Product Manager

Product Manager Overview We are building the best product experience for aspiring players and coaches. To do that, we need a product development system that consistently turns good ideas into high-quality shipped products. At PlayerData, we believe the difference between average products and great ones lies in the discipline of how they are built.

We are hiring a Product Manager (Edinburgh or Boston based) to own the quality and reliability of product execution across multiple engineering pods. This role exists to ensure that product vision, discovery, and early product thinking translate into clear, rigorous specifications - and are delivered predictably, without drift. You will operate across 2–3 engineering pods and own the execution lifecycle: Turning discovery, prototypes, and early product thinking into implementation-ready specifications Pressure-testing scope before build begins Protecting product and customer intent during implementation Surfacing risks early and managing tradeoffs Ensuring teams deliver against cycle commitments Closing the loop with structured feedback and product data You will work closely with leadership, design, and engineering to refine ideas before they enter development, ensuring teams build the right things in the right way.

Your work will directly impact: Product quality Delivery predictability Customer experience Leadership bandwidth This will be the first dedicated external product hire in the company and a foundational role in shaping how our product organisation operates. For the right person, this role offers significant opportunity and scope for growth. PlayerData is committed to developing talent from within, with opportunities to grow into broader product ownership as the organisation scales and our product ecosystem expands.

This role can be based full-time in our Boston, US office or remotely in the UK What You’ll Own You will be responsible for ensuring product work moves from idea to shipped experience with clarity, discipline, and strong collaboration across teams. Turning discovery into execution Translate discovery, prototypes, and product direction into clear, implementation-ready PRDs Define user flows, edge cases, and acceptance criteria before sprint start Ensure engineering teams fully understand the problem, scope, and intended user experience before development begins Protecting product and customer intent Identify UX or usability gaps during development Make bounded product decisions during implementation when required This role stays actively engaged during development to ensure implementation reflects the intended product experience. Running a reliable development cycle Pressure-test scope before development begins Ensure teams commit to realistic sprint plans Surface risks and tradeoffs early Escalate when execution risk becomes material Closing the loop Own post-launch feedback and structured data collection Capture learnings that improve future product decisions Provide clear reporting on execution quality and outcomes If specifications are unclear, builds drift, or issues surface too late, this role helps improve the systems and processes that prevent those issues in the future.

What We’re Looking For Background & Mindset Strong preference for candidates with a coaching or competitive athletic background, particularly in grassroots or youth environments. Elite sport experience is valuable, but you must understand how athletes and coaches operate day-to-day. You care deeply about building products that athletes and coaches genuinely want to use, not just products that are technically complete.

You believe that small product details compound into meaningful improvements in athlete and coach experience. Experience working inside a product development organisation is strongly preferred. You are someone who can: listen carefully learn quickly execute reliably You are comfortable working cross-team and cross-department, and can unlock collaboration across product, design, engineering, and leadership.

Core Capabilities Proven ability to translate ideas into clear, actionable product specifications Strong attention to detail in UX and usability Ability to identify friction in user journeys others miss Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, high-accountability environment Strong ownership mindset - you surface problems early rather than reacting late Ability to balance ideal solutions with real engineering constraints Writing is a core part of this role. Strong candidates should be comfortable turning complex ideas into clear, structured product specifications. Experience range matters less than demonstrated execution strength and ownership.

How Success Is Measured Success in this role means teams can execute with clarity and reliability. Signals include: Specifications are implementation-ready before sprint start Engineering cycles run predictably Risks are surfaced early Implementations remain aligned with product intent Product quality improves across pods Leadership regains time for strategic product work Product outcomes increasingly reflect real customer value Why This Role Is Unique You will help define how product development works at the company. Few roles offer the chance to: shape a product operating system work closely with leadership on discovery and strategy influence multiple product teams grow into broader product ownership If you care deeply about execution quality and building products that athletes and coaches genuinely value, this role offers significant opportunity.

What Success Looks Like Teams start sprints with clarity. Product specifications are implementation-ready, with clear user flows, edge cases, and acceptance criteria understood by engineering. Product development runs predictably.

Scope is pressure-tested, risks are surfaced early, and teams deliver against realistic cycle commitments with minimal mid-sprint surprises. What gets shipped matches the intended experience. Implementation stays aligned with product and customer intent throughout development.

Product quality improves in ways users feel. Features shipped increasingly reflect real athlete and coach needs — people genuinely want to use the product. The product development system gets stronger over time.

Execution improves across pods, teams collaborate effectively, and leadership gains more time to focus on strategy and discovery. #J-18808-Ljbffr