Product Management Lead

We are open to remote candidates located within CST to BRT time zones.

At Metalab, we ship beautiful, successful products rooted in true business and user needs. As a Product Management Lead at Metalab, you'll take the lead in shaping and delivering products that drive meaningful impact for our clients and their users. You will manage complex product lifecycles, work closely with cross-functional teams to define and deliver product goals, and ensure alignment between the client’s business objectives and the product’s development. This role requires strategic vision, adaptability, strong leadership, and advanced technical project management skills to guide the team through every phase of the product lifecycle.

What you’ll do:

Product Definition:

• Collaborate with project leads to define the product vision, aligning it with business goals and customer insights.
• Identify gaps in business strategy and validate assumptions. Assist clients in refining their product-market fit hypothesis.
• Create, drive, and maintain the product roadmap, continually evaluating technical, UX, and performance trade-offs, and making scope recommendations to clients.
• Track and prioritize new feature ideas. Work with clients and project teams to identify future product opportunities.
• Participate in research phases to understand user needs, and contribute to defining testing and validation strategies.
• Conduct competitive and comparative assessments, secondary desk research, and advocate for user needs through primary research.

Requirements & Documentation:

• Lead requirements gathering and documentation for research, design, and engineering, ensuring alignment with user and business needs.
• Collaborate with design and engineering leads to assess requirements, prioritize tasks, and estimate efforts.
• Create and manage release documentation, including comprehensive release notes, and communicate technical changes effectively with cross-functional teams.

Client & Team Collaboration:

• Serve as the primary point of contact for clients, building and maintaining strong relationships, and addressing concerns promptly.
• Educate clients on the product development process and guide them in bringing products to market effectively.
• Foster a cross-functional work environment, ensuring all team members' perspectives are considered. Challenge and support the team throughout design and development cycles.

Project Execution & Management

• Create and manage the backlog, write clear user stories, and shape the product prioritization framework in alignment with the product strategy.
• Proactively identify risks throughout the project lifecycle, such as backend dependencies, third-party milestones, and changes in scope. Develop and implement mitigation plans.
• Proactively assess project needs, generate multiple perspectives on potential adjustments, and evaluate the impact of changes
• Develop and manage project plans, timelines, scopes, and budgets for complex projects (up to $1M), including large makeovers or small zero-to-one launches.
• Possess a deep understanding of the product development lifecycle, continuously learning and optimizing delivery methodologies (Agile, Scrum, Waterfall) to enhance project outcomes.

Requirements:

• Experience shipping multiple web and native mobile products (bonus points if it's at an agency)
• Excellent communicator utilizing all modes of communication (narrative, visual, etc) to ensure alignment with the product vision. Confident and effective communication with senior stakeholders
• Experience working with cross-functional teams in design, engineering, research, and content 
• Exceptional communication skills, including an unparalleled ability to read the room (and these days, a Zoom call)
• A nuanced understanding of the differences between working with startups and enterprise clients
• Have an in-depth understanding of what each discipline (research, design, engineering) needs for effective documentation
• Comfortable defining new processes and assessing where to provide the most value on a project-by-project basis 
• Exceptional attention to detail while maintaining a view of the big picture
• Comfortable scoping new initiatives, taking calculated risks, and presenting to executives
• Able to empathetically and effectively engage with users, translating their emotions into real solutions