Product Line Director

Detroit Defense; Troy, Northern (MI, KY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental & Vision Benefits

401k with Company Match

Paid holidays

PTO

Job summary

Detroit Defense seeks a Product Line Director, Vehicle Modernization, to own configuration discipline and the roadmap execution of the Vehicle Modernization portfolio across tactical and combat platforms. The role drives standard configurations for ABS/ESC, drive-by-wire, and modernization kits while protecting program execution through disciplined governance.

The ideal candidate has deep military ground vehicle modernization know-how and a strong product management background, with a track

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, or related discipline; MBA preferred.
• U.S. Secret Security Clearance required.
• 10+ years in product or program management within defense/tech.
• Experience managing a full product lifecycle for ground vehicle systems.
• Ability to enforce configuration discipline and manage variant complexity.

Responsibilities

• Define standard configurations for ABS/ESC, drive-by-wire, and modernization kits.
• Own multi-year Vehicle Modernization roadmap and align with engineering capacity.
• Evaluate non-standard customer requests and quantify margin, schedule, and complexity.
• Partner with Finance to maintain product-level P&L visibility across configurations.
• Collaborate with Engineering to standardize designs and drive reuse across the portfolio.

Skills

Product management

Program management

P&L management

Roadmap development

Strategic governance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business or Engineering

MBA preferred

Job description

Description

Detroit Defense is seeking a Product Line Director, Vehicle Modernization to own the definition, configuration discipline, and roadmap execution of the Vehicle Modernization product portfolio within the Mission Capability product line. The portfolio covers modernization efforts for stability control, drive-by-wire, powertrain, suspension, armor, and capability-enhancing modernization kits across tactical and combat vehicle platforms.

This Product Line Director acts as the product owner for Vehicle Modernization with primary accountability for product configurations, multi-year roadmap, standard versus exception discipline, and product-level margin. Success in this role protects execution predictability across core programs while expanding the portfolio into next-generation modernization kits. This role does not own program schedules or commit commercial terms but is the subject matter authority on critical modernization product decisions.

The ideal candidate combines deep technical fluency in military ground vehicle modernization systems with a disciplined approach to product management. This role requires working knowledge of vehicle subsystems including anti-lock braking and stability control (ABS/ESC), drive-by-wire, powertrain, suspension, and armor integration, as well as the ability to enforce standard versus exception boundaries across Engineering, Programs, and Business Development, and to translate division strategy into an executable product roadmap.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Product Definition & Configuration Control

• Define standard configurations for ABS/ESC, drive-by-wire, capability-enhancement kits, and related modernization offerings.
• Maintain product documentation including feature sets, interfaces, variant structures, and configuration baselines used by sales and execution teams.
• Establish clear configuration baselines for sales and execution teams.
• Identify and reduce unnecessary product variants to improve design reuse and execution predictability.

Roadmap Ownership

• Develop and maintain a multi-year Vehicle Modernization product roadmap that sequences feature releases based on ROI and execution capacity.
• Align roadmap timing with Engineering feasibility and program demand, partnering with the Director of Engineering on capacity and the Director of Programs on delivery schedules.
• Sunset legacy configurations when appropriate and guide transitions to next-generation kits.

Exception Governance & Product Economics

• Evaluate non-standard customer requests for modernization kits, approve or escalate configuration deviations based on impact, and quantify the margin, schedule, and complexity trade-offs of each exception.
• Track and report exception trends to the VP, PLM.
• Maintain exception governance records and communicate trends to inform product strategy.

Product Economics & Margin Discipline

• Understand cost drivers and margin performance by product configuration.
• Partner with Finance to maintain product-level P&L visibility across configurations.
• Identify cost reduction and design reuse opportunities across the modernization portfolio.
• Support pricing guidance through clear configuration definition.

Cross-Functional Alignment

• Provide Business Development with clearly defined sellable product packages.
• Provide Programs Execution with stable scope and baseline definitions to support on-schedule delivery.
• Partner with Engineering on design standardization and reuse, and represent the modernization portfolio in product forums, gate reviews, and roadmap decisions.
• Align with VP, PLM and Director, Engineering on roadmap priorities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, or a related technical discipline from an accredited college or university. A Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) is preferred.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret Security Clearance.
• A minimum of 10 years of experience in product management, program management, or a related role within the defense or technology industry, with at least three years managing a P&L or a defined product line.
• Demonstrated success managing the full product lifecycle of ground vehicle systems or subsystems, from definition through fielding.
• Strong technical fluency across vehicle modernization subsystems, including braking and stability control (ABS/ESC), drive-by-wire, powertrain, suspension, and armor integration.
• Proven ability to enforce configuration discipline, manage variant complexity, and drive design reuse across a product portfolio.
• Experience with product economics and P&L management, including cost reduction and margin improvement initiatives.
• Knowledge of U.S. military acquisition and procurement processes.

Detroit Defense offers an impressive compensation and benefits package including:

• Medical, Dental & Vision Benefits
• Company Paid Life and AD&D
• Company Paid Short Term and Long-Term Disability
• Flexible Spending & HSA Accounts
• Legal & ID Shield Services
• 401k with Company Match
• Paid holidays
• Paid Time Off (PTO)

Why Detroit Defense: At Detroit Defense, we deliver mission-critical solutions that enhance national security, protect the warfighter, and enable readiness through innovation, technical excellence, and end-to-end lifecycle support.

Remaining steadfast in our core values of Trustworthy, Mission Driven, Creative, and Agile we are a complex systems integrator for the U.S. Government, Detroit Defense provides solutions to meet the technical and programmatic challenges faced by our customers. Our proven success in multi-domain cross-platform system-of-systems integration results in fielded capability for warfighters. From R&D to production, fielding, and sustainment, Detroit Defense provides services and solutions to Empower Those That protect Us.

Veterans Encouraged to Apply:

Detroit Defense proudly supports those who have served. We welcome applicants with military experience, including those transitioning to civilian careers. Your leadership, adaptability, and mission-focused mindset are valued here. Detroit Defense is a five time recipient of the Hire Vets Gold Medallion Award.

Detroit Defense is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity or gender expression), age, mental or physical disability, creed, ancestry, citizenship, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, medical condition, genetic trait or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.