This job family represents all Managers in the Product Management department. They are responsible for managing, directly or indirectly GitLab team members performing in the role of Product Manager. Outside of the VP of Product Management, these roles are responsible for managing and building teams which focus on specific specialties as part of GitLab's product hierarchy (sometimes encompassing entire stages or a section).
References
Responsibilities
- Make sure you have a great product team (recruit and hire, coach and mentor, promote proactively, identify underperformance)
- Work on the vision with the Product Leadership and CEO; and communicate this vision internally and externally
- Distill the overall vision into a compelling roadmap
- Make sure the vision advances in every release and communicate this
- Communicate our vision though demo's, conference speaking, blogging, and interviews
- Work closely with Product Marketing, Sales, Engineering, etc.
Requirements
- Ability to use GitLab
- Experience hiring teams in high growth companies
- Experience in DevOps
- Experience with solutions from the product category, groups or DevOps stages you will be responsible for
- Technical background or clear understanding of developer products; familiarity with Git, Continuous Integration, Containers, Kubernetes, and Project Management software a plus
- You are living wherever you want and are excited about the all remote lifestyle
- You share our values, and work in accordance with those values
- Leadership at GitLab
Levels
Group Manager, Product (GMP)
This role typically manages 2-4 Product Managers, and reports either to a Director of Product, a Senior Director of Product Management or the VP of Product Management.
Group Manager, Product (GMP) - Job Grade
The Group Manager, Product is a grade 9.5.
Group Manager, Product (GMP) - Responsibilities
Team responsibilities
- Coach Product Managers through their responsibilities
- Ensure PMs receive regular CDF feedback and, if desired, Career Coaching
- Ensure that Product Managers participate in Validation and Build track activities while following our product principles so that our Product Performance indicators are met
- Enable product managers to make the most effective decisions when prioritizing R&D investment in their product groups so that our upcoming releases contain relevant enhancements for our customers, users, prospects and us.
- Convene a set of stable counterparts for your assigned Product Hierarchy and Use Cases to ensure R&D and GTM KPIs are met
- Join customer and partner visits that spawn ideas for new features
- Ensure PMs develop an understanding of the market for their categories, including ensuring that the DevOps tools and category directions relevant to their markets are up to date
- Keep relevant /direction pages up to date as our high level roadmap
- Prioritize, build and assess business cases for new or existing opportunities in your group that have no investment
- Understand deeply and synthesize the market, competition, and upcoming solutions in the space their team is responsible for.
- Review release post announcements to ensure they focus on user problems and jobs-to-be-done
- Own driving connections between the groups their PMs drive to ensure a single-application user experience.
- Find opportunities where teams need to collaborate with each other and help them make those decisions that are optimal for the company even if they maybe sub-optimal in the short term for particular groups.
Please note: If the Group Manager has less than 4 direct reports or is a first-time manager, some individual contributor responsibilities may be expected to be maintained.
Group Manager, Product (GMP) - Requirements
Group Manager, Product (GMP) - Career Ladder
The next step in the Group Manager, Product is to move to Director of Product.
Group Manager, Product (GMP) - Specialties
Fulfillment
Responsible for the Fulfillment product team, which owns delivering a flexible and powerful billing and licensing system. Has the opportunity to work cross-functionally to ensure the billing and licensing system meets our evolving business needs and delivers a world class customer experience.
Requirements
- Demonstrated business operations skills and an ability to think systematically about complex workflows and work cross-functionally to ensure an excellent end-to-end customer experience
- Previous experience with high scale billing & licensing systems
- Familiarity with commercial best practices for no touch, sales assisted, and partner assisted transactions
- Excellent communication skills at all levels, including e-group
Verify
Are responsible for managing the team of product managers covering the Verify stage groups. Leading the Verify direction is a high impact position. Works with your team to ensure our industry-leading CI continues to be a critical entry-point to our single devops platform. Work cross functionally as an expert and invest in your team of high caliber product managers to make sure our R&D investment in Verify is as effective as possible in fulfilling our mission to enable everyone to contribute.
Enablement
Responsible for the Geo, Global Search, Memory, and Database groups. These groups ensure GitLab can meet customer business continuity requirements, is performant at all scales, and enables users to find the content they are looking for in our single platform.
Requirements
- Demonstrated understanding of software systems, distributed systems a plus
- Previous experience with self-managed products and their lifecycle operations
- Strong communications skills and ability to work cross-functionally, as these groups affect many parts of GitLab
Group Manager, Product (GMP) - Hiring Process
Candidates for this position can generally expect the hiring process to follow the order below. Note that as candidates indicate preference or aptitude for one or more specialties, the hiring process will be adjusted to suit. Please keep in mind that candidates can be declined from the position at any stage of the process.
- Selected candidates will be invited to schedule a 30 minute screening call with one of our Technical Recruiters
- Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 60 minute first interview with a Director of Product
- Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute peer interview with an Engineering Manager
- Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute deep dive interview with a member of the Product team
- Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute direct report panel interview with members of the Product team
- Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute fifth interview with a VP of Product or above
Director of Product Management
Director of Product Management reports to either a Senior Director of Product Management or the VP of Product Management.
Director of Product Management - Job Grade
The Director, Product Management is a grade 10.
Director of Product Management - Responsibilities
Team responsibility
- Perform all non-IC responsibilities of a Group Manager of Product
- Provide impactful strategic contributions to how the Product Leadership Team operates and help shape the priorities of the Product function
- Help the team to avoid shipping our org chart.
- Within the area of ownership, ensure that team creates product experiences that solve the job-to-be-done.
- Across your peer group - work to identify areas to partner with peers to create single app experiences that solve the job-to-be-done.
- Ensure adequate Career Coaching is available to all Product Managers in your organization
- Contribute to the job family, CDF and hiring content for the Product function
- Maintain a comprehensive understanding of GitLab's overall, and Section specific Product Direction to spot, propose and complete appropriate global optimizations of our R&D investment
- Analyze GTM metrics and propose and complete improvements to our R&D and GTM interactions including pricing, product positioning and process
- Maintain priorities for and champion acquisitions that impact our product maturity
- Perform product walk-throughs regularly to highlight opportunities for improved workflows that span groups, stages and section.
- Exemplify, coach others on, and contribute to GitLab values
Director of Product Management - Requirements
Requirements for the role are outlined as part of the Product Career Development Framework.
- Validation Track Skills
- Ensures consistent execution of discovery track skills across a large team
- Build Track Skills
- Ensures consistent execution of build track skills across a large team.
- Responsible for health of working relationships with Engineering Directors.
- Business Skills
- Works cross product hierarchy and cross-functionally to ensure an excellent end-to-end customer experience.
- Excellent at understanding and managing business impact across a wide range of product domains.
- Capable of making key pricing and packaging recommendations.
- Communication Skills
- Visible leader across teams.
- Establishes compelling team purpose that is aligned to overall organizational vision.
- Inspires broader team to achieve results.
- Identifies disconnects to vision and takes appropriate action.
- People Management Skills
- Aligns team with larger Section vision and goals.
- Provides appropriate level of guidance and latitude to managers and team members.
- Experienced at hiring and at managing out underperformance.
- Excellent at caring personally for team members and providing candid real-time feedback.
- Ten to twelve years of experience
- Four years of people management experience
Director of Product Management - Career Ladder
The next step for a Director of Product Management is to move to Senior Director of Product Management.
Director of Product Management - Specialties
Sec
The Director of Product, Sec is the PM DRI for the Secure parts of the
DevOps lifecycle
and reports to the VP of Product Management.
Growth
The Director of Product, Growth is the PM DRI for the Growth parts of the
DevOps lifecycle
and reports to the Chief Product Officer.
Enablement
The Director of Product, Enablement is the PM DRI for the Enablement parts of the
DevOps lifecycle
and reports to the VP of Product Management.
Director of Product Management - Hiring Process
Candidates for this position can generally expect the hiring process to follow the order below. Note that as candidates indicate preference or aptitude for one or more specialties, the hiring process will be adjusted to suit. Please keep in mind that candidates can be declined from the position at any stage of the process.
- Selected candidates will be invited to schedule a 30 minute screening call with one of our Technical Recruiters
- Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 60 minute first interview with the VP of Product Management
- Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute second peer interview with a Product Director
- Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute third interview with another member of the Product team
- Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute fourth peer interview with an Engineering Director
- Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute fifth interview with a Product or Engineering Director or above
- Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute Deep Dive interview with a Product Director
- Finally, candidates may be asked to schedule a 50 minute final interview with our CEO
Senior Director of Product Management
Senior Director of Product Management reports to the VP of Product Management.
Senior Director of Product Management - Job Grade
The Senior Director, Product Management is a grade 11.
Senior Director of Product Management - Requirements
- Effective at hiring, coaching, and leading a team of 10+ that typically spans numerous stages, and is composed of Directors, Group Managers, and IC's
- Demonstrated ability to manage and coach product validation in brand new market areas
- Skilled at curating excellent cross-stage customer experiences
- Experience and skill managing products at all stages of the lifecycle (incubation, growth, maturity, decline), and balancing priorities and investment accordingly
Senior Director of Product Management - Responsibilities
- Visible strategic leader across the company
- Skilled at big stage communications
- Capable of coaching team members on excellent communication skills
Senior Director of Product Management - Career Ladder
The next step in the Product Management Leadership job family is to move to the VP of Product Management job family.
Senior Director of Product Management - Specialties
Dev
The Director of Product, Dev is the PM DRI for the Dev parts of the
DevOps lifecycle
(e.g manage, plan, and create) and reports to the VP of Product Management.
Ops
The Director of Product, Ops is the PM DRI for the Ops parts of the
DevOps lifecycle
(e.g. Monitor, Configure, Verify, Package, and Release) and reports to the VP of Product Management.
Senior Director of Product Management - Hiring Process
Candidates for this position can generally expect the hiring process to follow the order below. Note that as candidates indicate preference or aptitude for one or more specialties, the hiring process will be adjusted to suit. Please keep in mind that candidates can be declined from the position at any stage of the process.
- Selected candidates will be invited to schedule a 30 minute screening call with one of our Technical Recruiters
- Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 60 minute first interview with the VP of Product Management
- Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute second peer interview with a Product Director
- Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute third interview with another member of the Product team
- Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute fourth peer interview with an Engineering Director
- Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute fifth interview with a Product or Engineering Director or above
- Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute Deep Dive interview with a Product Director
- Finally, candidates may be asked to schedule a 50 minute final interview with our CEO
VP of Product Management
The VP of Product Management reports to the Chief Product Officer.
VP of Product Management - Job Grade
The VP of Product is a grade 12.
VP of Product Management - Responsibilities
- Play a key role in helping the GitLab Product Management team scale rapidly and realize our product vision to be a complete DevOps platform.
- Hire, lead, and coach a rapidly growing team of 30+ Product Managers
- Manage a team of 4-6 Product Directors
- Ensure a cohesive, coherent, and compelling end-to-end customer experience
- Align team with end-to-end product line vision and goals
- Leverage portfolio product management techniques to ensure product investments are properly allocated across the end-to-end GitLab product
- Partner effectively with Engineering, Design, and Product Marketing to ensure we validate, build, launch, and measure product experiences that customers love and value
- Help refine and implement the GitLab product development flow, ensuring team members receive training and coaching required to work effectively within the system
- Serve as a spokesperson for the end-to-end GitLab product internally and externally
VP of Product Management - Requirements
- 18 years+ of relevant experience, with 10+ years of people management experience, including management of Directors+
- Demonstrated understanding of DevOps markets, competition, and underlying technologies
- Track record of leading products to successful commercial outcomes
- Excellent at boardroom and big stage presentations, and able to inspire and motivate customers and employees through written and verbal communications
- Demonstrated ability to teach and coach the product management skills as outlined here
VP of Product Management - Hiring Process
Candidates for this position can expect the hiring process to follow the order below. Please keep in mind that candidates can be declined from the position at any stage of the process. To learn more about someone who may be conducting the interview, find their job title on our team page.
- Apply on the GitLab Jobs page
- 30 minute screening call with Recruiter
- 50 minute interview with EVP, Product
- 50 minute panel interview with Sr. Director, Engineering & Director, UX
- 50 minute interview with Director, Product
- 50 minute interview with Director, Product
- 50 minute interview with CEO
Additional details about our process can be found on our hiring page.
- 1 per quarter adjacencies analysis for Stage OR
- 1 per quarter cross-stage opportunity canvas
Compensation Calculator
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