About the role 

This role is the perfect intersection of Machine Learning, Product and Entrepreneurship, and best suited for mid-level to senior product managers with a proven track record of delivering impactful 0-to-1 products for early-stage companies, and a deep interest for data analytics and AI. As Product Manager, you’ll help new founders crystalize and execute their product vision and roadmap, as well as support various product teams across our venture portfolio and industry partnerships to build sustainably competitive AI software products. You will work closely with peers in Software Engineering, ML Engineering, and Venture Success. Together you will help founders build great products and sustainable companies. 

What you'll do

As a venture studio, the industries and markets our products & ventures serve can vary, and no two founding teams look the same. Following are some of the core responsibilities of the Product Manager:

Strategic Product Thinker

• Assist ventures to link their company vision and strategy to defensible product strategy and early stage roadmap. Partner to refine a compelling product investment narrative, including long-term competitive positioning and AI moat.
  
• Use and improve Slimmer AI's product delivery best practices playbook; develop and share basic product management training internally and with founders (e.g. how to approach discovery and validation; setting up the product for future scalability; product management 101 for new founders).
  

AI and Data focused Product Manager

• Assess overall product vision and viability for untested ventures or ideas. Provide an expert viewpoint on the strength of the AI product proposition; recommend advancement criteria for each opportunity.
  
• Operate in tandem with founder(s) to determine core job(s) to be done, riskiest assumptions, testable hypotheses, early release plan, and sprint/scrum priorities. Co-own first sprints, transition to supporting role and sparring partner throughout development and launch.
  
• Identify feasible, sustainable AI opportunities. Validate availability of initial representative data. Specify and ensure delivery of a high quality, closed feedback loop for continuous ML improvement.
  
• Collaborate with founder(s) and engineers to define minimum acceptable AI performance, discuss model trade-offs, refine experimentation approaches, and explore infrastructure/technology choices.
  
• Manage program timeline, activities and stakeholder communication for approved co-development projects.

AI Enthusiast

• Stay on top of emerging AI trends and technologies, to predict potential AI applications and products.
• Monitor developments in AI ethics. Understand emerging EU data/AI regulations. Take a position on proper governance and make defensible ethical trade-offs (e.g. between bias and privacy, or transparency and accuracy).
• Understand the interplay between successful AI products and exceptional user experience. With a clear bias for transparency, explainability, and interpretability, advocate for user-driven data reinforcement, enrichment and refinement to steer toward "smarter" AI.

About your skills and expertise

• You have proven experience in a product management role building SaaS, and/or data products together with agile development teams.
  
• You posses a strong understanding of AI technologies, including machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision, and data analytics.
• You have hands-on experience in a startup environment, developing very early stage products, prototypes and MVPs based on exploratory conversations with (potential) customers and end users.

• You have exceptional project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously and meet tight deadlines.

• You can break down complicated user jobs/workflows into small, release-able, user valuable features.
  

• You have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively (and empathetically) with cross-functional teams and cross-disciplinary stakeholders.

• You are a doer as well as a strategist, with solid analytical and problem-solving abilities, rooted in a data-driven mindset.
• You are comfortable charting new territory in the midst of ambiguity, learning and pivoting through experimentation.
• You excel as a “serial starter” - confidently decisive out of the gate, and comfortable handing over the reins down the road.
• You get satisfaction from seeing others succeed, and lean naturally into active listening, mediating, coaching, and motivation as core personal traits.