Product manager needed
Do you want to go off the beaten track and work on a complex and unusual product? Join the JetBrains Kotlin team and help us develop a programming language!
What is Kotlin?
Kotlin is a modern programming language that helps developers make fewer errors in their code and be more productive. You can use Kotlin to develop Android and iOS apps, frontend and backend web projects, Data Science scripts, and executable files for Windows, Linux, and macOS.
1M developers use Kotlin in their work every month!
But wait, a language is not a product!
We disagree.
A compiler alone is not enough to solve a user’s problem. That’s where development tools, libraries, training materials, documentation, support, a vibrant community, and more come into play. To develop all of them in the right direction, we need to understand users, their work and their pains, and we have to be able to listen to them and apply the product mindset.
How is Kotlin different from other products?
Novelty
When it comes to language development, there are no ready-made solutions. Conference talks, books, and YouTube materials won't ever guide you, for instance, in experimenting with memory management.
Complexity
Kotlin is a product that includes dozens of different complex subsystems. To understand Kotlin users, you will need to understand how these subsystems work and how they are interconnected. You even would have to code!
Got it. Now tell me about the job!
We're looking for an experienced product manager to curate:
- Kotlin core libraries
- The user library ecosystem
- User experience for library authors
You will:
Communicate with Kotlin users, conduct UX interviews, and generate and test hypotheses based on user feedback.
Work on scenarios for discovering and using Kotlin libraries.
Communicate with developers of popular Kotlin libraries to find ways to improve their user experience.
Increase the quantity and quality of user-contributed libraries.
Develop a system of metrics for your area of the product.
Create tasks and manage backlogs for multiple development teams.
Any product research examples?
What do you expect from me?
The ideal candidate will have development experience in any technology stack. They will be thoroughly familiar with the design and creation of libraries, with an understanding of how library ecosystems work and how dependencies are managed in various programming languages. We realize that this may be a tall order, so we focus on the three most important traits:
Product Management Experience
We expect you to have 3+ years of experience in product management, examples of both successful and failing cases on your way, and a love for analytics and communicating with users.
Technical Background
You should be able to understand the technology stack well enough to manage your projects. Your teammates will help you get to grips with the theory, and we expect that in time you will be able to write code using your own product and converse with developers in their own language.
Eagerness to Learn
We are looking for a person who is inquisitive, eager to learn and likes to experiment with new technologies.
Any other job details?
Yes! Visit the full job description page for the information about offices and compensation.
How do you hire at JetBrains?
During the first interview we will discuss your experience with products, such as how searched for points of growth in your products and how you defined user pain points and dealt with them. The interview lasts for about a hour.
We will give you an exercise. It will be a real-life kind of task that should take you about 4–8 hours of work. Results will be discussed during the second interview.
We will introduce you to the team you will be working with. You will be able to ask each other questions and understand whether you are ready for long-term collaboration.
If all goes great, we will send you an offer, and the next thing you know – we will be working on Kotlin together!
Interested? Send us your resume and we'll get in touch shortly!