Design Lead - to be a manager in Bath, Somerset

Our client is a defence technology company. We're building the UK's next generation engineering powerhouse, providing critical technology that strengthens national security and resilience. We specialise in turning advances in sensing, AI, and communications into operational capability for the edge, where connectivity may be degraded or denied. Our work focuses on accelerating the deployment of technology, improving decision-making for frontline teams, and protecting people and critical assets in demanding environments. Headquartered in Bristol, our client employs around 200 people and operates over 20,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing facilities. We have a growing international footprint and are one of Europe's fastest-growing engineering businesses. We are looking for a Product Manager to lead the development and delivery of products from concept through to deployment. Reporting to the VP of Product, the Product Manager works alongside a Technical Lead who is responsible for technical implementation and engineering leadership. This role would suit someone with experience taking hardware-enabled products from concept to production, who is comfortable balancing user needs, technical constraints and commercial considerations in a fast-moving environment. More information about security clearance is available here: areas of responsibility concept, design, prototyping, production. Own schedule, quality, cost and technical risk across product lines. Make trade-off decisions between performance, cost, timeline and capability in ambiguous environments. Build and lead a small team (design, engineering, and operations as needed). Support your team through technical decisions, problem-solving and career development. Risk & Quality Management Identify and escalate technical, schedule and supply chain risks early. Manage design and delivery risks proactively; Ensure quality and reliability standards are met; Make pragmatic decisions when data is incomplete or timelines are tight. Delivered a product or product increment on time, to specification, within cost and quality targets. Navigated supply chain complexity and cost optimisation without compromising quality. Made multiple trade-off decisions that balanced competing priorities (performance vs. quality, scope vs. Strong understanding of supply chain, manufacturing, cost management and production logistics. Software product development or supporting software-hardware integration. Familiarity with agile delivery, rapid prototyping and iterative development. You do not need to be an RF engineer or electronics expert, but you need to understand technical tradeoffs and be able to speak credibly with engineers about design decisions. Pragmatic problem-solver who prioritises getting to a working solution over perfect planning. You can balance user needs, technical constraints and commercial considerations when making trade-offs. You communicate clearly, build trust quickly and work effectively across engineering, delivery and commercial teams. Working at our client We are committed to building a flexible, inclusive, and enabling company. We also recognise the importance of flexible working and support this wherever we can. We typically operate a flexible, hybrid-working model, with an average 3 days in the office each week (dependent on the role). We welcome the opportunity to discuss flexibility, part-time working requirements and/or workplace adjustments with all our applicants. Our client is a Disability Confident Committed company, and we actively encourage people with disabilities and health conditions to apply for our roles. Please let us know your requirements early on so that we can make sure you have everything you need up front to help make the recruitment process and experience as easy as possible. Finally, if you feel that you don't meet all the criteria included above but have transferable skills and relevant experience, we'd still love to hear from you!