Vice President, Head of Government Partnerships

Lila Sciences is seeking a Head of Government Partnerships to build and lead our federal partnership strategy and execution at the most senior level. This role is the connective tissue between Lila's scientific mission and the agencies, networks, and funding architectures that can accelerate it. You will own our revenue-generating government relationships end-to-end, from shaping opportunities before they're announced to closing partnerships to building the institutional infrastructure that makes our federal engagement systematic and durable. 

Reporting to the Chief Revenue & Product Officer, you will manage a small but growing team, represent Lila at the highest levels of agency and interagency engagement, and serve as a key member of the company's leadership team. You will set the high level strategy and also be hands on. We are expected to won and close opportunities yourself. 

Federal Strategy & Account Leadership: Own Lila's senior relationships across DOE, ARPA-E, NIH, DARPA, BARDA, DoD, and adjacent mission agencies. Set the strategy for how we prioritize, sequence, and deepen those relationships over time. 

Opportunity Shaping & Pipeline Development: Lead pre-solicitation engagement to influence how funding opportunities are scoped and structured. Ensure Lila is in the room and shaping the conversation before RFPs are published. 

Deliver Impact: You will be accountable for revenue targets. You will own opportunities from identification through award and execution handoff, partnering with Product Managers and Principal Investigators to convert meetings into pilots, CRADAs, and major procurements. 

Cross-Agency Narrative & Policy Positioning: Connect Lila's portfolio to national priorities in bioeconomy, biosecurity, energy, and materials. Build a compelling, differentiated government narrative that resonates at the agency, interagency, and Congressional level. 

Team & Function Building: Hire, develop, and lead the Government Partnerships team. Build the systems, processes, and culture that allow us to scale our federal engagement as Lila grows. 

Executive Partnership: Serve as the primary interface between Lila's senior leadership and our federal partners. You report to the Chief Revenue and Product Officer, lead the Government Partnerships team, and are our senior voice with federal partners. You brief the CEO on the federal developments that affect our path. 

• You already know the people who run the programs we care about, from program directors to senior agency leadership, and you have a track record of winning major awards (FOAs, BAAs, NOFOs, CRADAs). 

• You have built a BD or partnerships function from scratch and are comfortable working without established process or infrastructure 

• Track record of building and managing high-performing teams 

• The judgment and presence to represent Lila at the highest levels of government and industry 

• Experience translating complex science and AI into clear, credible narratives for non-technical, senior, and policy-facing government audiences. 

• Strong cross-functional leadership: comfort partnering with scientists, product managers, communications, policy, and legal to drive aligned outcomes under tight timelines. 

• Excellent written communication; comfort operating with ambiguity in a founding-team environment. 

• Willingness to travel regularly to build the relationships required for Lila to succeed. 

• Advanced degree in a relevant scientific discipline 

• Experience at a venture-backed startup 

• Experience standing up a government affairs or business development function from scratch 

• Experience selling SaaS 

• Active U.S. security clearance