Product Manager - DefenseOS

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.

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

As a Product Manager for DefenseOS, you will own the product vision, strategy, and roadmap for a defense operating system derived directly from Applied Intuition's commercial automotive VehicleOS product, as the product peer to a director-level engineering lead. You will drive the product through customer discovery, requirements definition, prioritization, and close partnership with engineering, design, and operations — owning outcomes through influence rather than managing a team.

As the first instantiation of this broadly applicable defense product, you will own the product for a navy warship operating system that integrates combat systems, communications systems, and hull, mechanical, and electrical (HM&E) systems on unmanned surface vessels and traditional surface combatants. A central part of the work is shaping the product strategy for a zonal architecture — location-based zone controllers and centralized compute replacing a federated, domain-based design — and defining how it integrates with existing defense-unique systems built by primes that were not delivered with modernized software and data interfaces. Your work will influence the scope, sequencing, field-readiness, and adoption of the DefenseOS product.

At Applied Intuition, you will

This is an individual-contributor role: you own the product and drive outcomes through influence across engineering, design, and operations — without direct reports.

• Own the product vision, strategy, and roadmap for DefenseOS — defining how Applied's commercial VehicleOS is adapted into a navy warship operating system, the first instantiation of this broadly applicable defense product.

• Lead customer and user discovery directly with Navy program offices, operators, and crews to translate operational needs, acquisition requirements, and field constraints into a prioritized product roadmap.

• Define the product strategy for a zonal architecture — location-based zone controllers and centralized compute replacing a federated, domain-based design — including how it integrates with existing defense-unique systems built by primes (combat, communications, and HM&E subsystems) that lack modernized software and data interfaces; decide what to bridge, in what sequence, and where to build versus partner.

• Write clear requirements, define success metrics, and make the prioritization and scope trade-offs that keep engineering focused on the highest-value, field-relevant work.

• Partner closely with engineering, hardware/integration, and operations to sequence delivery across simulation, integration lab, and live-platform testing on unmanned surface vessels and traditional surface combatants.

• Own the trade-offs between speed, quality, and scope under acquisition and field constraints.

• Work with design to shape operator interfaces and workflows grounded in how crews actually operate.

• Partner with defense customers and shipbuilders/integrators as a design-informed product lead, translating their needs into the roadmap.

• Communicate product strategy, status, risk, and trade-offs to senior leadership and external stakeholders, and provide product input into program and business decisions.

• Build the feedback loops — usage signals, customer input, and program data — that justify investment and shape the roadmap over time.

We're looking for someone who has

• Bachelor's degree in a technical field (Computer Science, Engineering, or related) or equivalent experience; advanced degree or deep technical background a plus.

• 8+ years of product management experience shipping complex technical products, including owning a product line end to end, ideally platforms spanning both hardware and software, real-time/embedded, or systems-of-systems.

• Demonstrated ability to own a product end to end as an individual contributor: vision, roadmap, requirements, prioritization, launch, and iteration against measurable outcomes.

• Thrives as an IC — comfortable owning a product area and driving cross-functional outcomes through influence rather than managing direct reports.

• Strong technical literacy — enough to engage credibly with engineers on architecture trade-offs (e.g., zonal versus federated domain architectures, hardware/software integration, interfaces and data flow) and make informed scope decisions, without managing the implementation.

• Experience defining product strategy for integrating with legacy, proprietary, or closed third-party systems that lack modern software and data interfaces — deciding what to bridge and how to sequence the integration work.

• Skilled at customer and user discovery: translating ambiguous operational problems into clear, prioritized requirements.

• Comfort in a fast-paced, highly ambiguous environment, and the ability to make and defend trade-offs between speed, quality, and scope.

• Excellent written and verbal communication, including clear status, risk, and decision communication to senior leadership.

• US citizenship is required. You must already hold, or be eligible to receive, an active US Top Secret security clearance upon onboarding to this role.

Nice to have

• Product management (or equivalent) experience on software-defined vehicles or analogous platforms where a zonal architecture and centralized compute replaced distributed, domain-based controllers.

• Familiarity with naval/maritime subsystems (combat, C5I, HM&E), DoD acquisition and requirements processes, and delivery in regulated environments (RMF/ATO, IL5/IL6); prior naval or operational experience a plus.

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.

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.

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 View email address on click.appcast.io. We will work with you!