Senior Product Manager

DataKind

7d • $113,000 - $125,000 • Remote

About The Position

DataKind is seeking a Senior Product Manager to own product strategy and outcomes for a strategic domain, such as Education or open source products. This senior individual-contributor role sets direction, determines priorities and tradeoffs, and is accountable for delivering value to institutions, students, and funders. The position reports to the Director, Product Management and works closely with educational institutions and DataKind’s Engineering, Data Science, Implementation, Design, Program, and Project Management functions.

The role owns a multi-quarter product strategy and roadmap, leads user discovery, and makes product decisions with minimal oversight. It shapes product direction with Engineering, translates institutional needs and implementation challenges into strategic direction, defines release success, supports Agile delivery practices, manages partner expectations when scope or priorities change, and defines requirements for third-party integrations. The Senior Product Manager also establishes adoption, usage, and student-outcome metrics; develops reporting for institutional partners, internal leaders, and funders; contributes to portfolio strategy; represents the domain to external stakeholders; aligns cross-functional teams; mentors peers; improves product practices; and leads go-to-market readiness, documentation, training, and partner onboarding.

This is a remote position that may be based anywhere in the United States. Most working hours each day must fall between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern Time. Travel within the United States is expected for approximately 10–20% of working days, primarily to higher education institutions or conferences. The annual salary range is $113,000–$125,000, with the final amount based on experience and internal equity. Applicants must have a permanent U.S. address and be authorized to work in the United States indefinitely without employer visa sponsorship.

Requirements

• Deep alignment with DataKind’s mission and values, with demonstrated commitment to educational equity and data-driven social impact.
• At least 6 years of product management experience using Agile methodologies, including end-to-end ownership of an enterprise software product line or domain from discovery through launch and scale.
• At least 2 years of experience with data infrastructure, backend systems, or B2B SaaS platforms, and a solid grasp of data ingestion, ETL, cloud storage, and API design.
• Experience in the Edtech or open source space.
• Working proficiency with SQL and Git workflows.
• A track record of independently setting product strategy and roadmaps and making scope and sequencing decisions under ambiguity.
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders and aligning cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Experience representing a product to external audiences such as partners, customers, or funders.
• Experience mentoring other product managers or improving product-team practices.
• A track record of translating requirements from complex, multi-stakeholder environments into clear specifications and explaining technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Experience using metrics to drive product decisions and demonstrate impact.
• Permanent U.S.-based address and authorization to work in the United States indefinitely without employer visa sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

• Knowledge of data privacy and security requirements, particularly FERPA compliance and student data protection.
• Experience with API product management and developer-facing tools.
• Background in social impact measurement and working with mission-driven organizations.
• Understanding of AI/ML applications in education and student support systems.
• Experience working with nonprofit organizations or grant-funded initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Set and own the multi-quarter product strategy and roadmap for an assigned domain, including decisions about priorities, scope, sequencing, and tradeoffs.
• Lead user discovery with users and teams and ground product decisions in evidence.
• Make product decisions for the domain with minimal oversight, escalating portfolio-level or cross-domain conflicts to the Director, Product Management.
• Shape product direction with Engineering so architecture choices reflect long-term product vision, scalability, and user needs.
• Translate institutional needs and partner implementation challenges into a coherent strategic product direction.
• Define release success and partner with the Technical Project Management function.
• Participate in sprint planning, backlog refinement, and retrospectives to keep work aligned with product priorities.
• Work with Project Management owners to set realistic partner commitments and lead conversations when scope or priorities change.
• Partner with Design and Engineering to build intuitive data-management and system-configuration experiences.
• Define integration requirements for third-party tools.
• Define adoption, usage, and student-outcome success metrics and use them to guide roadmap decisions.
• Build reporting on product value for institutional partners, internal leaders, and funders, including grant reporting.
• Contribute to portfolio strategy with the Director, Product Management, including cross-product initiatives and investment decisions.
• Represent the product domain to donors, funders, and partner leadership by presenting progress, impact, and roadmap.
• Align Data Science, Engineering, Implementation, and Program teams around shared priorities and resolve competing requests.
• Coach and mentor peers and lead improvements to product discovery, prioritization, and decision documentation.
• Lead go-to-market readiness for the domain, including documentation, training materials, and partner onboarding.

Benefits

• Flexible PTO, with a minimum of 20 vacation days encouraged annually.
• Shared time off, organization-wide recharge days, and bi-weekly meeting-free days.
• 100% employer-paid medical, vision, and dental benefits for employees; 72% employer-paid coverage for dependents.
• Wellness reimbursement program.
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
• Annual professional development funding, mentorship, and advancement opportunities.
• 401(k) plan with 5% employer matching.
• Opportunities to attend conferences, participate in strategic planning, and attend an annual staff retreat.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed