Product Manager (San Francisco)

Ello•San Francisco, CA

3d•$150,000 - $210,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Ello is seeking a Product Manager in San Francisco to work at the intersection of technical engineering and exceptional design. This role involves owning challenging product problems, collaborating with engineers and designers to transform frontier AI capabilities into simple, intuitive, and magical experiences for children. The ideal candidate will think like an engineer, care like a designer, and obsess over the child user. Responsibilities include debating system architecture, refining interaction details, making product tradeoffs, and turning complex technology into deceptively simple experiences. The role requires bridging technical possibilities with effortless child experiences, working across product, design, engineering, research, and leadership in San Francisco and Nairobi. Key tasks involve identifying user needs, formulating product hypotheses, testing with children and families, and shipping improvements to enhance product joyfulness. Ello values the quality of experience over the exact number of years on a resume, seeking individuals who learn fast and are driven to grow. The best PMs at Ello are described as product strategists, systems thinkers, designers, and child advocates.

Requirements

3–5+ years of experience in product management or closely adjacent roles (engineering, design, or UX research). AI-forward candidates coming from engineering with fewer years of formal PM work are welcome; quality of experience matters more than years.
Track record of shipping high-quality products from concept to launch, including large or complex efforts carried through ambiguity.
Hands-on experience using AI-native prototyping tools (e.g., Claude, Bolt, Replit, etc.) to build quick demos, test product ideas, and accelerate workflows.
Strong design sense: able to recognize great UX and collaborate closely with designers to create simple, delightful experiences.
Technical fluency: comfortable getting into system tradeoffs, partnering closely with ML and engineering teams, and making sound decisions on technically complex work.
Ability to bring structure to ambiguous, fast-moving projects: aligning stakeholders, sequencing the work, and keeping momentum without adding process for its own sake.
Deep curiosity about users: comfortable talking to users, observing behavior, identifying patterns, and turning insight into product direction.
Structured thinker: naturally able to break ambiguous problems into clear decisions and thoughtful tradeoffs.
Creates clarity: communicates decisions, tradeoffs, and context in a way that brings teams together and accelerates execution.
Demonstrated ownership mindset: proactive, accountable, and outcome-driven.

Nice To Haves

Software engineering experience or equivalent experience building highly technical products.
Experience working closely with ML or AI teams on production features.
Experience with data analytics tools (A/B testing tools, visualization tools, basic ability to write queries).
Past experience working on consumer products for kids/families or the education market.
Familiarity with game design mechanics, engagement loops, and motivation frameworks.
Experience conducting UX research or play testing with real users, and using those insights to drive product decisions.
Comfortable mocking up ideas directly in Figma.

Responsibilities

Own mission-critical product areas end-to-end and directly shape how children experience learning.
Partner directly with world-class ML engineers on frontier product work in AI and education.
Shape not just what we build, but how it feels – sweating the details that make the difference between a feature children use and one they genuinely love.
Work on one of the most important applications of AI: helping children learn.
Ship weekly and test directly with the children and families you're building for.
Help a fast-scaling product org move with more momentum and more order.
Collaborate with world-class engineers, designers, and researchers across continents.
Strengthen the bridge between our San Francisco and Nairobi hubs.
Invent new ways for children to learn math with an AI teacher.
Redesign how the AI teacher responds when a child gets stuck.
Identify user needs and product hypotheses.
Test with children and families.
Ship improvements that make the product better and more joyful to use.