Director of Technical Product Marketing

Shift5 is the observability platform for onboard operational technology (OT). We’re a rapidly growing scale-up that specializes in cybersecurity, predictive maintenance, and compliance for operational technology (OT) systems across Defense, aerospace, and rail. We are a collaborative, passionate, and driven cadre of dynamic, multidisciplinary experts and we’re focused on helping our customer’s fleets run smarter and safer by accessing and democratizing the volumes of onboard OT data generated by transportation and freight fleets, and defense fleets and weapon systems. Come join us. 

Our Values :

• Embrace Truth and Integrity: Base decisions on data, foster open dialogue, and uphold unwavering integrity.
• User-Centric Focus: Prioritize user needs to guide our actions and resource allocation.
• Collaborative & Adaptable: Collaborate for excellence, learning from failures and driving iterative improvements, recognizing every decision's significance.

Shift5 is seeking a highly motivated and collaborative individual to join our team as a Director of Technical Product Marketing. In addition to this, this person will be responsible for spearheading our federal messaging & developing, shaping, owning, and executing Shift5’s DoD Marketing Strategy, while ensuring alignment with the global marketing strategy, business goals, and revenue targets. This role operates at the intersection of DoD marketing efforts and Shift5’s broader marketing, PR, branding and communications strategy. We are one brand with customers who identify with different voices.

We’re looking for someone who understands and has experience communicating and positioning products and their capabilities to the Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, Federal Civilian Agencies, and Federal Systems Integrators as well as aerospace, rail, and maritime verticals. The person in this role is someone who continuously looks for and develops new and innovative content and campaigns that speak to prospects and customers; someone who proactively seeks out information from and enjoys working collaboratively with engineering, sales, other marketing team members, and stays closely aligned with Government Affairs to ensure strategies and objectives are complimentary. This role requires a deep commitment to ensuring we are utilizing the right messages and positioning our product to the right audiences, ultimately differentiating ourselves to key prospects and customers in a busy and complex market.

In this role, you’ll leverage cross-functional resources to define and drive product positioning, content and success for all aspects of the Shift5 platform. You will create and contribute to Shift5’s Product Marketing function, helping shape our go to market strategy and develop content for sales initiatives and marketing deliverables. This is a crucial role that requires both strategic thinking and technical aptitude, and you will work cross functionally with our product and engineering team to understand the full suite of our platform capabilities, influence potential product expansion offerings, and develop strategies to best bring our products to DoD customers. This position reports to the VP, Marketing and has the flexibility to be a fully remote, hybrid, or in-office position.

In this role you will: 

• Develop and execute the DoD marketing strategy, encompassing both new acquisition and expansion opportunities
• Develop and report on all Federal marketing tactics and activities monthly/quarterly/annually
• Institute account-based marketing (ABM) plans for key DoD accounts
• Become a technical subject matter expert for Shift5’s platform and develop product positioning, messaging, and differentiation for target markets that will increase interest and entice prospects to purchase our product.
• Contribute to and support execution of Shift5’s GTM strategy.
• Develop compelling technical sales and marketing content and materials.
• Serve as the key technical interface to our Federal Sales team and ensure they are armed to successfully represent our platform to prospects and customers.
• Show creative thinking in how we increase awareness and differentiate Shift5 in a growing, competitive, complex market.
• Create and maintain customer-facing sales materials like pitch decks and demo videos; and marketing materials like solution briefs, white papers, webinars, case studies, and thought leadership content – ensuring the delivery of consistent messaging to all prospects and customers
• Interface with prospects and customers to gain insights and business use cases that can contribute to new features and product investments.
• Create and execute campaigns that drive leads, conversion, opportunity creation, and support the achievement of revenue targets.
• Develop strategy for robust multi-touch and multi-channel programs, campaigns, and activities that capture top-of-funnel prospects and progress them through the funnel and buyer’s journey.
• Drive public sector awareness and manage public sector PR agency to include clear goals, objectives, as well as monthly and quarterly metrics.
• Maintain market intelligence and disseminate awareness of DoD-specific trends, initiatives, policies, requirements, and opportunities to internal stakeholders to support product development decisions and sales efforts.
• Support general marketing activities including, but not limited to event, conference, and tradeshow support.
• Identify metrics and drive regular communication on progress against goals for federal product marketing in alignment with the overall objectives of the marketing department.
• Demonstrate self-awareness using a combination of feedback and reflection to gain productive insight into personal strengths and weaknesses.
• Collaborate effectively with the Marketing Team to inform broader strategies and tactics such as digital, email, and advertising campaigns, PR strategies, GTM motions, launch campaigns, nurture campaigns, and all other marketing objectives.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with stakeholders to ensure bi-directional communication, input, and awareness of objectives and activities.
• Own, drive, document, and manage Shift5’s competitive intelligence strategy:
  • Create comprehensive profiles and battlecards of competitors, detailing their products, services, market share, financial performance, strategies, and key personnel.
  • Monitor and analyze market trends, including changes in customer preferences, emerging technologies, and regulatory developments.
  • Conduct SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analyses of competitors to identify areas where the organization can gain a competitive advantage, and continuously benchmark the organization's performance against competitors in key areas, such as customer satisfaction, quality, and innovation
  • Track and report on market share changes, and assess and benchmark the organization's products, services, and strategies against those of competitors to identify areas for improvement.
  • Monitor and analyze competitors' sales and marketing efforts, including advertising campaigns, target audiences, and messaging.
  • Ensure the ethical collection and use of competitive intelligence and safeguard sensitive information.
  • Utilize competitive intelligence tools, software, and data sources to automate data collection, analysis, and reporting.

Qualifications

Required: 

• Be a U.S. citizen with a TS/SCI clearance or be able to hold one.
• Superb communication, research, and writing skills
• Deep understanding of the Department of Defense, federal acquisition and procurement processes, and service specific vernacular
• 10+ years of technical marketing, product marketing, product management, or sales enablement experience for an enterprise SaaS, cybersecurity, or similar tech company.
• 3+ years of experience managing a marketing or product team.
• Exceptional product marketing skills with the ability to understand complex technologies and turn them into innovative marketing messages.
• Experience orchestrating successful product launches, and especially experience building for scale while working with multiple cross-organizational stakeholders.
• Strong and proven track record of partnering with high-performing product management teams.
• Proven ability to analyze markets, products, and competitors, and translate that information into useful intelligence and sales tools
• Demonstrated ability to create differentiated positioning and messaging that resonates with potential customers, analysts, and other stakeholders
• Passion for prioritizing work and managing dozens of concurrent projects based on value to the business, effort to achieve, and data available to measure success
• Excellent leadership and communication skills, a great teammate, and a person who can inspire and lead a diverse team of experiences and background.
• Project management skills (Can manage multiple priorities in a dynamic, fast-paced environment)
• Team player with a proactive “roll up your sleeves” attitude.
• A degree in marketing, communications, or another related field.

Preferred: 

• Background and experience in Analyst Relations (AR)

Compensation & Benefits: 

• Competitive salary and stock options in a fast-growing startup 
• Employer-paid medical, dental and vision coverage 
• Health Savings Account with annual employer contributions 
• 401k with employer contributions 
• Life Insurance 
• Uncapped paid time off policy 
• Flexible work & remote work policy 
• Tax-deferred public transit benefits with Metro SmartBenefits (DC/MD/VA) We are committed to building an inclusive culture of belonging that embraces the diversity of our people and represents the communities in which we work and the customers we serve. We know the happiest and highest performing teams include people with diverse perspectives and ways of solving problems. We strive to attract and retain talent from all backgrounds and create workplaces where everyone feels empowered to bring their full, authentic selves to work.  

Shift5 is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identify, national origin, disability, age, marital status, ancestry, projected veteran status, or any other protected group or class.