Intelligence Technologies · Product Strategy · Program Leadership
Nicole Bewley
Intelligence Technologies · Product Strategy · Program Leadership · Geospatial & Data
13+ years at the intersection of intelligence technologies, strategy, and product development — leading the delivery of mission-focused solutions that drive real ROI across government, defense, and commercial markets.
Who I am
Bridging strategy and execution
I'm a strategic program leader with 13+ years of experience at the intersection of intelligence technologies, strategy, and product development. I bring proven ability to lead large-scale technology portfolios, drive the delivery of mission-focused solutions, and align cross-functional teams across sales, finance, product, and engineering.
Portfolio & Program Leadership
I launch and formalize business units and technology portfolios — owning strategy, governance, budgetary frameworks, and cross-functional team execution from inception through delivery.
Intelligence Technologies
I bridge technical development and corporate strategy — building SaaS-based capability, cloud-native intelligence platforms, and data products for government and defense customers.
Geospatial & Data Intelligence
With deep expertise in GEOINT, remote sensing, and cloud data architectures, I translate raw intelligence signals into scalable, decision-ready product capabilities.
Commercial & Mission Alignment
I excel at navigating the government-to-commercial pipeline — identifying dual-use opportunities, managing risk, and communicating complex strategies to executive and board-level audiences.
What I value
Beyond Work
I hold a TS/SCI clearance and an M.P.S. in Homeland Security with a focus on Geospatial Intelligence Analytics from Penn State. I'm a certified PMP, Scrum Product Owner, and SAFe Agilist — and I've earned a USGIF Collegiate Certificate in Geospatial Intelligence. I founded Blackbird Product Collective to bring that same strategic rigor to organizations looking to build with intention.
Career
Experience & Impact
13+ years leading technology portfolios, intelligence products, and cross-functional programs across defense, government, and commercial markets.
Launched and formalized a Labs business unit as one of the most strategically important verticals in the company — owning strategy, governance, and budgetary frameworks across cyber, systems, data, and mission enablement directorates.
Managed a $12M special projects and IR&D portfolio, leading product strategy and financial planning. Bridged technical development and corporate strategy to inform and prepare executive leadership.
Built the company technology strategy, hiring and leading technical PMs and developers. Applied agile program management to integrate cloud, geospatial, and analytic solutions into scalable products.
Established and sustained AWS-hosted Data Governance policies supporting multiple government customers. Developed enterprise architecture and external engagement strategy to integrate cross-agency, academic, and commercial innovation.
Supported oversight of a $27M portfolio leading delivery of intelligence capabilities across defense and government programs. Directed program execution, balancing financial, workforce, and technical priorities to meet enterprise needs.
A series of increasingly senior product and program roles within the defense and intelligence community — spanning remote sensing, UAS systems analysis, geospatial data collection, and sensitive activities program management.
Capabilities
Skills & Expertise
A rare combination of technical depth, mission-domain expertise, and executive-level communication — honed across 13+ years in defense, intelligence, and commercial tech.
Product Strategy
- Vision & roadmap development
- Market & competitive analysis
- OKR / KPI frameworks
- Product-market fit validation
- Go-to-market planning
Discovery & Research
- User interviews & usability testing
- Jobs-to-be-done framework
- Data analytics & funnel analysis
- A/B testing & experimentation
- Customer journey mapping
Design & UX
- Wireframing & prototyping
- Design system oversight
- Accessibility & inclusive design
- Figma proficiency
- Mobile-first product design
Operations & Process
- Agile / Scrum / Kanban
- Budget management & forecasting
- Process design & optimization
- OKR & metrics alignment
- Cross-functional coordination
Leadership & Coaching
- Team hiring & org design
- PM mentorship & growth
- Executive stakeholder management
- Workshop facilitation
- Culture building
Tools & Platforms
- Jira, Confluence, Asana, Notion
- Figma, Miro, ESRI / ArcGIS
- AWS (GovCloud), Azure, cloud data platforms
- SAFe, Scrum, Agile Hybrid frameworks
- SQL, geospatial data analysis
Proficiency Areas
Work
Portfolio & Projects
A selection of work across consulting engagements, internal initiatives, and personal ventures. Click any card to learn more.
GEOINT & Remote Sensing Products
Senior product and program leadership across defense geospatial programs — leading the delivery of data collection pipelines, UAS sensor analysis workflows, and intelligence-grade mapping capabilities.
Blackbird Product Collective
Founded and built a fractional product leadership consultancy from the ground up — brand, website, service lines, client ops, and growth strategy.
Labs R&D Strategic Plan & Budget
Developed a comprehensive strategic plan and $4M+ budget framework for a defense-sector R&D business unit — framed around AI/ML, autonomous cyber, and enterprise data platform investment.
Enterprise Data Governance Platform
Established and sustained AWS-hosted Data Governance policies for multiple DoD customers — driving cloud migration, agile product development, and AI/ML adoption across operational programs.
SaaS Intelligence Platform
Led the build-out of a cloud-native OSINT and intelligence technology platform — architecting the technology strategy, hiring the product team, and integrating geospatial analytics into a scalable commercial offering.
$12M Portfolio Management Framework
Designed and operated a rigorous portfolio management framework for a $12M special projects and IR&D portfolio — including financial planning, strategic roadmapping, and executive reporting infrastructure.
Let's Connect
Get in Touch
Whether you're looking for fractional product leadership, an operations partner, or just want to explore what's possible — I'd love to hear from you.
I work with a small number of clients at a time, which means every engagement gets my full attention. If you're curious about what that could look like for your company, let's talk.