Product Manager (Hybrid- Aberdeen, Maryland)

Product Manager - Mixed Signal and xG Product Lines

Fairwinds Technologies | Products and Technical Services Division

• Role Type: Full-time product leadership role supporting defense-focused hardware, software, and networked communications products
• Reports To: Products and Technical Services leadership
• Product Scope: Mixed Signal product line and xG product line
• Primary Accountability: Own product strategy, requirements, roadmap, release definition, customer discovery, productization, and lifecycle execution

Position Summary

Fairwinds Technologies is seeking a technically fluent, customer-focused Product Manager to own and manage the roadmap, requirements, and lifecycle for two strategic product families: the Mixed Signal product line and the xG product line. This role will translate defense customer needs, funded R&D outcomes, engineering capabilities, and market opportunities into clear product requirements, release plans, product packaging, and go-to-market readiness.

The ideal candidate understands how to turn advanced communications, RF, SDR, electronic warfare, resilient networking, and military 5G/NTN concepts into fieldable products for Department of Defense and federal customers. This is a hands-on product management role for someone who can work with engineers, program managers, business development, customers, OEM partners, and leadership to move products from concept to prototype, demonstration, release, sustainment, and scale.

Product Scope

• Mixed Signal Product Line: RF/RFFE products, SDR platforms, DSP/FPGA-enabled systems, channel emulation, SATCOM and EW-enabled applications, WideBand/NarrowBand SDR, RF combiners, radio-head concepts, and future AI-enabled comms/EW capabilities.
• xG Product Line: Tactical 4G/5G/6G, non-terrestrial networks, MANET bridging, secure networking, network services, ruggedized terminals, mission modules, gateways, Tactical NTN Hub and NTN-MiFi concepts, and dedicated military 5G service concepts.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and maintain product vision, roadmap, MRD/PRD, release definition, product requirements, value proposition, success metrics, and lifecycle plans across both product lines.
• Translate military user needs, DoD modernization priorities, funded R&D objectives, field feedback, and business capture opportunities into prioritized product requirements and release plans.
• Partner with Mixed Signal engineering on RF front ends, SDR hardware, DSP/FPGA firmware, embedded software, channel emulator applications, SATCOM/EW overlays, V&V, qualification, documentation, and product reuse.
• Partner with xG engineering on secure 4G/5G/6G, NTN, RAN/core, MANET integration, SD-WAN, ruggedized terminals, mission modules, gateways, cyber requirements, deployment playbooks, and lab/field validation.
• Define product configurations, minimum viable release criteria, acceptance criteria, security criteria, support model, training needs, documentation needs, and sustainment requirements before product launch.
• Partner with Sales and Business Development Team for customer discovery with warfighters, program offices, integrators, primes, OEM partners, and internal capture teams to validate operational value and improve product-market fit.
• Partner with Sales Engineering for field demonstrations, lab trials, beta releases, operational pilots, customer feedback loops, and transition plans from prototype or R&D artifact into repeatable SKU, service, or product package.
• Prioritize IR&D and customer-funded product work based on mission relevance, business value, technical readiness, schedule risk, reusability, and return on investment.
• Support pricing, licensing, packaging, product collateral, demo scripts, competitive positioning, proposal inputs, and sales enablement for defense and federal customers.
• Maintain a disciplined product operating cadence with engineering, program management, capture, finance, quality, configuration management, cybersecurity, manufacturing, and support stakeholders.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• 5+ years of product management, technical program management, systems engineering, product strategy, or product development experience in defense, communications, RF, electronic warfare, networking, or adjacent mission technology markets.
• Demonstrated ability to write clear product requirements, capability statements, MRDs, PRDs, release plans, epics/features, acceptance criteria, and product decision briefs for technical and executive audiences.
• Strong understanding of military communications use cases, including resilient communications, contested and congested environments, PACE planning, tactical networking, field deployment constraints, and operational user feedback.
• Experience working with multidisciplinary engineering teams building hardware, firmware, embedded software, RF systems, networking systems, cybersecurity-sensitive products, or integrated defense technology solutions.
• Ability to manage portfolio tradeoffs across technical maturity, customer urgency, program funding, engineering capacity, configuration control, launch readiness, supportability, and margin potential.
• Experience supporting government-funded product development, SBIR/STTR, OTA, IDIQ, BAA, prototype-to-production transitions, or defense customer demonstrations is strongly preferred.
• U.S. citizenship required. Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance is preferred; active clearance is a plus.

Technology Skills for This Role

• Mixed Signal / RF:
  • RF and microwave fundamentals
  • RF front-end / RFFE architectures
  • SDR platforms and radio heads
  • DSP, FPGA, RFSoC, embedded firmware concepts
  • SATCOM, channel emulation, spectrum test, EW/SIGINT use cases
  • EMI/EMC, environmental qualification, V&V awareness
• xG / Tactical Networks:
  • 4G/5G/6G, tactical cellular, and private networks
  • NTN and LEO satellite connectivity concepts
  • MANET, tactical radios, gateways, and bearer diversity
  • SD-WAN, routing, VPN, transport optimization
  • Cybersecurity, secure transport, and deployment playbooks
  • Lab/field test planning and operational pilots
• Military Productization:
  • DoD customer discovery and warfighter feedback
  • JADC2, resilient comms, spectrum superiority alignment
  • MOSA/CMOSS awareness preferred
  • Export control, ITAR/EAR, CUI, and classified environment awareness
  • MIL-STD-810/461 awareness preferred
  • Product sustainment, training, documentation, supportability

Preferred Skills

• Has enough technical depth to earn credibility with RF, DSP, FPGA, embedded, network, and cyber engineers, while remaining focused on customer value, product packaging, and business outcomes.
• Can move comfortably between field user conversations, engineering tradeoffs, program execution details, executive briefings, and proposal/capture support.
• Understands that a successful demonstration is not the same as a product release; documentation, QA, installation, training, support, cost model, configuration management, and sustainment must be planned into the product lifecycle.
• Has experience taking prototype, R&D, or custom customer-funded work and converting it into reusable platforms, SKUs, services, and repeatable product packages.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Fairwinds Technologies is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected status.

Compensation- Salary

At Fairwinds, we consider many factors when it comes to compensation, including the scope of the position as well as your background and experience. Base pay may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, location and experience. Additional incentives may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to a range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

This is a full time, exempt position.

Work Authorization/Security Clearance: 

Must be eligible to work in the US.