VP of Product

On site in Portland, OR

Our client is hiring a VP of Product to lead a portfolio of defense modeling and simulation solutions that support mission rehearsal, distributed training, and operational readiness for government customers. This is a highly visible executive role for a leader who understands how complex defense products are actually built and sustained, across funded programs, evolving customer requirements, interoperability demands, and rigorous quality expectations. The right person will bring strong technical depth, product judgment, and the ability to align roadmap decisions with contract delivery, long term platform health, and real world mission value.

This is not a pure greenfield software role. It is best suited for an executive who has led product strategy in defense, aerospace, or other mission critical environments where real time systems, distributed architectures, and long lifecycle sustainment matter. You will help shape investment decisions, guide product managers, partner closely with engineering and program leadership, and drive roadmaps across integration heavy product ecosystems rather than standalone applications.

This Role Offers

• Executive visibility and direct partnership with senior technology leadership.
• A meaningful opportunity to influence product strategy in a defense focused, technically complex environment.
• Ownership across roadmap planning, funded program alignment, sustainment strategy, and future capability growth.
• A collaborative setting where product, engineering, quality, program, and customer stakeholders work closely together.
• The chance to lead offerings tied to high consequence customer missions and long horizon product outcomes.

Focus

• Lead product strategy for a portfolio of defense modeling and simulation solutions supporting distributed training, synthetic environments, and operational mission support.
• Own roadmap direction across funded customer programs, recurring enhancements, sustainment priorities, and selective new capability expansion.
• Guide product managers responsible for multiple software suites and ensure consistent portfolio leadership across priorities, requirements, and release planning.
• Partner with engineering leadership to deliver product commitments within government contract constraints, technical realities, and schedule expectations.
• Drive product decisions in environments shaped by interoperability, multi system integration, and ecosystem level performance rather than isolated product delivery.
• Support product strategy across standards-based environments, including familiarity with SISO, DIS, HLA, and live, virtual, and constructive training contexts.
• Work cross functionally with business development, program leadership, quality, testing, documentation, and customer facing teams to align product direction with market and mission needs.
• Help define product positioning, requirements tradeoffs, pricing inputs, and level of effort considerations for new and existing opportunities.
• Oversee product requirements management, release readiness, documentation discipline, and feedback loops tied to defect resolution, fielded use, and customer acceptance.
• Balance innovation with disciplined execution in a quality driven environment, ensuring product plans support compliance expectations, repeatable processes, and long-term maintainability.
• Advise senior leadership on portfolio investments, resource priorities, product health, and strategic technical partnerships.
• Build and mentor a high performing product organization that values accountability, sound judgment, collaboration, and mission focus.

Skill Set

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field required, advanced degree preferred.
• Significant leadership experience in product management, product development, or portfolio leadership within defense, aerospace, or another mission critical sector.
• Strong technical foundation in software development, with credibility in engineering led organizations and comfort engaging deeply on architecture, delivery, and sustainment topics.
• Demonstrated experience with real time systems, distributed systems, simulation environments, or complex multi-platform software ecosystems.
• Proven success leading products that operate within long lifecycle programs, funded customer roadmaps, and ongoing sustainment models, not only net new commercial builds.
• Experience working in program aligned environments where product direction must stay tightly connected to customer commitments, contractual scope, and delivery execution.
• Familiarity with interoperability driven ecosystems and defense simulation standards, including exposure to SISO, DIS, HLA, or related frameworks.
• Experience partnering with QA and test organizations on product quality, process improvement, automation priorities, and acceptance readiness.
• Strong business judgment across budgeting, staffing, prioritization, pricing input, and portfolio planning.
• Working knowledge of modern product and engineering workflows and tools such as Jira, Confluence, Salesforce, Perforce, GitLab, or similar platforms.
• Active security clearance or clear eligibility to obtain and maintain one is strongly preferred, and clearance readiness is a major qualifier for this search.
• Executive level communication skills with the ability to influence technical teams, program stakeholders, and senior leadership.

About Blue Signal:  

Blue Signal is an award-winning, executive search firm specializing in various specialties. Our recruiters have a proven track record of placing top-tier talent across industry verticals, with deep expertise in numerous professional services. Learn more at bit.ly/46Gs4yS