RF Product Manager

Plextek; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Plextek, based near Cambridge, seeks an experienced RF Product Manager to own a range of products in Modular EW / Counter UAS / Seekers domains. You will identify customer needs, market opportunities and commercial positioning, working with Sales and Delivery to shape the product through its lifecycle.

The role requires a ~10-year track record in defence product management, strong communication, and deep understanding of our RF sensing and radar capabilities.

Qualifications

• A proven track record (~10 years) of successful and effective product management in the defence industry.
• Good communication skills – interfaces with engineering delivery, sales/marketing, and customers.
• Solid understanding of Modular EW / Counter UAS / Seekers markets as they relate to Plextek capabilities in RF sensing, comms and radar.
• Sufficient technical understanding to engage with internal delivery teams and capable customers.

Responsibilities

• Define target markets, customer segments and priority accounts in line with GTM strategy.
• Define product positioning and differentiation vs competitors; balance bespoke demands with scalable strategy.
• Lead marketing and customer discovery activities to translate pain points into product requirements.
• Own customer-facing value proposition and messaging; maintain relationships with strategic customers/partners.
• Identify opportunities for externally funded or co-funded capability development to reduce IRAD investment.
• Negotiate scope, performance and cost trade-offs between commercial desirability and technical feasibility.
• Engage with CTO and technical leadership to align product strategy with technology roadmap.

Skills

Product management

Defense industry

Stakeholder management

Market research

Job description

Your new career starts here with Plextek

About the position

VISION

Plextek is a leading choice for employees and customers for exceptional engineering and strategic innovation to create better, safer, and more sustainable technologies and products.

OUR VALUES AND BELIEFS

Being a responsible business, we work with integrity and honesty. We share success with our people and our communities. We embrace diversity in outlook and work as a team with colleagues, customers, and suppliers to provide the best technical solution and professional service experience. We empower each other, we’re adaptable, show initiative, and deliver on our commitments together.

THE ROLE

We are seeking an experienced RF Product Manager to take responsibility for our range of products and potential products in the Modular EW / Counter UAS / Seekers domains.

The primary purpose of the role is to own the commercial viability of RF products by identifying customer needs, market opportunities, and commercial positioning.

Working closely with the relevant Sales Manager (closing deals) on one hand and the Delivery Manager (determining how to build and deliver the product) on the other, you will be responsible for producing:

• Landscape reviews: competitor analyses / product horizon scanning / regulatory landscape / IP landscape etc.
• Market requirements documents (MRD) or Customer use case documents
• Product vision and roadmap, with features / specifications prioritised based on commercial value and technical trade-offs
• Business cases for IRAD investment, product pricing strategy
• Product data sheets and specifications

Your role will encompass the following activities:

• Define target markets, customer segments, and priority accounts (in line with our broader GTM strategy)
• Define product positioning and differentiation versus competitors; balance bespoke or short-term customer demands against scalable or long-term product strategy
• Lead marketing and customer discovery activities (customer interviews, trade show engagement etc.), in order to gather market requirements and translate customer pain points into commercially meaningful product requirements
• Own customer-facing value proposition and messaging (working closely with sales and marketing); build and maintain relationships with strategic customers and partners
• Identify opportunities for externally funded or co-funded capability development that reduces the need for IRAD investment
• Negotiate scope / performance / cost trade-offs; resolve conflicts between commercial desirability and technical feasibility
• Engage with CTO and technical leadership to align product strategy with company technology roadmap, horizon scanning, and long-term capability investments; and provide structured feedback on emerging market needs, technology gaps, and opportunities observed through customer engagement

This is a new role as we expand our business from its consultancy origins into the world of product development, so in addition to the core responsibilities listed above, we will also be looking to you to support us in this transition and growth, providing us with guidance and advice on suitable product management frameworks, governance structures etc.

THE PERSON

The ideal candidate will have:

• A proven track record (~10 years) of successful and effective product management in the defence industry
• Good communication skills – equally able to interface with the engineering delivery team, the sales and marketing teams, and customers
• A solid understanding of the Modular EW / Counter UAS / Seekers markets as they relate to Plextek’s capabilities in low-SWAP RF sensing, comms and radar
• Enough technical understanding of the relevant concepts and technologies to be able to engage effectively with internal delivery teams and technically capable customers

THE REWARDS

We offer an excellent package, a stimulating environment, and a real interest in your development to encourage you to achieve your full potential. We are a versatile business, able to support career progression as appropriate.

We are based just south of Cambridge with easy road and rail routes to the city centre. We provide a friendly and supportive working environment, including regular on-site and off-site social events.

Details

• Location CB10 1NY
• Position RF product Manager
• Placement Permanent