Senior Product Manager, UAS Development

Firestorm•San Diego, CA

2d•$140,000 - $170,000•Onsite

About The Position

Firestorm is hiring a Senior Product Manager to own Tempest, its modular fixed-wing unmanned aircraft system (UAS). Tempest can be reconfigured in the field for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and one-way attack missions, carries electronic warfare and communications payloads, and is built and repaired at the point of need using xCell deployable microfactories. The role defines what Tempest is, whom it serves, what it must do, and the order in which capabilities are introduced. The product manager owns the what and why, while program management owns timing and cost and engineering owns implementation. The role works closely with both teams and makes product decisions when needed. The successful candidate has taken hardware from requirements through fielding and is comfortable working at test ranges, with military units, and in design reviews. The role defines product missions, users, configurations, requirements, roadmaps, acceptance criteria, and product readiness; balances capability, cost, schedule, and producibility; and maintains a consistent capability baseline and product documentation. It also develops business cases, contributes to pricing and customer pursuits, tracks competing systems, and shapes test and validation activities. The Senior Product Manager engages military operators, program offices, and allied and partner users to understand needs and acquisition paths. They own the field-feedback loop, establish performance metrics, turn findings into requirements and roadmap changes, and communicate product decisions, risks, and status to leadership, engineering, and customers. The position is based at Firestorm's San Diego, California headquarters and requires an on-site presence. Relocation assistance may be included in an offer where appropriate.

Requirements

At least 7 years of experience in product management, systems engineering, program management, or engineering roles involving hardware or electromechanical systems, including at least 3 years owning a product's definition, requirements, or roadmap.
Experience taking a hardware product from development through test and customer acceptance into production or fielding.
Experience writing requirements with measurable acceptance criteria and using test results to decide whether a product is ready.
Experience in defense, aerospace, or another regulated hardware industry.
Ability to read system architecture, follow performance trade-offs involving weight, power, range, endurance, and payload, and understand the implications of changes.
Demonstrated ability to gather needs directly from end users and turn them into product decisions.
Clear, concise writing and briefing skills, including the ability to explain trade-offs to operators, program offices, and engineers.
Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain a Department of Defense security clearance.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, or systems engineering.
Private pilot certificate; significant military aviation or UAS operating experience is also valued.
Experience with Group 2 or 3 fixed-wing aircraft, loitering munitions, or one-way attack systems.
FAA Part 107 remote pilot certificate, or willingness to earn one within 60 days of hire.
Military service, especially as an operator or maintainer of unmanned systems.
Experience with other transaction authority agreements, rapid fielding, and program offices.
Experience with modular open systems approach architectures and integration of third-party payloads such as EO/IR sensors, electronic warfare, or communications relays.
Experience with additive or distributed manufacturing, or products designed for field repair.
Experience supporting proposals, white papers, or captures.
Working knowledge of ITAR and EAR as they apply to allied and partner sales.

Responsibilities

Own Tempest's product definition, including missions and users served, configurations offered, and the outcomes each configuration must deliver.
Write and maintain capability- and system-level requirements, including threshold and objective values and measurable acceptance criteria traced to operator needs and concepts of operations.
Make product trade-off decisions involving capability, unit cost, schedule, and producibility in collaboration with program management and engineering.
Maintain the Tempest capability baseline and product documentation as a single source of truth for business development, capture, and customers.
Own the roadmap for configurations, payloads, and capabilities, tying decisions to customer demand, funding signals, acquisition timelines, and technology readiness.
Build business cases for new configurations and major investments, and provide product input to pricing.
Track competing systems and use competitive findings to inform positioning and roadmap decisions.
Set acceptance criteria and operational validation for releases to demonstrate that Tempest meets operator expectations.
Work with engineering and flight test to shape ground tests, flight tests, and demonstrations; attend tests and review data.
Make product readiness decisions for customer releases; program management retains ownership of delivery schedule and execution.
Consider setup time, training burden, maintainability, and field repair with xCell in product decisions.
Regularly engage military operators, program offices, and allied and partner users to understand missions, constraints, and buying paths.
Own the field-feedback loop with the Mission Success Team, define field-performance metrics, and translate findings into requirement and roadmap changes.
Support business development and capture with technical content, demonstrations, customer briefings, and white papers.
Clearly communicate product decisions, risks, and status to leadership, engineering, and customers.

Benefits

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans.
401(k) retirement savings plan.
Equity grants for new hires.
Unlimited paid time off.
Generous company holiday calendar, including a holiday hiatus in November and December.
Generous parental leave.
Lifestyle Spending Account.
Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (DCFSA), and Health Savings Account (HSA).
Hospital indemnity, critical illness, and accident insurance.
Basic life and AD&D insurance and short- and long-term disability insurance, covered 100% by Firestorm, with options to purchase additional life insurance.
Free 24/7 mental health resources, including therapy.
Free legal and financial work-life services.
Relocation assistance may be included in the offer package where appropriate.
Opportunities for career growth.