and we push ourselves every day to deliver on that promise for the good of people, communities, and businesses in the US and around the world. If you are looking for the opportunity to make a real difference, RTI is the place for you. About the Hiring GroupProject Description. The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) OnRamp Hub serves as a regional gateway connecting the Department of War (DoW) with innovative commercial technologies, startups, research institutions, investors, and industry partners. The DIU OnRamp Hub identifies emerging technologies with military relevance, scouts and assesses companies, facilitates technology validation and testing, and supports the transition of promising capabilities into defense acquisition pathways. Through ecosystem engagement, technology scouting, mission alignment, and transition support, the DIU OnRamp Hub helps accelerate the adoption of dual-use technologies that address critical national security challenges while strengthening the regional defense innovation ecosystem. This position is contingent on successful project award. What You'll DoWhat You Will Do / Responsibilities. The Ecosystem Engagement Lead develops, executes, and sustains the North Carolina DIU OnRamp Hub’s outreach, engagement, education, and pipeline development strategies. Cultivates relationships across the regional innovation ecosystem, including startups, established companies, venture capital firms, universities, nonprofit organizations, accelerators, economic development organizations, and other technology stakeholders. Manages technology scouting activities and coordinates the technical review process in response to mission-area requirements.Ensures the North Carolina DIU OnRamp Hub maintains current ecosystem intelligence, attracts a diverse pipeline of commercial and dual-use companies, and translates mission needs into targeted outreach, engagement, and scouting activities. Your primary responsibilities will include but not be limited to: Ecosystem Outreach, Engagement, and Pipeline Development - 45% Develop and implement a comprehensive outreach and engagement strategy aligned with DIU priorities, DoW mission needs, and North Carolina’s regional innovation strengths. Build and sustain trusted relationships with startups, established technology companies, venture capital firms, universities, research institutions, nonprofit organizations, accelerators, incubators, economic development organizations, industry associations, and DoW mission partners.Serve as an accessible point of entry for nontraditional and dual-use companies seeking to understand and pursue DoW opportunities. Identify, engage, cultivate, and maintain a qualified pipeline of companies, technologies, experts, and ecosystem partners relevant to current and emerging mission priorities. Plan and support facilitated engagements, workshops, mission-informed sessions, and targeted forums designed to lower barriers to entry, generate pipeline, and strengthen collaboration across commercial and mission stakeholders. Coordinate participant identification, outreach, and follow-up for approximately one to two program events per quarter. Capture event insights, participants, opportunities, and pipeline inputs and ensure their incorporation into approved program systems and knowledge repositories. Represent the DIU OnRamp at regional meetings, conferences, ecosystem events, and partner engagements, including in-state travel to assess capabilities and strengthen stakeholder connections. Technology Ecosystem Intelligence and Targeted Scouting - 30% Maintain continuous awareness of regional and national commercial and dual-use technology landscapes relevant to DoW priorities. Identify and catalog companies, technologies, capabilities, and emerging trends and contribute to a continuously updated, structured, and searchable ecosystem repository. Engage mission partners to understand defined needs, operational problem sets, constraints, and success criteria for targeted scouting activities. Design and conduct time-bound technology scouting efforts that leverage regional intelligence, external networks, research institutions, accelerators, and other sourcing channels. Manage the technical review process, coordinating subject-matter experts to screen and prioritize technologies against mission-area requirements. Develop curated lists and scouting reports that document relevant companies and technologies, supporting data, screening criteria, rationale, and outcomes. Translate commercial capabilities into mission-relevant applications and identify promising candidates for readiness assessment, validation, and transition support. Data, Coordination, and Continuous Improvement - 20% Maintain accurate, point-of-occurrence data on stakeholder engagement, companies, technologies, referrals, scouting activities, and pipeline progression using systems designated by the national program in coordination with the Data Manager.Provide timely inputs for weekly SITREPS, monthly programmatic reporting, ecosystem landscape updates, event summaries, and performance reporting. Track engagement effectiveness, including companies incorporated into the pipeline and their progression into subsequent DIU OnRamp Hub services. Coordinate with the Program Manager to ensure outreach, events, scouting activities, and deliverables are aligned with work plans, reporting requirements, and operational priorities. Provide communications content and requirements to the Marketing Professional and support required review and approval processes.Share lessons learned and ecosystem insights with DIU and the national DIU OnRamp Hub network to support refinement of standardized services, playbooks, and standard operating procedures. Other Duties as Assigned - 5% Support emerging DIU priorities, special initiatives, mission-critical engagements, and cross-Hub activities. Perform other outreach, scouting, partnership development, or program responsibilities as assigned. What You'll NeedWhat You Will Need/Qualifications. Master’s degree in business, engineering, science, public policy, economic development, communications, technology commercialization, or a related field and at least five years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Demonstrated experience designing and executing stakeholder outreach, ecosystem engagement, partnership development, or pipeline development strategies. Experience building relationships across commercial technology companies, startups, academia, investors, accelerators, nonprofit organizations, government, or defense stakeholders in North Carolina. Experience conducting technology scouting, market or ecosystem research, technical screening, commercialization support, or innovation program delivery. Ability to understand technical concepts and translate between commercial capabilities and mission or operational needs. Strong understanding of pathways for moving technology from identification to pilot, validation, acquisition, or operational use, including experience supporting, assessing, commercializing, or transitioning technologies into DoW acquisition, operational, or mission environments.Strong facilitation, presentation, written communication, and relationship management skills. Demonstrated ability to manage multiple engagements, maintain accurate data, document outcomes, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment. Ability and willingness to travel within North Carolina and nationally, as required, for program meetings, stakeholder engagement, and mission-critical activities (up to 40% travel).Required to work onsite daily when not traveling.To qualify, applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States and should not require, now or in the future, sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B visa status, etc.). Preferred Qualifications:Advanced degree in a relevant field. Recent experience working with DIU, the DoW, military innovation organizations, federal agencies, national laboratories, or defense technology transition programs. Knowledge of dual-use technology, defense acquisition and funding pathways, technology readiness, commercialization, venture capital, and entrepreneurial ecosystems. Established relationships across North Carolina’s innovation, research, investment, economic development, and defense communities. Experience facilitating cross-sector workshops or mission-informed engagements and converting those engagements into actionable pipeline or scouting outputs. Experience using customer relationship management systems, structured databases, market-intelligence platforms, or comparable tools to track companies, technologies, and engagement outcomes. #LI-KV1 EEO & Pay Equity StatementsFor San Francisco, CA USA Job Postings Only: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Further information is available here. RTI accepts applications to our job openings from candidates with criminal histories or conviction records in accordance with all applicable laws, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. For Applicants in Massachusetts Only: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability. The anticipated pay range for this role is listed below. Our pay ranges represent national averages and may vary by location as a geographic differential may be applied to some locations within the United States. RTI considers multiple factors when making an offer including, for example: established salary range, internal budget, business needs, and education and years of work experience possessed by the applicant. Further, salary is merely one element to our offer.At RTI, we demonstrate our commitment to rewarding individual and team achievement through a total rewards package. This package includes (among other things) a competitive base salary, a generous paid time off policy, merit based annual increases, bonus opportunities and a robust recognition program. Other benefits include a competitive range of insurance plans (including health, dental, life, and short-term and long-term disability), access to a retirement savings program such as a 401(k) plan, paid parental leave for all parents, financial assistance with adoption expenses or infertility treatments, financial reimbursement for education and developmental opportunities, an employee assistance program, and numerous other offerings to support a healthy work-life balance. Equal Pay Act Minimum/Range$138,000 - $170,000

Responsibilities

What You Will Do / Responsibilities. The Ecosystem Engagement Lead develops, executes, and sustains the North Carolina DIU OnRamp Hub’s outreach, engagement, education, and pipeline development strategies. Cultivates relationships across the regional innovation ecosystem, including startups, established companies, venture capital firms, universities, nonprofit organizations, accelerators, economic development organizations, and other technology stakeholders. Manages technology scouting activities and coordinates the technical review process in response to mission-area requirements.Ensures the North Carolina DIU OnRamp Hub maintains current ecosystem intelligence, attracts a diverse pipeline of commercial and dual-use companies, and translates mission needs into targeted outreach, engagement, and scouting activities. Your primary responsibilities will include but not be limited to: Ecosystem Outreach, Engagement, and Pipeline Development - 45% Develop and implement a comprehensive outreach and engagement strategy aligned with DIU priorities, DoW mission needs, and North Carolina’s regional innovation strengths. Build and sustain trusted relationships with startups, established technology companies, venture capital firms, universities, research institutions, nonprofit organizations, accelerators, incubators, economic development organizations, industry associations, and DoW mission partners.Serve as an accessible point of entry for nontraditional and dual-use companies seeking to understand and pursue DoW opportunities. Identify, engage, cultivate, and maintain a qualified pipeline of companies, technologies, experts, and ecosystem partners relevant to current and emerging mission priorities. Plan and support facilitated engagements, workshops, mission-informed sessions, and targeted forums designed to lower barriers to entry, generate pipeline, and strengthen collaboration across commercial and mission stakeholders. Coordinate participant identification, outreach, and follow-up for approximately one to two program events per quarter. Capture event insights, participants, opportunities, and pipeline inputs and ensure their incorporation into approved program systems and knowledge repositories. Represent the DIU OnRamp at regional meetings, conferences, ecosystem events, and partner engagements, including in-state travel to assess capabilities and strengthen stakeholder connections. Technology Ecosystem Intelligence and Targeted Scouting - 30% Maintain continuous awareness of regional and national commercial and dual-use technology landscapes relevant to DoW priorities. Identify and catalog companies, technologies, capabilities, and emerging trends and contribute to a continuously updated, structured, and searchable ecosystem repository. Engage mission partners to understand defined needs, operational problem sets, constraints, and success criteria for targeted scouting activities. Design and conduct time-bound technology scouting efforts that leverage regional intelligence, external networks, research institutions, accelerators, and other sourcing channels. Manage the technical review process, coordinating subject-matter experts to screen and prioritize technologies against mission-area requirements. Develop curated lists and scouting reports that document relevant companies and technologies, supporting data, screening criteria, rationale, and outcomes. Translate commercial capabilities into mission-relevant applications and identify promising candidates for readiness assessment, validation, and transition support. Data, Coordination, and Continuous Improvement - 20% Maintain accurate, point-of-occurrence data on stakeholder engagement, companies, technologies, referrals, scouting activities, and pipeline progression using systems designated by the national program in coordination with the Data Manager.Provide timely inputs for weekly SITREPS, monthly programmatic reporting, ecosystem landscape updates, event summaries, and performance reporting. Track engagement effectiveness, including companies incorporated into the pipeline and their progression into subsequent DIU OnRamp Hub services. Coordinate with the Program Manager to ensure outreach, events, scouting activities, and deliverables are aligned with work plans, reporting requirements, and operational priorities. Provide communications content and requirements to the Marketing Professional and support required review and approval processes.Share lessons learned and ecosystem insights with DIU and the national DIU OnRamp Hub network to support refinement of standardized services, playbooks, and standard operating procedures. Other Duties as Assigned - 5% Support emerging DIU priorities, special initiatives, mission-critical engagements, and cross-Hub activities. Perform other outreach, scouting, partnership development, or program responsibilities as assigned

Qualification

What You Will Need/Qualifications. Master’s degree in business, engineering, science, public policy, economic development, communications, technology commercialization, or a related field and at least five years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Demonstrated experience designing and executing stakeholder outreach, ecosystem engagement, partnership development, or pipeline development strategies. Experience building relationships across commercial technology companies, startups, academia, investors, accelerators, nonprofit organizations, government, or defense stakeholders in North Carolina. Experience conducting technology scouting, market or ecosystem research, technical screening, commercialization support, or innovation program delivery. Ability to understand technical concepts and translate between commercial capabilities and mission or operational needs. Strong understanding of pathways for moving technology from identification to pilot, validation, acquisition, or operational use, including experience supporting, assessing, commercializing, or transitioning technologies into DoW acquisition, operational, or mission environments.Strong facilitation, presentation, written communication, and relationship management skills. Demonstrated ability to manage multiple engagements, maintain accurate data, document outcomes, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment. Ability and willingness to travel within North Carolina and nationally, as required, for program meetings, stakeholder engagement, and mission-critical activities (up to 40% travel).Required to work onsite daily when not traveling.To qualify, applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States and should not require, now or in the future, sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B visa status, etc.). Preferred Qualifications:Advanced degree in a relevant field. Recent experience working with DIU, the DoW, military innovation organizations, federal agencies, national laboratories, or defense technology transition programs. Knowledge of dual-use technology, defense acquisition and funding pathways, technology readiness, commercialization, venture capital, and entrepreneurial ecosystems. Established relationships across North Carolina’s innovation, research, investment, economic development, and defense communities. Experience facilitating cross-sector workshops or mission-informed engagements and converting those engagements into actionable pipeline or scouting outputs. Experience using customer relationship management systems, structured databases, market-intelligence platforms, or comparable tools to track companies, technologies, and engagement outcomes. #LI-KV1