Director of Product

Cantos Ventures; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 325,000; Full time

Job summary

A defense technology company is seeking a Director of Product in Torrance, California. In this pivotal role, you will define the product roadmap, translating military needs and company vision. The ideal candidate has over 8 years in product management and systems engineering, strong communication skills, and familiarity with hardware systems. The competitive salary range is between $150,000 and $325,000, reflecting the responsibilities inherent in this position.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in product management, systems engineering, or technical strategy roles.
• Proven ability to operate at an executive level with minimal pre-existing infrastructure.
• Active TS/SCI clearance or ability to obtain one.

Responsibilities

• Own the product roadmap: translating CEO vision, government requests, and user needs.
• Define new product lines and capabilities.
• Conduct direct user research with military operators.

Skills

Product management

Systems engineering

Technical strategy

Communication skills

Technical aptitude

Job description

Neros is a defense technology company rebuilding America’s drone industrial base. We design and manufacture high-performance unmanned systems that are tested in combat, iterated at startup speed, and built at massive scale. Our team culture is fast, hands-on, and obsessed with closing the gap between design and deployment.

As drones transform the character of warfare, Neros is delivering the systems the West needs to compete on the modern battlefield and deter the adversaries of democracy. We’re hiring engineers, operators, and builders who want to move fast, take on extreme ownership, and get capability into the hands of warfighters in months, not years.

What you will be doing

The Director of Product will be Neros' first dedicated product leader, reporting directly to the CEO and responsible for defining what we build and why. This role owns the product roadmap to translate founder vision, warfighter needs, and battlefield lessons into prioritized product direction across existing and future platforms. The Director of Product must combine strong product instinct, planning, and presentation skills to represent Neros' systems to military operators, senior government stakeholders, private industry leaders, and partners around the world.

Responsibilities

• Own the product roadmap: translating CEO vision, government requests, and user needs into prioritized capabilities, requirements, and product direction across all of Neros' current and future programs, as well as the technological ecosystem that enables them
• Define new product lines and capabilities, and then partner with Engineering to execute them from requirement setting through development and launch
• Lead product representation at fly-offs, field demonstrations, and government engagements, selecting demo configurations, auditing readiness, and serving as a credible voice on system capabilities in-person
• Conduct direct user research with military operators, including traveling to those with real-world experience using Neros products, to continuously validate product direction against real-world tactical needs
• Author and own external product documentation, including capability briefs, proposal inputs, and concept outlines that communicate Neros' technical and operational value to DoW stakeholders and allied partners
• Represent the product vision alongside the CEO to candidates, investors, customers, and partners around the world

You should have the following

• 8+ years in product management, systems engineering, or technical strategy roles with direct exposure to hardware systems; prior experience in defense, aerospace, robotics, or adjacent industries strongly preferred
• Demonstrated ability to own a product roadmap end-to-end: defining requirements, driving prioritization, and shipping products in collaboration with engineering organization
• Proven ability to operate at an executive level with minimal pre-existing infrastructure
• Strong written and verbal communication skills able to produce capability briefs, concept documents, and proposal inputs that resonate with technical, operational, and government audiences
• Technical aptitude and understanding around how UAS platforms work to engage meaningfully with leadership on engineering, cost, and manufacturability tradeoffs
• Familiarity with the current landscape of drone warfare, including FPV systems, autonomous capabilities, and the interplay between commercial technology and military application
• Willingness and enthusiasm to travel to our end users, including where our drone systems are actively deployed
• Strong product intuition and a track record of making design and capability decisions that meaningfully and measurably improve how end users leverage hardware systems
• Active TS/SCI clearance or ability to obtain one

Nice to have

• Experience working with or selling to military customers, including familiarity with government stakeholders, acquisition processes, and operational end users
• Experience at a fast-scaling hardware startup or defense tech company operating at startup pace with large-scale production expectations
• Deep understanding of what it takes to move from prototype designs to repeatable, high-volume manufacturing
• Experience defining and launching new product lines
• Exposure to INDOPACOM threat dynamics or allied partner defense procurement beyond core DoW channels
• Active FPV pilot or deep familiarity with the FPV ecosystem, such as drone racing or freestyle flying

US Salary Range

$150,000 - $325,000+ USD

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are considered part of Neros' total compensation package.

We’re an equal opportunity employer. We welcome all applicants without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.