Product Manager - Autonomous Flight, Embedded Software

DroneUp is seeking an experienced Technical Product Manager to own our autonomous flight embedded software stack within the UncrewTM autonomous flight platform, and be responsible for working closely with a cross functional team of stakeholders, end-users, engineers, and other product leaders to understand the problems to solve, inform the product vision and define requirements for the product development team.

As the end-to-end mission management solution, the autonomous flight platform provides mission planning and execution, and critical overwatch consoles for drone operation team members. The Product Manager will gain a deep understanding of the customer experience and identify and fill product gaps by generating solutions that improve the experience and help increase market share for DroneUp.

Responsibilities

• Lead the cross-functional embedded software product development team to deliver strategic product objectives for the onboard software components of the platform
• Define roadmap based on product’s strategic initiatives, and drive the delivery of this roadmap together with tech and business teams. 
• Collaborate and work closely with fellow product managers as part of the UncrewTM outcome-driven product team of teams.
• Own the end-to-end cycle of product development, from planning to delivery - ensuring what is built, is built right. 
• Decompose and translate product strategy into detailed requirements and acceptance criteria for product development by engineering team members
• Create and anticipate new product backlog items based on business needs, maintaining acceptance criteria and defined business value, and translate product strategy into detailed requirements and prototypes
• Create, maintain, prioritize, and sequence backlog based on business value for each sprint
• Define goals for each sprint and release; monitor and evaluate results
• Support development team clarifications and end user support request

• Develop metrics, collect data, analyze data to identify root causes, measure performance against algorithmic business requirements.
• Performs qualitative and quantitative analysis using analytical techniques, tools, models, and simulations to define a problem when the problem is not clear.

• Align internal and external stakeholders on product vision, roadmap, and critical product development milestones and provide communication to wider business areas as needed
• Balance the priorities of a diverse group of stakeholders
• Provide transparency and recommendations on project trade-offs, understanding, and coordinating dependencies across multiple teams with competing priorities

• Other duties as assigned

Requirements

• Proven experience as part of a cross-functional embedded software development team
• Software development experience in a leadership role or product management role (preferred), overseeing the development of major features from ideation to delivery
• In depth understanding of autonomous robotics
• Experience delivering robotic systems on significant government or enterprise programs
• Working knowledge of programming robotic systems in ROS/ROS2
• Strong understanding of PX4 or comparable auto-pilot technology 
• 4+ years experience working in a product manager role on commercial enterprise or government robotics projects, particularly in UAS
• Ability to handle uncertainty and complexity and able to operate in an environment with rapid change
• Proven ability to map solutions to product problems with demonstrated impact on business metrics.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to present technical content to non-technical audiences. 
• Ability to partner with different functions to ensure that your solutions drive real business impact.
• Strategic thinking and ability to incorporate larger business context into algorithms and product development.
• Strong understanding of software development lifecycles, and experience in agile development
• Experience managing product requirements and release deliverables in JIRA
• Strong organizational, leadership, analytical, and critical thinking skills
• Part 107 certification and in-depth knowledge of the drone industry a plus

Benefits

• Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Basic & Voluntary Life Insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Legal Services
• Identity Protection
• Accident Insurance
• Critical Illness Insurance
• Hospital Indemnity Insurance
• Pet Insurance
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick, Holiday)

Salary

Just like drones themselves, your earning potential can soar to new heights, but it largely depends on your qualifications and expertise. If you are recognized as an industry expert, your earning potential can take true flight. The target salary range for this position is $125,000 to $150,000. Your unique qualifications and contributions to the field will play a significant role in determining your precise compensation. The total rewards for this position may also include; potential for annual bonuses, benefits package, paid time off, and more.

$125,000 - $150,000

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy

DroneUp is committed to hiring and developing the most qualified individuals, regardless of sex, age, race, national origin, disability or other protected characteristics. DroneUp subscribes to the equal employment opportunity requirements of applicable law. It is the policy of DroneUp to ensure equal opportunity to all employees and applicants in all employment matters, including, but not limited to, recruitment, hiring, placement, compensation, training, promotion, and separation. In these and all activities, DroneUp does not discriminate against any qualified individual because of sex, age, race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, familial status, marital status, sexual orientation, sexual preference, gender identity disability, handicap, liability for service in the United States Armed Forces, veteran status, and/or any other legally protected characteristic.

Any individual who feels that he or she may have been discriminated against in violation of this policy is strongly encouraged to immediately contact his or her supervisor or any member of DroneUp management. Any member of DroneUp management who is notified of alleged discrimination is required to immediately report the incident to the HR Department.

DroneUp will thoroughly investigate all such claims with due regard for the privacy of the individuals involved. Any employee who knowingly retaliates against an employee who has reported workplace discrimination will be subject to immediate corrective action, up to and potentially including termination of employment. 

Security Responsibility Statement:  Employees are expected to provide a high level of security to any personal or private information accessed as part of their work, whether at a DroneUp facility or remotely.  This includes participating in security training, remaining sensitive to individual rights to personal privacy, and complying with company policies. Employees who have access to sensitive data that is protected by regulation, such as HIPAA, or by contract, such as credit card data, must comply with any additional requirements dictated by the governing regulations or associated contracts.