Product Line Manager

Description:

Thales is looking for a Product Line Manager - Driver's License Solutions.

The role serves as the Global Product Line Owner for Driving License solutions, with enterprise accountability for strategy, performance, and lifecycle management across NORAM and international markets within the Civil Identity Segment.

The position defines and executes the global product strategy and roadmap, owning the end-to-end lifecycle from investment through retirement while driving revenue growth, margin performance, and portfolio competitiveness. It leads cross-functional alignment across engineering, program, sales, and regional teams, influencing investment decisions, market positioning, and innovation to sustain Thales’ leadership in secure identity solutions.

The role reports to the Cards Business Owner (IBS) and operates with significant autonomy and global stakeholder influence.

Key Areas Of Responsibilities

Product Line Strategy & Lifecycle Governance

Own and lead the global Product Line strategy for Driving License solutions, defining and executing competitiveness, growth, and lifecycle performance plans across NORAM and international markets.
Develop and present enterprise Product Plans for Product Lifecycle Decision Reviews, including multi-year Business Plans, investment cases, roadmap strategy, differentiation, value proposition, reuse strategy, and global market/customer requirements.
Translate Business Line Product Policy into executable global action plans, ensuring alignment with Civil Identity Segment strategy and Ambition Boost performance objectives.
Govern SFRD/CFRD investment allocations, shaping and securing approvals through SBP, MYB, and Development Launch Decision Reviews to ensure portfolio competitiveness and financial performance.
Define enterprise-level product requirements and design intent, incorporating market needs, UX, performance, cost, ESG, privacy, cybersecurity, robustness, configurability, interoperability, and lifecycle sustainment considerations.
Own and drive innovation pipeline and PoC investment strategy, prioritizing and delivering initiatives that strengthen market differentiation and future growth.
Chair and govern the Product Line Core Team and Product Change Control Board, ensuring cross-functional alignment and approval of detailed, actionable requirements with R&D, PLA, and program leadership.
Partner with Product Line Architecture and Program Management leadership to ensure successful product development execution, delivery readiness, and lifecycle performance.
Provide executive-level oversight of development progress, ensuring product acceptance, quality, and readiness for commercialization.
Continuously monitor and optimize Product Line performance, including competitiveness, profitability, and roadmap execution in alignment with Ambition Boost and Business Line financial targets.
Drive enterprise reuse strategy and Core/Non-Core & MBT alignment, maximizing efficiency, scalability, and margin performance across the portfolio.

Product & Offer Marketing Leadership

Lead global market intelligence and competitive positioning strategy in partnership with Competitive Intelligence, Segment Marketing, and Business Intelligence teams to anticipate market trends and shape portfolio direction.
Define and own the Product Line value proposition and competitive positioning, ensuring clear differentiation and alignment with target customer segments and regional market dynamics.
Lead the development of winning product and commercial strategies, including pricing models, business models (including digital), T&Cs, and go-to-market plans aligned with Business Line objectives.
Govern Marketing & Sales enablement strategy, ensuring delivery of high-impact sales kits, bid factory content, and marketing collateral that support global sales execution.
Provide executive product authority in bid and capture governance, validating compliance with Product Policy, identifying solution gaps, and shaping competitive win strategies.
Act as a senior product authority in customer, partner, and industry engagements, supporting strategic pursuits, key accounts, and ecosystem partnerships.
Ensure global consistency and integrity of product branding, naming conventions, and digital presence in alignment with Thales brand architecture.

Customer & Market Engagement Leadership

Ensure global alignment of Product Policy and Product Line strategy with customer expectations, regulatory requirements, and market demand, driving customer satisfaction and long-term adoption.
Own and maintain the global Market & Customer Requirements baseline, ensuring continuous integration of customer feedback, regulatory evolution, and competitive insights.
Define and evolve the product-related services strategy, partnering with Services to deliver scalable, value-added offerings across the product lifecycle.
Build and maintain strategic relationships with key customers, partners, and stakeholders, influencing market direction and positioning Thales as a trusted leader in secure identity solutions.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Business, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and relevant enterprise-level product management or technical leadership experience.
Proven enterprise-level experience in B2B product management and offer development, including ownership of global product strategy, value proposition design, and lifecycle governance within a complex, technology-driven environment.
Expert-level mastery of the full marketing mix (Product, Price, Place, Promotion) with demonstrated ability to define and execute global go-to-market and commercial strategies that drive revenue growth and market share.
Advanced business and financial acumen, including experience developing and managing multi-year business plans, product P&L, investment cases, pricing strategies, and margin optimization.
Deep technical and systems-level understanding (e.g., systems engineering, secure identity solutions, or comparable complex technical ecosystems) enabling effective leadership across R&D, engineering, and architecture teams.
Extensive experience leading product portfolio management, including roadmap governance, lifecycle management, reuse strategy, innovation pipeline, and portfolio competitiveness at a global scale.
Demonstrated executive-level leadership and influence, with a track record of leading cross-functional, multi-regional teams and governing decision forums (e.g., product councils, change control boards, investment reviews).
Strong business acumen and strategic decision-making capability, with the ability to translate market insights into investment priorities and product strategy that delivers measurable business outcomes.
Exceptional communication and stakeholder engagement skills, including the ability to influence senior leadership, customers, partners, and cross-functional stakeholders in a global matrixed environment.
Proven ability to build and sustain strategic customer and partner relationships, supporting complex bids, negotiations, and long-term account growth.