Marketing Manager, Founding Marketing Hire

Marketing Manager, Founding Marketing Hire

Company: Name disclosed upon mutual interest · Location: Herndon, VA (on-site/hybrid) — 20% travel · Reports to: CEO or CRO, with direct exposure to the founders · Comp: $140,000–$170,000 base, plus bonus and equity

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About the Client

The client is a defense-technology company building a family of high-altitude and long-range systems: tactical balloon platforms, balloon-deployed ISR and communications buses, an autonomous glide munition, specialty-purpose dispensers, and a family of ultra long range one-way attack and ISR drones. The company has recently closed a funding round backed by a top-tier venture syndicate, and as it scales toward its next round, it is building its first dedicated marketing function from the ground up.

About the Role

This is the founding marketing hire — someone who can own the full marketing function end to end from day one and grow into a leadership role as the team scales. You'll work directly with the founders and executive team, shape how the company shows up publicly in a fast-moving defense-tech and national security landscape, and build the systems and team needed to support a company scaling through its next stage of growth and beyond. Strong performance in this role comes with a clear path to Head of Marketing, including hiring and managing a team.

Responsibilities

• The company's social media presence and brand voice across all platforms
• Content generation, from concept through production, in partnership with outside creative resources
• Inbound and outbound marketing campaigns, including planning, execution, and performance tracking
• A social and content calendar aligned to product milestones, funding announcements, and industry events
• Sourcing, hiring, and managing photography and video vendors/contractors
• Product collateral development (data sheets, one-pagers, web content, trade show materials) in partnership with engineering and product
• Client and partner-facing marketing support at conferences, demos, and industry events
• Building the marketing function's foundational systems (CRM/marketing automation, brand guidelines, content workflows) as the team scales

Requirements

Must-Haves

• 3-6+ years of marketing experience, with a track record of owning a marketing function or major workstream independently
• Prior experience at a venture-backed startup, ideally at or near the founding marketing hire stage
• Comfortable operating with minimal structure and building process rather than inheriting it
• Strong written and visual eye; able to brief and manage outside creative vendors effectively
• Experience running both inbound (content, SEO, campaigns) and outbound (targeted outreach, event marketing, ABM-style campaigns) motions
• Client-facing and comfortable representing the company at industry events and in front of customers/partners
• Willing to be based in Herndon, VA and travel roughly 20% of the time

Nice-to-Haves

• Prior exposure to defense, aerospace, government, or dual-use tech markets is a strong plus

Why This Role

This is a ground-floor opportunity to build a marketing function at a defense-technology company backed by a top-tier venture syndicate, led by a multi-time defense founding team, with direct access to the founders and a clear growth path into a leadership role as the company and team scale.

The client is an equal opportunity employer. This role supports defense work.