The company:
We are a profitable, fast-scaling defence-tech startup - operating on the extreme edge of innovation in the evolving domain of unmanned systems / drones.
Our world-class team of Engineers are delivering solutions deemed impossible by many, for some of the most complex and challenging problems in the Drones / UAS space.
With strong revenue growth, a loyal customer base, and an ambitious scaling plan, we are entering an exciting new phase of growth — and this is a rare opportunity to join at the moment it matters most.
The role:
The Programme Manager role is in essence the CEO of one of our most successful and innovative products - an advanced and unique camera & video compression unit for drones, with mass market potential.
You'll wake up and go to bed thinking about the product. As the owner of the product's success, the Programme Manager reports directly to our Founder & CEO.
The Programme Manager works from the customer backwards. They exist to answer and execute against:
* Who are the customers? What are their needs?
* What resources (time, money, people) does the team need to solve for them?
* How will it go to market?
* What will I then deliver to whom, when?
* How will I scale to millions of pounds of sales?
What you will do:
* Own the product end-to-end: product, programme, delivery and commercial success.
* Define the product roadmap from customer need, operational feedback and company priorities.
* Turn customer problems into clear requirements, priorities, timelines and delivery plans.
* Lead cross-functional execution across engineering, operations, supply chain, test, sales and support.
* Decide what gets built, by when, with what resources, and to what standard.
* Work directly with customers and users to shape product-market fit, pricing, positioning and go-to-market.
* Drive trials, fielding, iteration and scale-up from early adoption to meaningful revenue growth.
* Track performance relentlessly: delivery, reliability, user impact, unit economics and sales conversion.
* Build the team, operating rhythm and external partnerships needed to make it a category-defining product.
Essential skills/experience:
* Proven experience owning and delivering a complex product or programme from concept to scaled deployment.
* Strong product judgement: able to work from the customer backwards and make clear trade-offs on scope, time and cost.
* Experience leading cross-functional teams and aligning engineers, operators, commercial teams and senior stakeholders.
* Commercial instinct and execution ability: able to translate a great product into revenue, adoption and scale.
* Strong grasp of hardware-enabled or technically complex products; able to engage credibly with engineers without needing to be the deepest technical specialist.
* Excellent programme management: structured, organised, decisive, and able to drive momentum in ambiguity.
* Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to simplify complex issues for customers and leadership.
* High ownership, pace and resilience; comfortable acting as the de facto CEO of a product.
* Willingness to spend significant time with customers, users and internal teams to get the product right.
\"Nice to have\" skills/experience:
* Experience in drones, defence, robotics, edge devices, sensors, radios or other mission-critical hardware/software products.
* Exposure to video, streaming, compression, computer vision or embedded systems.
* Experience taking a product from early-stage adoption to repeatable sales growth.
* Knowledge of IP radios or SDRs (software defined radios)
Compensation:
* Competitive annual salary
* Performance bonus
* Employee stock options
* Life insurance
* Private health insurance (family plan)
* 35 days annual leave including public holidays