Staff Product Operations Manager

Details

We’re not just building better tech. We’re rewriting how data moves and what the world can do with it. With Confluent, data doesn’t sit still. Our platform puts information in motion, streaming in near real-time so companies can react faster, build smarter, and deliver experiences as dynamic as the world around them.

It takes a certain kind of person to join this team. Those who ask hard questions, give honest feedback, and show up for each other. No egos, no solo acts. Just smart, curious humans pushing toward something bigger, together.

One Confluent. One Team. One Data Streaming Platform.

About the role

We are looking for a Staff Product Operations Manager to serve as the product manager for Confluent's Product Development Lifecycle. Our internal processes are the product. Our PMs are the customers. Your job is to own the improvement roadmap, build and ship those improvements, and iterate based on what is and isn't working.

You will translate strategy into working workflows, build the tooling and templates that support them, and run the system day-to-day. You are responsible for making the PDLC work, collecting feedback, and iterating on improvements.

We want someone who has shipped product, can engage with PMs as a credible peer, and brings the discipline of product thinking to the challenge of how a world-class PM organization operates.

Responsibilities

• Build the AI-driven PDLC: implement AI-driven workflows at every stage — from discovery and customer synthesis through spec, review, and launch — and own ongoing iteration.
• Build, implement, and iterate: roll out new workflows; build and test tooling and templates that support them; collect PM feedback and continuously improve the system.
• Define the gold standard: own canonical frameworks and templates for core product artifacts (PRFAQ, PRD, NPI) and the rituals that surround them; keep them current and credible.
• Bridge strategy to execution: translate product strategy and leadership intent into working processes PMs actually adopt.
• Drive change and adoption: design and lead rollout of new processes and earn adoption through empathy, clarity, and demonstrated value.
• Unify core rhythms: centralize and standardize key PDLC processes across the PM organization to eliminate fragmentation and reduce overhead.

Requirements

• 8+ years in Product Management, Product Operations, or a closely related role, with demonstrated experience operating at the intersection of product thinking and process design.
• Hands-on PM experience: you have shipped product and understand writing PRFAQ under pressure, navigating stakeholder review, and making bets with incomplete information.
• Systems thinking at the process layer: ability to see the architecture that should replace fragmented ad-hoc workflows and identify leverage points.
• Meaningful AI fluency: thought leadership about how AI changes the product development process and the ability to design workflows that use AI for synthesis, review, documentation, and decision support.
• A track record of driving adoption in high-autonomy orgs: convincing skeptical, senior PMs to change how they work through communication, empathy, and evidence.
• Strong written communication: ability to produce documentation people actually read (process specs, change management briefs, executive summaries) and share them with a remote organization.

Compensation

• Salary range: $222.1K - $261K per year. Offers equity.

Come As You Are / Equal opportunity

Belonging isn’t a perk here. It’s the baseline. We work across time zones and backgrounds, knowing the best ideas come from different perspectives. We’re proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. Employment decisions are based on job-related criteria, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other classification protected by law.

Privacy statement

Confluent is an IBM subsidiary which has been acquired by IBM and will be integrated into the IBM organization. By proceeding with this application, you understand that Confluent will share your personal information with other IBM affiliates involved in your recruitment process, wherever these are located. More information on how IBM protects your personal information, including the safeguards in case of cross-border data transfer, is available at the IBM careers privacy policy.