What does it look like to be a senior product manager?
The key characteristics of a senior product manager in high tech
What does the job of a senior product manager look like? Is it a matter of doing product management tasks faster? Not quite! Besides product skills, senior product managers are leaders, collaborators, and problem solvers.
At a start-up, a senior product manager works independently on key product initiatives while leading a well-defined domain in their product.
In a larger organization, senior product managers drive products cross-functionally based on objectives from their management team.
The senior product managers are the backbone of the product team. They head off product issues proactively with minimal help from leadership. They make a significant impact on their product's growth and strategy. They are sought out daily by their product team for assistance. They mentor their coworkers on their products and product management skills.
Let's break down the key characteristics of senior product managers.
Leadership
They lead by example. They focus their effort on shared goals. They are adept at writing complete requirements that are easy to understand. They collaborate with engineers, architects, and designers to understand the intent of requirements. They communicate about dependencies and feature linkages to the product team.
Strategic Thinking and Problem Solving
Senior product managers ask good questions and find answers through collaboration. They keep their product aligned with the organization's business goals.
They are a key resource in solving problems. They are able to tackle complex problems with frameworks, pattern matching, and innovation. Many levels consult with them to find creative solutions.
They understand there are multiple solutions to problems. They use their judgment and data to make decisions. They anticipate future problems and have risk mitigation steps ready.
Strong Communication Skills
They have strong active listening skills. They can communicate product strategy, features, and value propositions to multiple levels of the organization. Sales teams seek them out for customer presentations.
Market and Customer Perspective
They have a deep understanding of their market and key customer segments. They can easily differentiate their product from competitive products. They create solutions that meet the market's and potential customers' needs.
Innovative and Adaptable
They are open to new ideas and incorporate new information into their product initiatives. They adapt to changes in the market and changes in customer demands.
Build Cross-functional Relationships
They build relationships to head off conflict. Their deep understanding of the motivations behind each cross-functional team helps them prevent issues. They collaborate with marketing, engineering, sales, architecture, design, quality, and program management.
Continuous Learning
They seek unspoken feedback to gauge their progress. They look for the gift of feedback in all activities. They embrace learning new technologies, new product methods, and industry trends. They independently initiate personal and professional growth.
Time Management Skills
They handle both short-term and long-term deadlines. They use their time effectively to keep momentum on each major initiative. They are adept at breaking larger projects into smaller steps. They focus on deep work weekly to produce valuable product management outcomes at the right time.
Conclusion - Making an impact on the organization
Senior product managers are the backbone of each product team. They find creative solutions while driving product success. The best senior product managers bring a blend of leadership, strategic thinking, market knowledge, and collaboration to drive their company's growth and strategy.
This article is part of a series on Product Management skill progression.
Very good summary of the job, Amy! I would particularly highlight the leadership topic. Senior product managers cannot build everything on their own, they need to motivate others to work towards a goal.