Head of Product

About the Role

North Vector Dynamics is seeking a Head of Product to be the senior technical product authority at NVD, owning the full system: the missile itself, its ground support and handling equipment, and complete launch systems. The successful candidate will own the system architecture, requirements, and maturation plan, driving the product through design maturity, qualification testing, and design-for-manufacture until it is ready for rate production. They will build and lead a team spanning systems engineering, requirements and verification, and integration and test, working closely with engineering, manufacturing, and customers. We are seeking a candidate with a demonstrated record of maturing complex aerospace or defence hardware from technology demonstration through qualification and into production.

Why North Vector Dynamics

- Real ownership from day one, the system and processes you build will be foundational to what this company fields for years to come.
- We’re working on technology that matters at a national and global level, and every person on the team feels that weight and that purpose.
- Competitive compensation and meaningful upside from joining an early-stage company at the forefront of the defence technology sector.
- On-site in Calgary, AB, a growing hub for tech and defence, with a culture built around resilience and getting things done.

Responsibilities

Own the system architecture across the full product: the missile, ground support and handling equipment, and integrated launch systems, including the interfaces between them.; Lead requirements definition, flow-down, and traceability from customer and program needs to subsystem and component specifications, through to verification and validation.; Plan and run the design review cycle (SRR, PDR, CDR, PRR), making the technical trade-offs on performance, mass, cost, reliability, and schedule.; Define and execute the integration, test, and qualification strategy, from subsystem and environmental testing through to system-level demonstration.; Drive design-for-manufacture, assembly, and test with the Head of Manufacturing, ensuring the design is producible, inspectable, and ready to hand off to the pilot production line.; Build and lead the product and systems engineering organization, hiring and managing personnel across systems engineering, requirements and verification, and integration and test.; Serve as the technical voice of the product to government and defence customers, end users, and partners, representing the system in technical reviews and program discussions.; Own configuration management, technical risk, and product documentation, building the processes that let NVD mature further systems faster.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in systems engineering, product engineering, or technical program leadership, with a proven track record maturing complex hardware from technology demonstration through qualification and into production, ideally in aerospace, defence, or another highly regulated hardware environment.; Direct experience owning system architecture and requirements for a multi-subsystem product, including requirements traceability and verification and validation.; Working knowledge of TRL and MRL frameworks and of the design review lifecycle (SRR, PDR, CDR, PRR).; Hands-on experience planning and running integration, environmental, and qualification test campaigns.; Experience driving design-for-manufacture and the handoff from engineering to production.; Experience managing personnel across multiple technical functions, including systems engineering, verification, and integration and test.; Excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to align engineering, manufacturing, customers, and leadership around technical decisions.; Eligibility for a Government of Canada security clearance.

Nice to have

Experience developing missile, munitions, or other precision-guided hardware systems.; Experience with ground support equipment, launcher systems, or other system-of-systems products.; Background maturing a product at an early-stage or startup hardware company.; Familiarity with military standards for environmental and qualification testing, and with export-controlled programs.; Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field.