Full-Time
Manager of Growth and Strategic Initiatives-Advanced Materials
Updated on 9/15/2026
Riverside Research
501-1,000 employees
Not-for-profit defense-focused scientific research
Compensation Overview
$180k - $250k/yr
No H1B Sponsorship
Beavercreek, OH, USA
In Person
Travel up to 50% required.
US Citizenship, US Top Secret Clearance Required
 Business & Strategy (1) |
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- Active Top Secret/SCI security clearance and U.S. citizenship are required.
- At least 12 years of progressive experience in technology strategy, business development, capture, or technical leadership within advanced materials, materials science, applied physics, engineering research, or related national security technology areas is required.
- Demonstrated success identifying, shaping, and advancing defense and intelligence technology opportunities, including experience influencing and supporting major program wins with individual award values of $10 million or more, is required.
- Deep understanding of technology transition pathways and experience moving emerging materials technologies, research investments, prototypes, or advanced capabilities into funded mission applications and sustained programs is required.
- Established relationships and trusted connections with defense, intelligence, government research organizations, laboratories, and mission partners are required.
- Ability to understand complex materials technologies and translate technical capabilities into compelling mission-focused solutions for government stakeholders, researchers, and executive leadership is required.
- Ability to collaborate and communicate effectively across Principal Investigators, technical teams, Business Development, and senior government decision makers is required.
- Willingness and ability to travel up to 50% is required.
- Technical expertise in one or more of the following areas is required: advanced materials and materials characterization; electromagnetic materials and related technologies; functional materials, novel materials development, or materials discovery.
- Become a trusted ambassador for Riverside Research’s technical capabilities by understanding the research portfolio and communicating its mission value to current and future customers.
- Leverage relationships across government, national laboratories, industry, and mission organizations to identify emerging challenges and create new opportunities for engagement.
- Engage directly with customers to understand future mission needs, technology gaps, and investment priorities.
- Connect customer challenges with Riverside Research expertise to develop differentiated solutions and growth opportunities.
- Partner with Principal Investigators and technical leaders to shape research priorities, capability roadmaps, and strategic investments.
- Develop technical narratives, customer presentations, white papers, and marketing materials that showcase Riverside Research’s capabilities.
- Work with Business Development and capture teams to mature opportunities from early customer engagement through proposal development.
- Bring customer insights, market intelligence, and technology trends to leadership to guide portfolio strategy and future investments.
Riverside Research is a not-for-profit scientific research organization that supports the U.S. Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community. It conducts independent research and development across Centers of Excellence such as Biomedical Engineering, Cyber, Electromagnetic Sciences, and ISR, using modeling, simulation, assessment, and program management to produce mission-focused analyses and capabilities. The company differentiates itself through independent, objective, defense- and IC-aligned work without commercial product pressure, spanning multiple technical domains rather than a single product line. Its goal is to advance national security by delivering rigorous research and trusted technical solutions for defense and intelligence needs.
Company Size
501-1,000
Company Stage
Grant
Total Funding
$8.7M
Headquarters
Lexington, Kentucky
Founded
1967
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- June 16, 2026 RavenEye positions Riverside in agentic AI for denied-environment intelligence.
- July 15, 2026 Champaign office expansion taps UIUC talent in electromagnetics and radar.
- February 2, 2026 HIREVets Gold Medallion strengthens veteran recruiting across cleared technical roles.
What critics are saying
- Riverside depends on DoD and Intelligence Community budgets, making recompetes existentially dangerous.
- Anduril, Plexus, and Tera AI commoditize Riverside's niche unless it wins platform control.
- A failed security certification or cleared-workforce exodus would crush its government access.
What makes Riverside Research unique
- Riverside Research combines nonprofit status with mission R&D, reinvesting profits into independent research.
- Its 2025 Cog Systems acquisition adds secure virtualization and cryptographic mobile-device expertise.
- The May 19, 2026 Plexus partnership compresses defense hardware prototyping to under nine months.
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Benefits
Comprehensive medical, dental, & vision plan
403(b) Retirement Plan
Non-contributory Retirement Plan
Flexible Spending Plan
Long-term Care Plan
Generous PTO
Parental Leave
Military Leave
Tuition Reimbursement
Student Loan Repayment
Identity Theft Protection
Life Insurance
Short & long-term Disability
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↑ 14%1 year growth
↑ 14%2 year growth
↑ 14%Riverside Research has partnered with Tera AI to provide navigation solutions for autonomous systems operating without GPS. The collaboration addresses vulnerabilities in electronic warfare environments where GPS systems face jamming or spoofing. Tera AI's DeepSLAM technology uses passive cameras to create real-time 3D maps of unknown areas. The system enables autonomous platforms to determine location and navigate without GPS dependency. Dr Tony Zhang, Tera AI founder, explained that autonomous systems have historically relied on controlled environments and GPS. As jamming becomes more common, real-time spatial intelligence is essential for mission success. Riverside Research will integrate DeepSLAM into its offerings for defence and intelligence applications. The partnership aims to improve positioning capabilities across military and commercial platforms, from aircraft to unmanned vehicles, ensuring operational continuity in contested environments.
Riverside Research, a national security nonprofit, has opened a new office in the University of Illinois Research Park in Champaign, Illinois. The company relocated from its previous Champaign location to a 2,800-square-foot facility at 2021 S. 1st Street, supporting 10 employees. Headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, Riverside Research invested $80,000 in office renovations and will invest over $250,000 during its three-year lease term. The new location focuses on computational electromagnetics, software development, physics-based modelling and simulation, and radar systems. The move places employees directly on the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign campus, providing access to talent in physics, electrical engineering, computer science, and computer engineering. The nonprofit serves the Department of War and Intelligence Community through its Open Innovation Centre.
Riverside Research partners with Plexus. 0 Comments On May 19, Riverside Research announced a strategic partnership with Plexus Corp., a global leader in designing, manufacturing, and servicing highly complex products in demanding regulatory environments, to rapidly develop designs for reusable modular-based hardware and software for the intelligence and defense markets. This partnership will deliver technology that uses a collaborative rapid prototyping approach to create adaptable, ultra-secure, connected devices. This is a critical step in addressing security concerns and decreasing time-to-market for such devices, which is essential as adversaries' technologies swiftly adapt to challenge the nation's security architecture, the company said. In their first joint effort, Riverside Research and Plexus developed the Aegis R52L Enhanced Retransmission Device, designed to secure end-user devices. Together, they moved from the initial concept to identifying requirements, developing prototypes and planning for full-scale manufacturing in under nine months. This pace sets a new standard for bringing these commercially viable technologies to market. "Partnering with Riverside Research aligns with our vision to help create the products that build a better world by enabling the rapid deployment of secure, cutting-edge technologies that protect freedom, people and the dedicated soldiers who serve our nation," said Jim Stokes, Plexus market sector vice president, aerospace/defense. "We are committed to accelerating their time-to-market through our integrated engineering and manufacturing solutions." "Too often, industry has been forced to navigate the complex ecosystem of defense contracts to fulfill the entirety of the product development process," said Carl Nerup, vice president, business development, at Riverside Research. "With Riverside Research and Plexus aligned, the marketplace now has an innovation engine. Together, we're combining our companies' world-class problem-solving abilities to guide customers smoothly from concept to product." Your competitors read IC News each day. Shouldn't you? Learn more about its subscription options, and keep up with every move in the IC contracting space.
Riverside Research has announced a strategic partnership with Plexus Corp to rapidly develop reusable modular hardware and software for intelligence and defence markets. The collaboration uses rapid prototyping to create adaptable, ultra-secure connected devices. In their first joint project, the companies developed the Aegis R52L Enhanced Retransmission Device, moving from concept to manufacturing plans in under nine months. The device is designed to secure end-user devices. Riverside Research is a national security nonprofit serving the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community. Plexus Corp is a global manufacturer serving aerospace, defence and healthcare sectors with over 20,000 employees across 27 facilities. The partnership aims to accelerate time-to-market for commercially viable secure technologies.
Riverside Research accelerates the intelligence cycle with raveneye, an agentic AI framework. From the lab to the field: network modernization experiment. Mar 16, 2026 Learn about its network modernization capabilities with Dr. Mike Clark, Director of the Secure & Resilient Systems Group at Riverside Research. This IRAD research focuses on allowing warfighters to use commercial infrastructure to operate through denied environments. Aimed at solving this problem for the U.S. Army, Riverside Research Institute participate in the annual NetModX event, which they host. Featured Riverside Research author(s). Michael R. Clark. Dr. Michael R. Clark is a director at Riverside Research and leads the Secure and Resilient Systems (SRS) research group. He has conducted research in a variety of areas including cryptography, wireless systems, hypervisors, and machine learning. He holds a PhD from the Air Force Institute of Technology, an MS from the University of Utah, and a BS from Brigham Young University, all in computer science. Disclaimer The above listed authors are current or former employees of Riverside Research. Authors affiliated with other institutions are listed on the full paper. It is the responsibility of the author to list material disclosures in each paper, where applicable - they are not listed here. This academic papers directory is published in accordance with federal guidance to make public and available academic research funded by the federal government.