Overview
Product Manager (First PM, Execution-Owned) — Defense Tech Startup
Location: New York, NY or Washington, DC
Clearance: Secret preferred, not required
We’re partnering with an early-stage, mission-driven defense technology startup building AI-powered software for highly sensitive government workflows — including document classification, foreign disclosure, export control, and compliance — deployed inside customer-owned environments (including disconnected and air-gapped systems).
This is the company’s first Product Manager hire.
This is not a traditional PM role. There is no mature process, no product ops layer, and no analytics safety net. This role is for a PM who has personally owned execution and wants real responsibility.
What You’ll Do
- Own product direction and prioritization end-to-end in partnership with founders and engineering
- Translate messy, real-world workflows from our customer into clear, shippable work
- Run tight feedback loops with users and stakeholders to validate and iterate quickly
- Make hard tradeoffs with incomplete information and real constraints
- Add just enough product process to help the team move faster (not slower)
What We’re Looking For
- 3–6 years of product management experience in technical or complex domains
- Clear examples of features you personally owned and shipped
- Comfort working directly with customers/operational users
- Strong judgment under ambiguity; bias toward shipping
- Ability to partner with engineers as peers (not order-takers)
Strong Signals
- Forward-deployed / customer-embedded product work
- First/second PM experience at an early-stage startup
- Experience shipping into regulated or high-stakes environments
- Exposure to AI-enabled products (bonus, not required)
- Competitive base salary plus meaningful equity upside
- Comprehensive healthcare coverage
- Unlimited PTO
- 401(k)
- Monthly reimbursement for home internet and cell phone