Senior Product Manager

Planys Team Planys’ has assembled a diverse team of experts in robotics, algorithms, fluid dynamics and propulsion to create state-of-the-art unmanned underwater systems that radically changes the dependence of foreign OEMs. Planys is bringing to market, small to extra-large unmanned systems with plug-and-play autonomy suites. If you are passionate about solving real-world problems that have a direct impact on our national priorities, you are in the right place.

Job Description We are seeking a highly motivated, self-driven and experienced software product manager to join our team in Chennai, TN. You will work closely with the leadership across departments in bringing to life, ruggedized and ultra-reliable products. In this role, you will be responsible for, designing, building and managing software systems for our products – ranging from internet of underwater things to remote/ autonomous underwater vehicles.

Role Context & Positioning This role is best understood as a Technical Program Manager (TPM), responsible for orchestrating complex, multi-vertical software development efforts across robotics platforms. Experience with hardware integration is a must. The role sits within the Software Development vertical and reports to the VP (Products & Research), under the CTO/Cofounder.

It provides functional leadership across a structured team of 20+ engineers spanning multiple domains, working through 4–5 mid-level managers and senior engineers. While all personnel report administratively to the VP, this role is responsible for technical direction, execution oversight, and delivery outcomes across the group. The primary mandate is execution excellence across software systems, ensuring that product requirements defined by leadership are translated into robust, scalable, and field-ready implementations.

Job Activities The candidate should have a strong experience of development in the past, however, must not be in a role that requires active coding now. The candidate must have recent experience of managing complex software engineering systems, preferably in a hardware product environment. Candidates with pure IT-services PM experience or pure embedded software experience are discouraged from applying.

Familiarity with programming platform required are C/C++ and/or MERN and/or Python. Prior experience with successful introduction of AI coding tools in traditional development environment is strongly desired. Key activities will include,  Spearhead planning and management for development and maintenance of existing and upcoming marine robotics fleet o Manage a team of multiple engineers across 4+ managers, o Introduction of AI in the daily workflow to enhance productivity, o Inherit an existing team and architecture, with responsibility to scale and streamline both  Development and evolution of an autonomy suite currently operating at assistive levels, with a roadmap toward higher autonomy (target: Level 4 as per DNV standards), including abstraction toward hardware-independent deployment o Drive evolution of autonomy suite toward a robot-independent platform, capable of operating across multiple Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) configurations o Establish a clear path toward future licensing or reuse across systems o Define standardized interfaces and APIs to decouple hardware and software dependencies  Design and implement scalable systems that deliver capability beyond the scope of current platforms, with a clear path for both architecture and capability evolution over time  Ownership and accountability for development, testing, builds, checkout and delivery for the software deployment of the systems  Drive alignment across software, hardware, and product stakeholders to deliver fully functional products o Work closely with hardware teams to align differing development cadences, ensuring smooth integration cycles o Provide software-driven recommendations on system-level tradeoffs (compute, latency, performance) based on real-world operational requirements o Act as a key bridge in integration cycles currently coordinated between VP and hardware leadership  Conduct peer-reviews, and enforce cross-discipline in design review, performance analysis, feedback from the field to ensure compliance with project goals and industry standards  Develop and manage software that runs on robotic systems and for support systems  Support and validate the designs during manufacturing, assembly and field testing.

Ownership Core Ownership Areas  Introduction of AI into regular development workflow  Own end-to-end software delivery across three verticals: o Autonomy OS / autonomy stack o Existing deployed ROV/AUV systems o IOUT/ Fixed installation systems o Dependent web interface products  Define and drive software architecture evolution, ensuring scalability beyond current platforms  Own API design, modularity, and platform abstraction strategy, enabling long-term robot-independent autonomy systems  Ensure cross-functional cohesion between software, hardware, and field teams  Own embedded software constraints and system-level software decisions, including compute-performance trade-offs Explicit Non-Ownership  Product requirements definition and prioritization (owned by CTO/VP)  Hardware design decisions (collaborative input, not final ownership)  AI/ML roadmap ownership Decision-Making Boundaries  Owned by this role: o How product requirements are translated into software architecture and implementation o System design decisions across the software stack o Trade-off recommendations for compute, performance, and system behaviour o API/interface design and modularization strategy o Execution planning across teams and verticals  Owned by leadership (CTO/VP): o Product requirements and roadmap priorities o Strategic direction and customer alignment Success Metrics 3-Month Expectations  Streamlined development and delivery workflow using AI tools 6-Month Expectations  Deliver at least one cohesive software release cycle across platforms  Establish strong cross-team cohesive and alignment  Improve integration reliability between software and hardware systems 12-Month Expectations  Demonstrate consistent release cadence (~1 major release every 6 months)  Mature the autonomy stack toward platform-agnostic architecture  Improve system stability and field performance of deployed systems  Enable smoother multi-vertical coordination and reduced integration friction Requirement Qualifications  Bachelor’s / master’s degree in robotics, computer science or in relevant field or experience  Must have – experience working with hardware and software – system integration.  Best if you have experience in autonomous systems/ defense/ product or deep-tech startups, Telecom/ IoT or EV background.  Don’t apply if you have: o Pure IT services background o Pure web/ SaaS project background o No management experience  Candidate to have an appetite for startup culture – must have ability to translate vision into clear sprint deliverables.  Extensive professional experience working as a developer and product manager in a startup or equivalent domain for 6-8 years or more.  Strong technical depth in C/C++ and/or MERN and systems programming is required. The candidate must be capable of deep technical evaluation, architectural decision- making, and code-level review. It is not necessary to be involved in active coding activities.  Programming skills should include algorithms, data structures, concurrency, interprocess communication, vision, scaling, testing, infrastructure systems, and system design primarily in C/ C++.  Ability to work holistically on the software stack considering the product deliverables and through its lifecycle – design, implementation, operation and maintenance.  Capacity to act as the technical owner covering requirements definition, roadmap management, team co-ordination, design, implementation, maintenance and evolution.  Ability to learn and grow individually, mentoring team members effectively, building team cohesion and capacity.

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Software Engineering, or a related field. Key Responsibilities Design, architect, and deliver robust, scalable software systems, particularly for products that integrate software and hardware components. Lead the development of complex software solutions using C/C++ and/or the MERN stack .

Drive technical decision-making, system architecture, and product development initiatives. Manage and mentor engineering teams while ensuring adherence to software development best practices and quality standards. Establish and maintain development processes, including test automation, code reviews, CI/CD pipelines, version control, and release management.

Build and optimize scalable software systems with a strong focus on performance, memory management, reliability, and maintainability. Apply advanced knowledge of data structures, algorithms, and system design to solve complex engineering challenges. Work closely with cross-functional teams to define product requirements and deliver high-quality solutions.

Develop and maintain scripts and automation tools using Bash or similar scripting languages. Ensure compliance with software engineering standards, documentation practices, and project management processes. Required Skills Strong proficiency in C/C++ and/or MERN Stack Development Expertise in Data Structures and Algorithms Strong understanding of Operating System Fundamentals Experience with Git, CI/CD Pipelines, Test Frameworks, and Jira Proficiency in Bash Scripting Experience leading engineering teams and mentoring developers Excellent verbal and written communication skills Preferred Experience Experience 5–8+ Years Experience developing software for robotics, embedded systems, autonomous platforms, or hardware-integrated products.

Hands-on experience building high-performance, scalable software systems. Exposure to underwater robotics, autonomous systems, or industrial automation is an advantage.