← All roles

Product Manager - Drone Stack

Applied Intuition· Defense
Apply on company site
Sunnyvale$185k - $270kFull-timePosted 3mo ago

About the role

Product Manager responsible for DroneStack strategy, research, and execution to transition from bespoke programs to scalable, multi-customer products for autonomous drone software and hardware across DoD and commercial applications.

Responsibilities

  • Own product strategy for DroneStack. Define the roadmap that transitions the team from program-driven deliveries to a scalable, multi-customer product line. Make hard prioritization calls across ISR, strike, hardware, and tooling.
  • Become the voice of the operator. Conduct primary user research — in the field, at bases, and with international partners — to deeply understand how operators plan, execute, and debrief autonomous missions. Travel up to 20% of the time, including internationally.
  • Drive the programs-to-products transition. Identify the patterns across current customer engagements and define the abstractions, configurations, and interfaces that turn one-off solutions into repeatable products.
  • Shape product design and experience. Work with engineering to design operator interfaces (mission control, mission planning, mission review) that are intuitive enough for non-technical users to operate without engineering support in the field.
  • Set the technical direction with engineering. Partner with the engineering manager and technical leads to balance near-term delivery commitments with long-term product architecture.
  • Build and communicate a market thesis. Develop a point of view on where the autonomous drone market is heading — across DoD service branches, allied nations, and commercial applications — and position Applied Intuition to capture it.
  • Represent the product internally and externally. Be the connective tissue between DroneStack engineering, Applied Intuition's defense business development team, and customers. Present at demos, program reviews, and industry events.

Qualifications

  • 5–7 years of product management experience across at least two meaningfully different environments (different industries, product types, company stages, or customer segments).
  • A track record of shipping products, not just features. You've owned a product end-to-end — from research and strategy through design, build, launch, and iteration.
  • Exceptional research instincts. You know how to learn a market from scratch: talking to users, studying workflows, reading doctrine, attending field exercises, and synthesizing what you find into actionable product direction.
  • Comfort with deep technical systems. You should have experience working on technically complex products (hardware + software, real-time systems, developer tools, infrastructure, etc.).
  • Strong design sensibility. You care about how products feel to use, and have collaborated with designers or driven UX decisions.
  • Clear, structured communication. You can write a crisp product brief, present a strategy to senior leadership, and run a productive design review with engineers.
  • BS/BA degree in a technical or analytical field. Advanced degrees welcome but not required.

Skills

Required:Product managementUser researchTechnical systems fluencyCommunication

Benefits

  • Base salary, equity, and benefits including health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, 401k with employer match, learning and wellness stipends, paid time off.
Last updated Oct 11, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About Applied Intuition

Building vehicle intelligence | Applied Intuition

Applied Intuition is the vehicle intelligence company with the tools, Vehicle OS, and autonomy stacks for creating safe, AI-powered vehicle experiences.

AIAutonomy stacksSelf-Driving SystemSimulationTesting & ValidationVehicle IntelligenceVehicle OSai-infrastructure-and-development
Company profileWebsite

More open roles at Applied Intuition