Senior Product Operations - Dedrone

Axon•Sterling, VA

11d•Hybrid

About The Position

Join Axon and be a Force for Good. At Axon, we’re on a mission to Protect Life. We’re explorers, pursuing society’s most critical safety and justice issues with our ecosystem of devices and cloud software. Like our products, we work better together. We connect with candor and care, seeking out diverse perspectives from our customers, communities and each other. Life at Axon is fast-paced, challenging and meaningful. Here, you’ll take ownership and drive real change. Constantly grow as you work hard for a mission that matters at a company where you matter. Dedrone, now part of Axon, is the global leader in smart airspace security, protecting critical infrastructure, military assets, and public spaces from drone threats. Our counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) combine advanced RF sensors, radar integrations, AI-powered detection and classification software, and a unified command-and-control platform to provide complete airspace awareness and response capabilities. As Dedrone scales rapidly within the Axon portfolio, we are investing in dedicated Product Operations capacity to match the complexity and pace of growth. Your Impact As Senior Product Operations Manager at Dedrone, you will ensure that every product — new and existing — is operationally ready for the field. You will lead the processes that bridge Product and Engineering with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Support, and Partners, making sure that what we build can be reliably produced, deployed, serviced, and sustained. From Operational Readiness Plans for new product introductions to RMA management and field issue resolution, you will be the single point of accountability for operational excellence across Dedrone's hardware, software, and third-party product portfolio. This is a critical role for a business that has been growing many multiples year over year since 2023 while owning a deep and complex product stack.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations, supply chain, business, or related field.
5+ years of experience in product operations, technical program management, NPI management, or a similar role in a hardware+software technology company.
Strong experience with new product introduction processes, operational readiness, and launch coordination.
Demonstrated ability to coordinate across engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and support organizations.
Experience managing RMA processes, field issue resolution, and sustaining engineering workflows.
Strong project management skills with the ability to track complex, multi-workstream programs.
Excellent cross-functional communication and stakeholder management skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience in the defense, aerospace, public safety, or security technology industry.
Familiarity with hardware product development processes (DFM, prototyping, testing, certification).
Experience managing third-party hardware vendor relationships and integration programs.
Experience with Jira, Arena, or similar product lifecycle management tools.
Experience working in a high-growth environment with rapidly evolving product lines and frequent new introductions.
Understanding of government and defense deployment requirements and operational environments.

Responsibilities

Lead Operational Readiness Plans (ORPs) and Customer Operations Plans (COPs) for all new product introductions and major releases. Ensure cross-functional alignment on launch readiness across Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Support, Field Services, and Partners before products reach customers.
Serve as the Product organization's operational lead for NPIs, coordinating timelines, dependencies, and handoffs between Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, QA, and Support. Track and communicate readiness milestones.
Own the operational response to field issues, RMAs, and sustaining engineering requests. Coordinate between Customer Support, Engineering, and Supply Chain to resolve issues and feed lessons learned back into the product development process.
Manage the operational aspects of Dedrone's third-party hardware programs including Starlink connectivity, integrated radars, cameras, and mitigators. Coordinate with 3P vendors on supply, certification, and field support.
Close the loop between field deployments and the product roadmap. Aggregate deployment data, field feedback, and support trends to inform product priorities and engineering improvements.
Build and refine the operational processes, templates, and tools needed for a scalable Product Operations function. Document and standardize workflows for ORPs, COPs, NPIs, and sustaining operations.
Work closely with Product Management, Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, QA, Customer Support, Field Services, and Partners to ensure seamless product delivery and operational excellence.