Application Product Lead

Applications Product Lead
Robotics, Autonomous Systems, Sensor Fusion & Advanced Navigation
UK, Europe or US Considered | Remote Working | Equity | Salary Negotiable | Significant Growth Opportunity

Most breakthrough technologies don't fail because the technology doesn't work. They fail because nobody proves where they create the most value.

The company we're supporting has developed a fundamentally new sensing platform built around photonics, MEMS and inertial sensing technology, enabling next-generation positioning and navigation in GPS-denied environments.

The technology is real. The engineering team is exceptional. Early customer engagement is already underway.

The next stage is accelerating the highest-value opportunities and building the evidence needed to turn customer interest into product adoption. Not through PowerPoint. Not through market reports. Through engineering, testing, customer discovery and evidence.

This is not a Product Management role! We're not looking for somebody to maintain a roadmap. We're looking for somebody who can sit in a room with robotics engineers, autonomy specialists, navigation experts and defence customers and hold their own.

Somebody who can understand difficult technical problems, ask intelligent questions, challenge assumptions and then determine what evidence is required before the business invests further time and resources.
You won't be selling finished products, you'll be helping determine what products should exist in the first place.

Applications Product Lead - What You'll Actually Be Doing
You'll spend time:

Meeting customers and understanding real-world technical problems
Evaluating where existing navigation, positioning, inertial sensing and sensor fusion technologies fall short.
Investigating robotics, autonomous systems, defence, aerospace and unmanned systems applications.
Defining customer trials, demonstrations, proof-of-concepts (PoCs) and technology validation programmes.
Designing tests to evaluate competitor products and technologies
Analysing sensor performance data and test results
Working with engineers to determine what should be built next
Translating customer requirements into product direction
Identifying opportunities worth pursuing and killing weak opportunities early Some weeks you'll be discussing autonomy architectures with robotics teams. Other weeks you'll be benchmarking sensors, defining test methodologies or proving whether a competitor's performance claims are actually true.

Application Product Lead - The Sort Of Person We're Looking For

You'll have started your career as an engineer or scientist, developing, designing, testing or commercialising technology before moving into applications engineering, systems engineering, technical consultancy, advanced technology consultancy, product strategy or customer-facing engineering roles.

Experience gained within advanced technology consultancies, engineering consultancies, defence technology businesses, robotics companies, sensor fusion organisations, navigation companies, autonomous systems developers or deep-tech product development environments would be particularly relevant.

You enjoy understanding how complex systems work and when somebody makes a technical claim, your first instinct is to ask: "How do we prove that?"

You enjoy working with customers, but you're equally comfortable working with data, hardware, test rigs and engineering teams.

You'll be equally comfortable discussing technical architecture with engineers, designing experiments to validate performance claims, analysing test results, and engaging customers to understand where the technology creates the greatest value.

You may come from Defence, Robotics, Autonomous Systems, Navigation & Positioning, Inertial Navigation, Sensor Fusion, Advanced Sensing, Aerospace, Deep-Tech Product Development, Technical Consultancy or Advanced Technology Consultancy.

Applications Product Lead - Why This Opportunity Is Different
Most product roles start with a product.

This one starts with a platform technology that could change how autonomous systems, robotics and next-generation navigation systems understand motion and position.

You'll help determine:

Which markets matter
Which applications deserve investment
Which technical claims can be genuinely defended
Which opportunities should be accelerated
Which should be abandoned You'll be joining at a stage where your decisions can materially influence the future direction of the company.

Contact Adam Mayne at Vector Recruitment Ltd on (phone number removed) or (url removed)