Senior Business Product Mgr, Defense

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Senior Business Product Manager to join our team, with a specific focus on the Defense sector in the US, to join the Space & Defense team in the Mobile Networks MW&CSN BU, for a challenging experience addressing RAN (4G, 5G, Small Cells) solutions for various Defense projects and customers more specifically in the US in support of NFS (Nokia Federal Solutions). Note also that support to rest of the World might be needed.

Customers and partners will range from Department of Defense, Ministries of Defense, Defense integrators, Non-Terrestrial Networks actors, DAS, TETRA and Legacy customers.

The Space & Defense Product Management team is located mainly in the US (Naperville alongside the R&D team and in Murray Hill) and in France (where we are growing an R&D team), supporting customers globally in the US, in Europe, in Japan.

As part of the team, you will:

• Customer Engagement and Market Analysis:
  • Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with Defense industry stakeholders, understanding their needs, and translating them into key requirements for the internal team.
  • Visit customers to support the sales team in presenting solutions, addressing queries, and actively participating in the signing of new contracts. Comfortable interfacing and standing in front of the customer at all levels of the organization.
  • Conduct in-depth market analysis to identify key trends, opportunities, and challenges in the Defense sector related to RAN technology.
• Participation in RFP/RFQ/RFI Responses:
  • Ensure opportunities' generation working closely with the Sales / BD team on both existing and new customers through organizing workshops, customer visits, executive visits with the objective to influence tenders.
  • Actively participate in the response to Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Requests for Quotations (RFQs), and Requests for Information (RFIs) for Defense projects.
  • Collaborate with sales, technical, and legal teams to ensure comprehensive and competitive proposals.
• Collaboration and Leadership:
  • Work closely with TPM (Technical Product Management), R&D engineering, sales, pre-sales, marketing, and other teams to ensure a cohesive and effective go-to-market strategy.
  • Provide leadership and guidance to cross-functional teams working on Defense-focused RAN projects.
• Product Lifecycle Management and Forecasting:
  • Oversee the entire product lifecycle from concept to end-of-life, ensuring successful product launches and continuous improvement.
  • Develop and maintain accurate product forecasts, considering market demand, production capacity, and other relevant factors.
  • Keep track of the R&D budget, ensuring efficient allocation of resources for innovation and development.
• Business and P&L Management:
  • Take ownership of the projects full Profit & Loss (P&L) performance, actively driving project profitability, revenue growth, and cost optimization.
  • Conduct rigorous financial analysis to assess the economic viability of Defense-focused RAN projects.
  • Build robust business cases for new initiatives, presenting clear value propositions and return on investment. Support effort estimate computation done by R&D and help translate into Business Case / pricing.
  • Create and manage financial forecasts, including revenue projections and expense budgets.
  • Alongside the Technical Product Management, develop and articulate a comprehensive product strategy for Defense applications, aligned with overall business objectives.
  • Potentially participate/support M&A activities (support due diligence, target companies evaluation, financial and strategic fit analysis, terms negotiations...etc)
• Contribute to the development of the product roadmap with TPM and validate it ensuring alignment with business objectives and market demands.
• Collaborate with technical teams to translate business requirements into technical specifications.
• Stay abreast of regulatory requirements in the Defense sector and ensure that RAN projects adhere to relevant standards.

Note: Only US Citizens are eligible since this position will be working with the US Government in the Defense sector.

You have

• At least 10 years' work experience supporting defense communication projects for the US government, preferably in a product manager role.
• Proven experience in business-driven product management, with a focus on RAN technology and Defense applications. Core knowledge is a plus.
• Very good financial acumen and experience with P&L management.
• Experience in actively participating in the response to RFPs, RFQs, and RFIs from the US Government
• Proficient understanding of the Defense industry landscape, including customer needs and procurement processes is ideal
• Strategic thinking and the ability to translate market insights into actionable product plans.
• Familiarity with regulatory frameworks in the Defense sector.
• Significant customer-facing interaction & experience is mandatory
• Candidate should exhibit initiative, be accountable, be able to work in a highly dynamic environment, have excellent oral and writing skills, be willing & able to travel globally
• Very good interpersonal and networking capabilities & skills
• Working autonomously in own subject area

It would be nice if you also had:

• Bachelor's degree. MBA or Master of Science a plus
• Demonstrated ability to build comprehensive business cases for new initiatives.

Required Competencies

• Business Acumen
• Priority Setting
• Decision Quality
• Dealing with Ambiguity

Come create the technology that helps the world act together

Nokia is committed to innovation and technology leadership across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. Your career here will have a positive impact on people's lives and will help us build the capabilities needed for a more productive, sustainable, and inclusive world.
We challenge ourselves to create an inclusive way of working where we are open to new ideas, empowered to take risks and fearless to bring our authentic selves to work

What we offer

Nokia offers continuous learning opportunities, well-being programs to support you mentally and physically, opportunities to join and get supported by employee resource groups, mentoring programs and highly diverse teams with an inclusive culture where people thrive and are empowered.

Nokia is committed to inclusion and is an equal opportunity employer

Nokia has received the following recognitions for its commitment to inclusion & equality:

• One of the World's Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere
• Gender-Equality Index by Bloomberg
• Workplace Pride Global Benchmark

• Corporate Retirement Savings Plan
• Health and dental benefits
• Short-term disability, and long-term disability
• Life insurance, and AD&D - Company paid 2x base pay
• Optional or Supplemental life and AD&D insurance (Employee/Spouse/Child)
• Paid time off for holidays and Vacation
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Tuition Assistance Plan
• Adoption assistance
• Employee Assistance Program/Work Life Resource Program