Senior Forward Deployed Product Manager

4M Analytics • Austin, TX

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

The 4M company is on a mission to unlock access to the world below us, aiming to do for the world below ground what Google Maps did for the world above. By mapping subsurface infrastructure and making reliable, real-time utility data accessible to the construction and infrastructure industry, we're transforming a traditional, high-stakes industry. This role is within the Utility Owners Business Unit, focusing on a mission-critical expansion. The position offers a unique career trajectory with the opportunity to grow into owning broader product areas, leading new segments, or shaping the AI-product strategy as the business scales. The role combines classic Product Management with hands-on AI Building, requiring close interaction with utility owner customers to understand their workflows and pain points, and translating these insights into working software through prototyping with AI tools, validation with customers, and then handing proven concepts to engineering for production. The Senior Forward Deployed Product Manager will be a foundational hire, reporting directly to the VP Product, working closely with Engineering, and will define the strategy for success in the Utility Owners segment. The role involves understanding customer needs, developing product roadmaps, building prototypes with AI tools, bridging the gap between market and engineering, and owning the commercial outcomes for the segment. Rapid learning of the utility infrastructure, damage-prevention, and regulatory landscape is expected.

Requirements

• Relevant educational background (BA/BS/BE/MBA). This could be in business, computer science, or even architecture/industrial engineering.
• 7+ years of experience spanning reputed management consulting and/or product management at a B2B SaaS, data, or AI-native company.
• A genuine builder's mentality: you can independently design, prototype, and ship working software using modern AI tools. For example, you might have a portfolio showcasing a deployed web app built with AI.
• You understand what the AI is generating well enough to reason about it and correct it - this is required, not solely dependent on "vibe coding."
• Prior engineering experience or a technical degree is a strong plus, not a must.
• Comfortable operating in a 0-to-1, forward-deployed capacity - shaping a brand-new product and market directly with executives and customers, without an existing playbook to lean on.
• The "Strategic Builder" balance: We exceptionally value the intersection of strategic consulting instincts - the ability to decompose complex business problems - and the gritty, hands-on skills required to build the solution yourself.
• Sharp, credible communicator who translates cleanly between customer needs and engineering, and who's comfortable working shoulder-to-shoulder with the CEO and Chief Growth Officer as well as in front of customers.
• Flexibility to travel on-site to customers as needed, as well as to our Austin, TX offices.

Nice To Haves

• Candidates who pair top-tier consultancy experience along with hands-on product experience are an exceptionally strong fit.
• Your own side project, startup, or open-source work built substantially with AI tools — don't just tell us, show us!
• Prior exposure to utility infrastructure, civil/damage-prevention work, or the regulatory landscape (permitting, compliance, fines, risk on infrastructure projects).

Responsibilities

• Live in the market. Run continuous discovery with Utility Owner customers — calls, site visits, workflow shadowing — to build a first-hand understanding of their pain points, workflows, and business drivers. Find the patterns, the opportunity, and turn it into a product.
• Think like a founder to map the market landscape, identify where the biggest pain points and budget reside, and synthesize customer feedback into a scalable product roadmap and clear productization strategy.
• Define the strategy for winning the segment. Own the "where to play / how to win" for Utility Owners — target sub-segments, positioning, and the wedge that gets us in — in close partnership with the CEO, Chief Growth Officer, and engineering leadership.
• Build beautiful products, fast. Use AI-native tools (Claude, Cursor etc.) to go from idea to a working, demonstrable Alpha in days or even hours — and if the customer validates it, Engineering makes it production-viable.
• Bridge market and engineering. Be the connective layer between customers and the engineering pod. Translate validated concepts into something engineering can take to production, and stay involved through the handoff.
• Own the outcome, commercially. Define what success looks like for the segment in business terms — adoption, revenue, land-and-expand — and track progress against it, partnering with Growth on how we take it to market.
• Master a regulated, technical domain fast. No utility expertise required, but you'll rapidly get fluent in civil infrastructure, damage-prevention, and the regulatory landscape well enough to be credible with customers.

Benefits

• We encourage you to apply even if you don't check every single box above. We are looking for potential, curiosity, and a bias for action above all else.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior