Product Line Leader, Direct-to-Vehicle (D2V Automotive Connectivity)

About us

At Viasat, the work you do helps people stay connected in ways that matter, from everyday moments to critical missions across air, land, sea, and space.

We’re a place for people who are curious, bold, and motivated by meaningful work. Here, you'll have the opportunity to make an impact, explore new possibilities, and grow your career in ways that align with your interests and goals. When you're ready to take on something new, you'll find leaders who support your development and help you turn your ambition into action.

What you'll do

We are looking for a founder-minded business builder to launch and lead our Direct-to-Vehicle (D2V) product line, bringing resilient satellite connectivity to the automotive market. Most vehicles are already connected over terrestrial networks, and satellite can complement them to deliver seamless, global coverage. The opportunity is to turn that into a growing business.

This leader owns the vertical end to end: vision, value proposition, pricing, go-to-market, key OEM and partner relationships, and the P&L. Our go-to-market is deliberately open. You will determine the right routes to market and the right offerings, test and iterate on them, and create real pull from customers and partners across the automotive ecosystem rather than relying on push.

The day-to-day

Vision and Growth Strategy

• Define and communicate a clear vision, market thesis, and multi-year growth strategy for D2V across the enterprise, and align executive leadership around it.
• Size the market and segment it: OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, terrestrial MNOs and MVNOs serving OEMs, fleets, and aftermarket consumers; prioritize where to play and how to win.
• Identify and pursue partnership and inorganic opportunities in coordination with Corporate Development.

Go-to-Market Experimentation

• Define the go-to-market approach yourself: develop your own hypotheses on who to sell to, through which channels and business models, and with what offerings, then design experiments with clear success criteria and decision gates to test and compare them.
• Evaluate each approach on revenue potential, margin, investment and operational requirements, regulatory implications, and strategic control, and recommend where to double down.
• Create demand pull by building a compelling, quantified value proposition grounded in customer and partner needs, and by identifying where customers will pay for value.

Product and Value Proposition

• Own the product roadmap and value proposition, including NR-NTN device and chipset enablement, module and telematics control unit (TCU) integration, service tiers, coverage and performance commitments, and roaming and wholesale constructs.
• Explore and incubate aftermarket products and services that solve end-customer problems beyond connectivity, such as media and entertainment, communications, in-cabin and cockpit information, vehicle health and maintenance, and insurance and usage-based services.
• Drive requirements into Engineering and work side by side with their teams on trade-offs among scope, cost, schedule, and customer impact; own launch readiness.
• Launch minimum viable offerings quickly, instrument them, and iterate based on usage, feedback, and unit economics, including long automotive qualification and design-in cycles.

Pricing and Commercial Strategy

• Develop pricing and packaging strategy (wholesale, per-vehicle, revenue share, usage, subscription, and bundled models) and align it with Finance and Commercial leadership before it goes to market.
• Own the key business relationships with OEMs, Tier 1s, MNOs and MVNOs, and personally lead strategic negotiations through close.

P&L and Business Management

• Hold full P&L accountability for the product line: revenue, margin, investment, and ROI, with transparent forecasting and business reviews.
• Build the business case, set operating metrics and KPIs, and make clear investment and prioritization decisions as the business scales.

Team and Cross-Functional Leadership

• Hire and develop the team over time: product, business development, sales, account management, solutions engineering, and program management.
• Partner across Engineering, Legal, Finance, Corporate Development, Regulatory (spectrum, licensing, and MVNO considerations), Marketing, and Operations without relying on formal authority.

What you'll need

• 12+ years of experience in product, business development, or general management in automotive, telecom/wireless, satellite, or adjacent connectivity industries, including 5+ years leading a product line or business unit.
• Demonstrated experience launching a new product or business from zero to meaningful revenue, ideally inside a larger company.
• Direct P&L ownership, including forecasting, pricing, and margin management.
• Track record negotiating and closing large, complex, multi-year agreements with OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, carriers, or comparable partners.
• Working knowledge of the connected-vehicle ecosystem (telematics, OEM service platforms, automotive sales and qualification cycles) and of mobile and satellite fundamentals (3GPP NTN, spectrum, roaming, device and chipset ecosystem) sufficient to drive requirements and earn engineering credibility.
• Experience building and leading teams, including hiring from scratch, and leading cross-functional work without direct authority.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business, or a related field.

What will help you on the job

• MBA or advanced technical degree.
• Prior experience at an automotive OEM or Tier 1, an MNO or MVNO, a connected-vehicle or telematics services provider, or a satellite operator.
• Experience with MVNO models, B2B2C or consumer subscription businesses, or aftermarket automotive products and services.
• Existing relationships across OEM, Tier 1, and MNO communities in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Salary range

$225,500.00 - $356,500.00 / annually. For specific work locations within San Jose, the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, the base pay range for this role is $280,500.00- $420,500.00/ annually

At Viasat, we consider many factors when it comes to compensation, including the scope of the position as well as your background and experience. Base pay may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Additional cash or stock incentives may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to a range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the position offered. Learn more about Viasat’s comprehensive benefit offerings that are focused on your holistic health and wellness at https://careers.viasat.com/benefits.
EEO Statement

Viasat is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, seeking to create a welcoming and diverse environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, genetics, age, or veteran status or any other applicable legally protected status or characteristic. If you would like to request an accommodation on the basis of disability for completing this on-line application, please click here.