Product Manager - Mission Systems & Payloads

Responsibilities:

• Mission systems and payload product definition: Define mission systems and payload-related product capabilities spanning weapons, pylons, BRUs, stores management behaviors, mission equipment, and digital integration layers; translate operational needs, mission CONOPs, and customer objectives into prioritized payload capability increments with clear acceptance criteria; and maintain the mission systems and payload product roadmap aligned with program milestones and flight-test objectives.
• Integration intent and capability boundaries: Define integration intent and capability boundaries across mechanical, electrical, and software domains related to payload integration, ensure capability definitions account for OMS/UCI-based mission services and cross-system dependencies, and identify integration risks, dependencies, and sequencing constraints while driving alignment across teams.
• Weapons and stores capability planning: Define scalable product expectations for weapons and stores integration patterns across payload classes and vehicle variants, ensure capability definitions account for legacy standards such as MIL-STD-1760, MIL-STD-1553, and UAI, and frame payload capabilities in terms of operational utility, safety considerations, and demonstrable outcomes.
• OMS and UCI payload service expectations: Define payload-related OMS/UCI service expectations including command, telemetry, state modeling, and interaction workflows, ensure alignment with broader mission system integration and operator workflows, and coordinate with Interfaces & Configuration product ownership to maintain schema and interface alignment.
• Autonomy, mission planning, and SMS alignment: Define how payload availability, constraints, and states are exposed to autonomy behaviors, mission planning tools, and operator interfaces, ensure capability definitions support deterministic reasoning about inventory, constraints, and contingencies, and identify dependencies between stores management behaviors, autonomy tasking, and operator command workflows.
• Safety, separation, and readiness considerations: Define product expectations for reflecting safety analyses, separation envelopes, and release constraints within payload capabilities, ensure acceptance criteria account for safety, timing, and operational constraints across environments, and partner with test teams to evaluate capabilities using available evidence.
• Simulation, HITL, and flight enablement: Define how payload capabilities are exercised across SITL, HITL, JSE, and flight-test environments, ensure simulated behaviors and timing expectations align with intended operational use, and support readiness discussions for payload integration ahead of major flight events.
• Interface and configuration alignment: Ensure payload-related capability definitions align with approved interfaces, schemas, and configuration expectations, partner with the Product Manager for Interfaces & Configuration to identify and mitigate interface or baseline risks, and maintain visibility into payload-related configuration maturity and readiness.
• Integration risk and readiness support: Identify payload-related risks early across mechanical, electrical, software, safety, and schedule dimensions, support mitigation planning by framing risks in terms of product scope, sequencing, and readiness impact, and communicate payload capability maturity, limitations, and readiness clearly to leadership and stakeholders.
• Customer and partner engagement: Support government and partner engagements related to mission systems and payload capabilities, help shape customer-facing capability descriptions, demonstrations, and transition artifacts, and ensure customer feedback is captured and reflected in roadmap and prioritization updates.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline. 
• 8+ years of experience delivering mission systems, payload integrations, or complex aerospace capabilities. 
• Demonstrated experience defining and coordinating payload- or mission-system-related product capabilities. 
• Strong familiarity with OMS, UCI, ICD-driven development, and service-based mission architectures. 
• Understanding of MIL-STD-1760, MIL-STD-1553, UAI, and stores management concepts. 
• Experience working across simulation, integration, and flight-test environments. 
• Strong cross-functional communication skills with engineering, test, and program teams. 
• Active Secret clearance required; TS/SCI preferred. 

Preferred Skills and Experience:

• Experience supporting flight test, weapons release demonstrations, or payload certification activities. 
• Familiarity with autonomy-driven mission execution and payload allocation concepts. 
• Background supporting DoD customers and transition-focused programs.