V-bat Product Manager - Cocos, Training (r2588)

Introduction to Shield AI Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company whose mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. In pursuit of this mission, Shield AI is building the world’s best AI pilot. Its AI pilot, Hivemind, has flown a fighter jet (F-16), a vertical takeoff and landing drone (V-BAT), and a quadcopter (Nova). The company has offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington DC and abroad. Shield AI’s products and people are currently in the field actively supporting operations with the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. allies.

We are looking for an exceptional Product Manager to lead the V-BAT portfolio for Training and COCO (Contractor Owned, Contractor Operated) Operations. You will be responsible for creating a Training Center of Excellence, crafting exceptional training products, and ensuring flawless V-BAT performance in any COCO setting.

The ideal candidate will maintain extreme ownership over the product portfolio, proactively engage and align stakeholders, demonstrate exceptional levels of communication, and stay vigilant in monitoring industry and customer trends.

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

• Product Strategy

• Set the product roadmap to guide development and integration of V-BAT COCOs and Training.

• Manage roadmap prioritization to support customers, mission impact, and corporate strategy.

• Engage cross-functional stakeholders (customer success, business development, engineering, finance, operations, etc.) at the right time to ensure excellent product maturation that fulfills delivery targets.

• Establish, track, and report upon key performance indicators for product metrics.

• Rigorously evaluate financial aspects of product strategy and pricing

• Ensure product-market fit. Conduct market analyses to identify trends, opportunities, and competitive threats.

• Support efforts to drive product adoption and ensure end-users will delight in using our products. Assist pre-sales conversations and industry events.

• Stakeholder Alignment

• Invest deeply in cross-functional engagement to empower optimal decision making. Partner with teammates across the organization to think comprehensively about problems and make thoughtful decisions.

• Collaborate with customer success, business development, production, and engineering teams to design and implement solutions that meet product requirements and business/customer needs. Be prepared to execute a variety of tasks to ensure the roadmap stays on track.

• Manage stakeholder relationships, including clients, partners, and internal teams, to gather requirements and communicate product value.

• Lend world-class product insight and perspective to all members of the team.

• Communication

• Reinforce company mission, vision, and strategy by contributing product facts, insights, and arguments.

• Produce and present models, written text, and presentations that simply and effectively convey the product state and future.

• Anticipate and address risks. Provide mitigation strategies with sufficient lead time to ensure the roadmap stays on track.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Typically requires a minimum of 10 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 8 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 5 years experience; or equivalent experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Finance, Accounting, or equivalent.
• Familiarity with DOD and SOCOM organizational structures.
• 5+ years of experience in product development/operations, preferably in the aerospace or UAV industry.
• Proven track record of leading and facilitating cross-functional teams to successfully bringing products to market.
• Self-starter with a proven track record of forging clarity and structure in the face of ambiguous or dynamic constraints.
• World-class analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to quickly synthesize disparate viewpoints to deliver well-informed, data-backed decisions.
• Relentless learner who can develop specialized knowledge in niche domains.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret clearance.
• Defense, national security, or aerospace domain familiarity through employment or education.
• US military and/or overseas deployed experience in a leadership role.
• Unmanned or manned pilot or maintenance experience.
• Familiarity with US DoD training and service guidance and international airworthiness standards and regulations.
• Experiencing owning and driving product roadmaps that balance engineering development realities against the speed of business growth.
• Experience translating technical information and customer needs into comprehensible product narratives.
• Experience conducting product, technology, and market discovery with subject matter experts.