Technical Product Manager (Core SDK)

As a Technical Product Manager at Pdftools, your main responsibilities include driving the product vision and strategy for our Core SDK team, conducting extensive market research to identify new features and integrations, defining Objectives & Key Results (OKRs), translating strategy into actionable roadmaps, and collaborating closely with engineers and designers to bring new products to life. You'll also act as the product owner, ensuring successful delivery from inception to launch.

To qualify for the Technical Product Manager role at Pdftools, candidates should hold a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or Software Engineering and have a minimum of two years of engineering experience. In addition, at least three years of hands-on product management experience, specifically with products geared towards developers like SDKs, is essential, alongside excellent communication skills and proficiency in English.

At Pdftools, we prioritize employee growth and development by offering a generous annual training budget of 2,000 CHF, which can be used for courses or training, along with additional time off. Moreover, our culture encourages internal knowledge sharing and external coaching to enhance both professional and personal skills, making it an ideal environment for Technical Product Managers looking to advance their careers.

A Technical Product Manager at Pdftools can expect a flexible, hybrid work model designed to support work-life balance. We believe in the importance of personal time, offering 30 vacation days, a pet-friendly office environment, and 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave. Our supportive culture fosters a healthy work-life integration, ensuring you can thrive both professionally and personally.

The Technical Product Manager plays a critical role at Pdftools by influencing the development of innovative PDF solutions that empower over 1,000 B2B clients globally. By driving product strategy and delivering robust tools for document processing, you directly contribute to enhancing our clients’ workflows and ultimately shaping the future of PDF technology.

In defining a product vision, it's vital to gather input from various stakeholders, ensure a thorough understanding of market needs through research, and align with the overall company goals. I emphasize crafting a compelling narrative that resonates with both the development team and potential end-users to ensure buy-in and direction.

Managing cross-functional teams requires clear communication and a collaborative approach. I typically ensure that each team member understands their roles and responsibilities within the product lifecycle, establish regular check-ins for updates, and use collaborative tools to keep everyone aligned with project goals and timelines.

Certainly! In my previous role, I led a team to launch an SDK that significantly improved developer onboarding. I began by conducting user research, defined our objectives, collaborated with engineers on development, and ensured comprehensive marketing support for the launch, resulting in a 40% adoption rate within the first month.

Prioritizing features often involves a combination of user feedback, market analysis, and alignment with business objectives. I utilize frameworks like the MoSCoW method (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won't have) to classify features based on their impact and feasibility, ensuring that the most valuable enhancements make it to the roadmap.

Handling conflicting priorities requires a diplomatic approach where I facilitate discussions to understand each party's needs and concerns. I focus on data-driven decision-making to weigh the impact of conflicting priorities and help stakeholders reach a consensus by highlighting the long-term vision of the product.

Key metrics for measuring product success include user engagement metrics, adoption rate, customer satisfaction (NPS), and revenue growth. I also track specific business KPIs related to the product's objectives and gather qualitative feedback from users to continually refine the product.

One significant challenge was managing the launch of a product with a tight deadline. To overcome this, I organized a focused sprint with clear deliverables and regular updates, which fostered intense collaboration and optimization of resources, ultimately allowing us to launch on time without sacrificing quality.

To keep a product competitive, I continuously conduct market research, analyze competitor offerings, and gather user feedback. Regularly updating the product based on these insights and advocating for innovation within the team also ensures that we remain responsive to market trends and user needs.

User feedback is invaluable in my product management process. It informs feature priorities, identifies pain points, and helps validate product decisions. By continuously engaging with users and collecting their input, I ensure that the products we develop truly resonate with and address the needs of our target audience.

My greatest strengths lie in my ability to communicate effectively across diverse teams and my strong analytical skills. This combination enables me to understand complex technical aspects while effectively bridging the gap between stakeholders and engineering teams, ensuring cohesive product development.