UAS Senior Product Manager

Job description

Airbus is committed to providing reasonable accommodations as an Equal Opportunity Employer to applicants with disabilities. If you require assistance or an accommodation to complete your application, please contact us at USCareers@airbus.com Notice: Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal Notice: Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination (English) Aviso: Transparencia en el Pago No Discriminación (Spanish) Job Description: Are you a strategic leader in autonomous systems ready to shape the future of uncrewed aerial systems on a global scale? Airbus Helicopters is seeking a Senior Product Manager – Flexrotor UAS to own and execute the multi-year product roadmap for our premier dual-use uncrewed platform. Reporting directly to the Head of Programs, you will serve as the strategic nexus connecting Engineering, Sales, Operations, and Senior Leadership, translating complex defense and commercial market demands into predictable, high-impact block releases. Meet the Team: The Airbus Helicopters Flexrotor Program offers one of the most sophisticated small tactical unmanned aerial systems (STUAS) with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL). It can be used day or night by US and allied forces for a diverse range of intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) on land and at sea. Your Working Environment: Nestled in the heart of the spectacular Columbia River Gorge in Bingen, WA, our workplace offers innovation and the ability to contribute to game-changing solutions while enjoying the flexibility to spread your wings. Whether it's solving complex challenges, or celebrating victories, you’ll be part of a cohesive crew that thrives on innovation and the beauty that the Northwest has to offer! How We Care for You: Financial Rewards: Competitive base salary, incentive compensation which may include profit sharing schemes, retirement savings plan and the ability to participate in an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (“ESOP”) Work/Life Balance: Paid time off including personal time, holidays and a generous paid parental leave program. Health & Welfare: Comprehensive insurance coverage including medical (traditional and high-deductible health plans), prescription, dental, vision, life, disability, Employee Assistance Plan (“EAP”) and other supplemental benefit coverages. As a leader in our field, Airbus Helicopters, Inc. provides relocation assistance for qualified positions and a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Your Challenges: Roadmap Leadership & Cross-Functional Release Readiness : 30% Drive Dual-Market Product Roadmap: Own, define, and execute the multi-year product roadmap for the Flexrotor platform, balancing the requirements of commercial enterprise clients (e.g., maritime, energy, ISR) and defense/government entities. Orchestrate Launch & Release Readiness: Lead cross-functional alignment across Engineering, Production/Manufacturing, Flight Test, Training, and Customer Support to ensure all operational capabilities, technical documentation, training materials, and supply chains are fully prepared for each block release. Feature Backlog Management: Build, prioritize, and maintain the product feature backlog using a structured block release approach to strategically group hardware enhancements, software capabilities, and payload options into predictable deployment cycles. Predictable Schedule Execution: Work closely with Program Management and Engineering leadership to guarantee block releases hit target dates, fulfilling sales pipeline commitments and operational customer timelines. Technical Capture & Global Sales Enablement : 30% Global Sales & Customer Support: Partner with and support the global sales team during customer engagements across commercial and military sectors. Provide deep platform data, technical specifications, and trade analyses to demonstrate how Flexrotor satisfies specific mission profiles and operational requirements. Technical Capture & Proposals: Support technical capture activities for complex B2B and B2G opportunities, ensuring proposed capabilities align with upcoming block release schedules and core platform strategy. Value Proposition & Collateral: Translate complex engineering achievements into high-impact value propositions, capability briefs, proposal modules, and customer-facing product literature tailored to commercial or defense audiences. Engineering & Production Alignment: Collaborate directly with Engineering and Production teams to evaluate technical feasibility, payload integrations, and manufacturing scalability for new platform capabilities. Senior Leadership Influence & Execution : 20% Executive Alignment: Craft compelling, data-backed business cases and deliver executive presentations to secure internal investments for future block release features Cross-Functional Influence: Drive cross-departmental accountability across matrixed teams (Sales, Engineering, Flight Operations, Regulatory, Finance) without direct authority to ensure milestone delivery. Strategic Partnerships: Conduct due diligence and lead evaluations for third-party technology integrations (e.g., advanced payloads, AI algorithms, comms packages, autonomous workflows) to broaden the platform's commercial and defense value. Commercial Strategy & Unit Economics: 20% Financial & Pricing Strategy: Build unit-economic models, establish pricing frameworks, and structure solution packages across block release baselines to maximize portfolio profitability across all market segments. Offering Definition & Commercial Packaging: Maintain accurate product offerings, optionality matrices, and pricing baselines in coordination with sales, finance, and program office teams. Regulatory & Operational Alignment: Support cross-divisional strategy reviews, ITAR/export compliance screenings, civil/military airspace regulatory alignment, and operational efficiency initiatives. Your Boarding Pass: (Required for consideration) Must possess a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, Systems, or a highly related technical engineering field). Must have a minimum of ten (10) years of progressive experience in technical product management, solutions engineering, system architecture, or technical program management. Must have a minimum of five (5) years of experience in aerospace, defense, autonomous systems, or unmanned aerial systems/vertical take-off and landing (UAS/VTOL). Must have demonstrated experience leading product roadmaps using a block release methodology and driving end-to-end product readiness across manufacturing, training, and operational functions. ​Proven ability to synthesize inputs from Engineering, Production, Training, and Sales into cohesive, market-ready block releases. Exceptional relationship-building and networking capabilities across international teams and global corporate business units. Strong ability to equip global sales teams with platform data, technical trade studies, and messaging. Deep understanding of product lifecycle management (PLM) and block release / backlog prioritization methodologies. Strong financial acumen with verified capability in building unit-economic models and business cases. Advanced Microsoft Excel or equivalent (for financial modeling and data-driven dashboards), and familiarity with modern work management, roadmap visualization, and product planning tools. Travel Required: 25% Domestic and International Citizenship: Must be a US Person under ITAR definition (U.S. Citizen, green card holder or person covered under our existing ITAR license) Physical Requirements: Onsite or remote: 80% onsite in Bingen/20% remote Vision: able to see and read computer screens and other electronic equipment with screens, able to read documents, reports and engineering drawings. Daily. Hearing: able to participate in conversations in person and via teleconference or phone and to hear soun