Product Manager - Drone Stack
Applied Intuition· startup· Robotics/Autonomous Systems· May 7, 2026 · 6mo agoPosted 173 days ago
Sunnyvale
In office
Full-time
Senior
$185K–$270K
5+ years exp
Before you apply
Ghost Signal:
Open since May 7, 2026 — 173 days, and still accepting applications.
Job description
Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company’s solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in Washington, D.C.; San Diego; Ft. Walton Beach, Florida; Ann Arbor, Michigan; London; Stuttgart; Munich; Stockholm; Bangalore; Seoul; and Tokyo. Learn more at applied.co applied.co.
We are an in-office company, and our expectation is that full-time employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments. This in-office expectation does not apply to contractor positions
ABOUT THE ROLE
Applied Intuition's DroneStack team builds autonomous software and hardware that enables swarms of unmanned aircraft to find, fix, track, target, and engage in contested and denied environments. Our technology — from the Acuity ISR+Strike autonomy stack to the Axle edge compute hardware — is deployed on real platforms with real operators, across multiple airframe vendors and mission sets.
The team has proven the technology through successful field demonstrations and live deployments. Now the challenge shifts: we need to move from delivering bespoke solutions for individual programs to building products that scale across customers, platforms, and theaters. That's where you come in.
We're hiring a Product Manager to own strategy, research, and execution for DroneStack. You won't need to arrive as a drone or defense expert — what matters is that you're a fast, rigorous learner who can immerse yourself in a complex technical domain and emerge with clarity about what to build and why. You'll conduct primary research with military operators in the US and abroad, translate what you learn into product strategy, and work with a strong engineering team to ship products that give warfighters a decisive edge.
AT APPLIED INTUITION, YOU WILL:
- 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. You don't need to write the code, but you need to understand the system well enough to make informed tradeoffs.
- 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.
WE'RE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS:
- 5–7 years of product management experience across at least two meaningfully different environments (different industries, product types, company stages, or customer segments). We value breadth and adaptability over narrow specialization.
- 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. You've made the hard calls about what not to build.
- 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. You've done this at least once in a domain that was new to you.
- Comfort with deep technical systems. You don't need a background in autonomy, robotics, or aerospace — but you should have experience working on technically complex products (hardware + software, real-time systems, developer tools, infrastructure, etc.) and be energized by learning how things work at a systems level.
- Strong design sensibility. You care about how products feel to use, not just what they do. You've collaborated closely with designers or driven UX decisions yourself, particularly for workflow-heavy or operations-focused tools.
- Clear, structured communication. You can write a crisp product brief, present a strategy to senior leadership, and run a productive design review with engineers. You tailor your communication to the audience — whether that's a general officer or a software engineer.
- BS/BA degree in a technical or analytical field (Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, Economics, or similar). Advanced degrees are welcome but not required.
NICE TO HAVE:
- Experience with defense or government customers, even outside of autonomy (understanding of acquisition cycles, program structures, or operational environments)
- Experience working on products that span hardware and software
- Prior work at an early-stage or high-growth company where you wore multiple hats
- Exposure to international markets or customers
- Experience founding a company or leading a 0-to-1 product initiative
SECURITY REQUIREMENTS:
- Must be a U.S. Citizen
- Must hold or be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance
For more information about U.S. security clearances: click here state.gov.
Compensation at Applied Intuition for eligible roles includes base salary, equity, and benefits. Base salary is a single component of the total compensation package, which may also include equity in the form of options and/or restricted stock units, comprehensive health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance coverage, 401k retirement benefits with employer match, learning and wellness stipends, and paid time off. Note that benefits are subject to change and may vary based on jurisdiction of employment.
Applied Intuition pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum intended target base salary for new hire salaries for the position. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, interview performance, and the level and scope of the position.
Don’t meet every single requirement? If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor. Consequently, the parties agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-1.4(a), 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and that these laws are incorporated herein by reference. These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. These regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability. The parties also agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of Executive Order 13496 (29 CFR Part 471, Appendix A to Subpart A), relating to the notice of employee rights under federal labor laws.
FOR US-BASED ROLES: Applied Intuition is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive application and interview experience to applicants who are disabled veterans and other applicants with disabilities or medical conditions. Reasonable accommodations are available, requesting an accommodation will not affect your candidacy in any way, and you are not required to disclose the nature of your disability or medical condition in order to make a request. If you require an accommodation please contact careers@applied.co. We will work with you!
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Benefits
Benefits detected in the listing.
Dental
Vision
401k
Paid Time Off
Wellness