5G Tactical OTM Product Manager

Thales Defense & Security, Inc.

$150K — $192K *
Aerospace & Defense
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • U.S. Citizenship is required due to government security clearance needs.
  • Bachelor's degree in engineering or a related technical discipline; Master's degree preferred.
  • At least 8 years in telecom solutions architecture, especially in 5G RAN/Core and edge compute, with hands-on experience in tactical private networks.
  • Strong understanding of radio propagation in varying RF environments and across 4G/5G bands.
  • Background in adapting telecom solutions for defense applications, understanding military communications requirements.
  • Familiarity with 3GPP, ETSI standards, and cloud technologies including NFV/SDN, OpenStack, and Kubernetes.
  • Effective analytical, technical writing, and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

  • Define and develop private 5G Non-Public Networks (NPN) and On-the-move solutions for various military applications.
  • Lead designs focused on survivability and dynamic spectrum management for complex networks.
  • Engage directly with U.S. DOD customers to gather feedback and refine requirements.
  • Guide the integration of Thales 5G/edge products to meet rigorous military standards and security protocols.
  • Participate in designing secure and resilient network solutions for defense use.
  • Analyze DOD requirements and conduct feasibility studies for mission-critical solutions.
  • Ensure compliance with cybersecurity frameworks relevant to U.S. Federal and Defense departments.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to work in a newly created, impactful role within a high-performing organization.
  • Collaboration with multidisciplinary teams and experts in both government and industry.
  • Potential for travel that may enhance professional exposure and experience.
  • Access to cutting-edge technologies and the chance to influence military communication advancements.
Full Job Description
We are excited to announce that we have an opening in our Clarksburg, MD office for a 5G Tactical Communications Product Manager. This is a newly created position within our high-performing business development organization, and will report to the Director of Product Line Management- Tactical Communications in Clarksburg, MD. This position will be the technical, customer-facing expert within 5G and tactical communications/ radios and will work with the global product engineering team to ensure capabilities are developed to meet customer specifications.

Responsibilities

  • Define and develop private 5G Non-Public Networks (NPN) and On-the-move (OTM) solutions for forward bases, mobile platforms, and man-wearable technologies- consisting of portable, mesh-capable nodes.
  • Lead designs for survivability: dynamic spectrum management, interference mitigation, robust mobility/handover, RF propagation planning (low/high 4G/5G bands), and redundant backhaul (e.g., line-of-sight, SATCOM, microwave) with graceful degradation.
  • Direct communication with the US DOD customers, which can include customer workshops, solicitation of customer feedback/ lessons learned, leveraging various strategies to capture customer requirements.
  • Guide the adaptation/integration of Thales 5G/edge products to meet military standards, SWaP-C constraints, environmental and EMI/EMC requirements, and Zero Trust/security policies for tactical deployments.
  • Participate in the design, deployment, and optimization of innovative, secure, and resilient network solutions for defense applications.
  • Analyze DOD requirements, conduct technical feasibility studies, and propose robust solutions aligned with mission-critical needs.
  • Ensure compliance with U.S. Federal and Defense cybersecurity/pre-certification frameworks (e.g., FIPS, NIST, DOD STIGs).
  • Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, including R&D, systems engineering, security experts, program management, and external (government/industrial) partners.
  • Draft high-level and detailed technical documentation for both internal stakeholders and DOD representatives.
  • Support proposal preparation and responses to government RFPs, including presenting technical solutions to Defense entities.
  • Support the Product Line Management Director and Capture Team to conduct competitive analysis, determine discriminators and product gaps.
  • Help develop a Price to Win strategy for various markets.
  • Monitor technological advancements in 5G, network virtualization, and their military applications, recommending future evolutions as required.


Qualifications

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

  • U.S. Citizenship required. - Applicants selected may be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.
  • Bachelor's degree in engineering or related technical discipline- MS preferred.
  • Minimum 8 years of experience in telecom solutions architecture, with proven expertise in 5G RAN/ Core and edge compute; including significant hands on experience designing and deploying tactical/ OTM private 5G networks.
  • Good understanding of the Radio propagation in low and high 4G/5G Bands, including effects of RF challenged environments.
  • Background in adapting commercial or government telecom solutions for Defense or mission-critical applications.
  • Strong understanding of 3GPP, ETSI standards, as well as virtualization (NFV/SDN) and cloud technologies (OpenStack, Kubernetes, etc.).
  • Experience working with U.S. DOD or NATO frameworks is highly valued.
  • Excellent analytical, synthesis, and technical writing skills.
  • Strong interpersonal and leadership abilities; capable of interfacing with both technical teams and government customers.
  • Ability to travel up to 30% (mostly domestic with some international travel).


Additional Preferred Skills:

  • Experience in cybersecurity, particularly in securing telecom systems for defense use.
  • Knowledge of military communications standards, security requirements, and validation processes (e.g., DoDIN APL, DIACAP/RMF, FIPS 140-2).
  • Knowledge of classified environments and ITAR/EAR compliance.
  • Experience with network modeling tools (UML, SysML) and architecture frameworks such as DODAF.
  • French language skills appreciated but not required.


The annualized pay range for this role is $150,300-$192,050 USD along with a target incentive compensation plan (ICP) of 10% The pay range provided is a good faith estimate representative of the experience level for the role described above. TDSI considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, a candidate's work experience, location, education/training, and key skills.

For specific questions about this job posting, candidates may contact talent acquisition at [redacted].

#LI-JD1 #LI-Hybrid

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