Product Manager

Introduction

bridge between our commercial and engineering teams

objectives, constraints, and preferences

Responsibilities:

Your core responsibilities will follow a structured product management life cycle designed to maximize impact and ensure clarity across the organization.

1. Problem Discovery and Definition (Needs Finding & Articulation)

• Conduct intense "Needs Finding"

  to get to the bottom of any identified problem, whether it originates from customers, the market, or internal operations like finance.
• Utilize various techniques, such as stakeholder interviews and the "five-why framework," to dig deep into a problem's root cause, understand the alternatives available to users, and assess the impact of solving or not solving the problem on their work or their finances.

• Develop a deep conviction

  that the identified problem is the right one to solve, as getting this step right is fundamental to having the highest impact.

• Articulate and document the identified needs

  using presentations, financial models that analyze P&L impact, and other collateral to communicate the problem and its importance effectively.

• Convince all relevant stakeholders,

  including engineering leads, architecture, UX, and quality/regulatory teams, that the problem is worth solving, thereby gaining organizational alignment and building your credibility.

2. Solution Design and Articulation

• Collaborate closely with the engineering lead

  to create a detailed

  Implementation Blueprint

  (the Product Requirements Document or PRD). You must understand how the solution will be implemented and the rationale behind technical decisions.

• Articulate the proposed solution

  to business stakeholders using wireframes, presentations, or other tools to gather early feedback. This "Solution Articulation" is distinct from and must not pollute the "Needs Articulation" phase.
• Iterate on the blueprint based on stakeholder feedback until everyone signs off on the proposed solution.
• Embrace a

  "shift left" philosophy

  , investing significant time in the blueprinting stage to bring in all necessary teams (architecture, UI/UX, QA) to prevent issues downstream.

3. Release Validation and Management

• Develop a comprehensive

  Validation Plan

  before the engineering team begins implementation. This plan will serve as a checklist and gating item for the release.
• Create and manage a

  Pre-release Checklist

  , which includes developing collateral and training materials for internal teams (e.g., customer support, sales) and external users.
• For external-facing materials, coordinate with the Brand Marketing team to ensure brand consistency.
• Effectively communicate to users why changes are being made and how they can expect to benefit.

4. User Migration and Deployment

• Plan and execute the

  user migration

  or deployment process with a focus on minimizing risk.
• Design and implement a

  gradual release strategy

  (e.g., rolling out to 1%, then 5%, then 20% of users) to identify and fix issues before they impact the entire user base.
• Ensure that the product's architecture supports phased rollouts and includes a mechanism to

  roll back

  the feature if necessary.

5. Post-Release Impact Analysis

• Conduct

  post-market surveillance

  to measure the impact of released features and gather user feedback.
• Establish methods for data collection, such as user surveys, questionnaires, or in-app instrumentation, to understand feature adoption and user behavior.
• Use the data and evidence collected to

  create a feedback loop

  that informs future "Needs Finding" and strengthens your arguments in "Needs Articulation".

Skills and Qualifications:

• Exceptional Communication and Influence:

  Demonstrated ability to act as a bridge between commercial and technical teams. You must be able to articulate complex needs and solutions clearly and convincingly to diverse audiences.

• Deep Investigative and Analytical Skills:

  A natural curiosity and the ability to perform rigorous "Needs Finding" to uncover the true, underlying problem that needs to be solved.

• Strategic and Financial Acumen:

  The ability to connect product features to larger business objectives and model their financial outcomes. This includes understanding financial statements like a Profit and Loss (P&L) statement to assess how product changes affect revenue and costs, and working with various teams to improve financial performance over time, thereby enhancing the product's sale-ability and its credibility.

• Strong Documentation Skills:

  The ability to write clear, precise, and cogent documents, including PRDs, validation plans, and user-facing collateral.

• Collaborative Mindset:

  A proven track record of working effectively with engineering, design, and business counterparts to bring ideas to life.

• Process-Oriented:

  A commitment to following a systematic product development process while knowing when and how to justify deviations.

• Resilience and Drive for Impact:

  Success in this role is measured by your impact. You must be resilient, especially when facing initial skepticism, and be driven to build credibility through successful product outcomes.