Product Line Director

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.