Role & responsibilities:

1. Product Strategy & Vision:

- Define Product Vision: Develop a clear and compelling product vision that aligns with business goals and customer needs.

- Create a Product Roadmap: Develop and maintain a strategic roadmap, detailing features, enhancements, and timelines to guide product development.

2. Product Development & Lifecycle Management:

- Gather & Define Requirements: Work with cross-functional teams (engineering, design, QA, etc.) to collect requirements and define the product's features, user stories, and functionality.

- Prioritize Features: Manage feature prioritization based on customer feedback, business impact, technical feasibility, and resource availability. Balance competing demands from stakeholders.

- Agile Product Management: Work in Agile environments, maintaining product backlogs, writing user stories, and collaborating closely with the development team to ensure timely and high-quality delivery.

3. Cross-Functional Collaboration:

- Work with Engineering: Facilitate communication between the product and engineering teams, ensuring technical feasibility, managing trade-offs, and addressing blockers.

- Coordinate with UX/UI Designers: Work closely with design teams to ensure that the product is intuitive and user-friendly.

- Collaborate with Marketing & Sales: Work with marketing teams on positioning, messaging, and customer acquisition strategies, ensuring that sales teams have the necessary product knowledge to sell effectively.

4. Data-Driven Decision Making:

- Monitor Product Metrics: Define and track KPIs (e.g., user adoption, retention, churn, revenue, performance metrics) to assess product success and areas for improvement.

- Conduct Data Analysis: Use tools like Google Analytics, Mixpanel, or Tableau to analyze user behavior, identify patterns, and make data-backed decisions.

5. Risk Management & Problem-Solving:

- Identify and Mitigate Risks: Anticipate risks (technical, financial, operational) and work with relevant teams to mitigate them.

- Troubleshoot Issues: Act as the first point of escalation for any product-related issues and work with the engineering team to resolve them quickly.

6. Leadership & Ownership:

- Product Owner: Act as the voice of the product internally, championing the product vision and ensuring the product aligns with business goals.

- Manage Product Teams: In some cases, IT PMs may be responsible for leading smaller product teams or coordinating larger cross-functional teams.

Preferred candidate profile:

1. Educational Qualification:

- Bachelors Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field.

- Masters Degree (Optional but advantageous), especially an MBA, Masters in Information Systems, or Masters in Computer Science.

- Relevant certifications such as Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), PMP (Project Management Professional), or AWS Certified Solutions Architect are a plus.

2. Technical Skills & Knowledge:

- Technical Acumen: Strong understanding of IT systems, software development, cloud computing, and databases. Familiarity with programming languages (e.g., Java, Python, JavaScript) is a plus.

- Cloud Platforms: Hands-on experience with cloud services like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.

- Product Management Tools: Proficiency in tools like JIRA, Trello, Asana, or Monday.com for managing product backlogs and workflows.

3. Professional Experience

- Previous Product Management Experience: 4-8 years of experience in a product management or related role in the IT industry (e.g., software development, IT infrastructure, SaaS).

- Track Record of Successful Product Launches: Experience leading IT product development through the entire lifecycle, from ideation and development to launch and iteration.

- Cross-Functional Team Leadership: Proven ability to work closely with engineering, design, marketing, and sales teams to bring products to market.

4. Soft Skills & Personal Attributes:

- Excellent Communication Skills: Ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders, translating business requirements into technical solutions.

- Strong Analytical Skills: A data-driven approach to decision-making, with the ability to analyze product data, KPIs, and user feedback to inform product direction.

- Leadership & Team Collaboration: Ability to motivate and inspire teams, while managing cross-functional collaboration and driving product outcomes.