Product Manager

Symbium; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Health benefits

Job summary

Symbium, based in San Francisco, seeks a technical Product Manager to own the product roadmap, drive end-to-end execution, and prototype features with AI tools. You’ll collaborate with the CTO, Director of Product, and engineering to translate complex permitting regulations into usable software for cities and homeowners.

You’ll define MVPs, write specs, lead cross-functional teams, and maintain a data-driven product cadence while also handling customer support feedback to guide the roadmap.

Qualifications

• 6–8 years of experience in product management or related roles in a fast-paced tech environment.
• Hands-on prototyping: you write code or use no-code/AI to build working prototypes.
• Experience shipping software products and coordinating with engineering teams.
• Strong analytical mindset and ability to translate business goals into actionable plans.

Responsibilities

• Own the product roadmap and drive execution with CTO/Director of Product and engineering.
• Define MVPs, write detailed specs, and ensure alignment across teams.
• Prototype features with AI tools and validate with customers and cities.
• Own customer support workflows and feedback loops to inform roadmap.

Skills

Product management

Prototyping with code/AI

AI tools usage

APIs & system architecture

Cross-functional collaboration

Customer discovery/interviews

Project management

Data-driven decisions

Clear communication

Tools

Zendesk

Figma

Lovable AI

Claude

v0

Job description

Reports To: CTO, Director of Product
Location: San Francisco, CA

Reinventing Government Interactions for a Sustainable Future

At Symbium, we're on a mission to streamline how citizens interact with local government and cut through the red tape in permitting processes. Imagine a world where homeowners and contractors can effortlessly navigate complex regulations, instantly determine what projects are possible on their property, and secure approvals with the click of a button. Symbium is making that world a reality. By transforming dense rules into user-friendly software, we empower people to get work done without frustration and delay.

Symbium's proprietary computational law (Complaw®) technology – initially developed at Stanford's AI Lab – performs permit compliance checks in real time, enabling instant permit approvals. Symbium is currently partnered with 270+ cities – and growing fast. Our platform accelerates clean energy adoption by simplifying approvals for installations of solar panels, reroofing, and EV chargers to heat pumps and beyond. This streamlined process helps communities transition more quickly to decarbonization and energy independence.

The Opportunity

Symbium is looking for a technical, hands-on Product Manager who thrives at the intersection of product strategy, execution, analytics, and cross-functional collaboration. In this role, you'll work closely with the CTO, Director of Product, and engineering team to help define, prioritize, and deliver the next generation of products and features that power Symbium's permitting platform. You understand how the system is put together, and you can write code or use no-code and AI tools to prototype features on your own, then work with engineers to make them production ready.

You'll help drive the product development lifecycle end-to-end: identifying what's needed next, translating business goals into actionable plans, coordinating timelines, and ensuring alignment across stakeholders. This role is ideal for someone who combines strong product instincts with operational rigor and analytical thinking. You'll work on both new products (0→1) and scaling products already in use (1→100).

You'll work directly with engineers, policy experts, customers, and leadership to continuously improve the Symbium platform through responsive, data-informed product updates. If you enjoy solving ambiguous problems, organizing complex initiatives, and building products that create meaningful real-world impact, you'll thrive in this role.

You'll also own customer support, the fastest way to learn the product and our users. It's a bigger part of the role early on and settles at about 15–20% long term. It's your most direct line to what users care about, and it feeds straight into what we build next.

What You'll Do (Responsibilities)

• Own the product roadmap and drive execution
  • Own the product roadmap, defining and executing it with the CTO and Director of Product, and partner with engineering on architecture, integrations, technical scope, and build tradeoffs.
  • Help identify and prioritize what needs to be built next based on customer needs, company goals, and market opportunities.
  • Own wireframes and user flows in Figma, with a strong eye for usability.
  • Rapidly prototype product ideas with AI tools such as Lovable, v0, and Claude, creating mocks, proofs of concept, and interactive demos without engineering dependencies.
  • Manage product development tasks, timelines, milestones, and dependencies to ensure smooth execution.
  • Coordinate across engineering, operations, policy, and leadership teams to maintain alignment and momentum.
  • Write detailed technical product specifications covering system behavior, edge cases, failure modes, and requirements that engineering can execute directly.
• Define and communicate product direction
  • Define product vision, roadmap, and positioning in alignment with company OKRs and strategic priorities.
  • Translate high-level business goals into detailed user stories, product requirements, and actionable development plans.
  • Clearly communicate priorities, tradeoffs, and progress across teams and stakeholders.
  • Define success metrics, QA standards, and acceptance criteria for product releases.
• Use analytics and customer feedback to improve the platform
  • Monitor platform health and user engagement metrics, including adoption, churn, retention, and feature usage.
  • Analyze customer feedback, support trends, and product analytics to identify pain points and opportunities for improvement.
  • Build relationships with cities and users, and conduct user interviews, discovery conversations, and webinars to better understand their needs.
  • Lead responsive product iterations and feature improvements informed by data and user behavior.
• Work closely with the CTO and Director of Product throughout the development lifecycle, from scoping and planning through launch and iteration.
• Help define MVPs, validate assumptions, and ensure product decisions balance user experience, technical feasibility, and business impact.
• Contribute to QA, release planning, feature rollout coordination, and post-launch evaluation.
• Write and maintain clear product documentation, specifications, and process updates.
• Own customer support
  • Handle incoming support requests from cities, contractors, and homeowners, resolving what you can and escalating product issues to engineering with clear reproduction steps.
  • Own Zendesk configuration, workflows, and support-portal documentation so known issues and resolutions are captured and reusable.
  • Gather signals from support requests, user conversations, and usage data, and turn them into product improvements and an evolving roadmap.

Who We're Looking For (Qualifications)

We're looking for thoughtful builders who enjoy turning complexity into clear, actionable product decisions. You might be a great fit if you have:

• 6–8 years of experience in product management, product operations, or a related role in a fast-paced technology environment.
• Experience as an early or first product hire, establishing product practices and helping a team scale.
• Hands-on prototyping: you write code or use no-code and AI tools to build working prototypes on your own.
• Daily use of AI tools across product work. Bring examples of what they sped up and how you review their output.
• Technical fluency with system architecture, APIs, and integrations.
• Experience working closely with engineering teams to ship software products and features from concept through launch.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Experience using product analytics and customer insights to guide product decisions and prioritization.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to align technical and non-technology stakeholders.
• Ability to break down ambiguous business goals into structured requirements and execution plans.
• A proactive, ownership-oriented mindset with strong attention to detail and follow-through.
• Comfort working in highly collaborative, fast-moving startup environments.
• Comfort working directly with customers, including in a support role.

Nice-to-Have Skills

• Exposure to permitting, electrification, clean energy, or regulatory systems.
• Experience with SaaS platforms, workflow tools, regulated industries, or civic/government technology.
• Familiarity with product analytics tools and KPI tracking.
• Experience conducting user research, usability testing, or customer discovery interviews.
• Experience with Zendesk or similar support tools.

Our Culture & Why You'll Love Symbium

• Mission with Impact: Your work will directly accelerate the adoption of clean energy and make government services more accessible.
• High-Ownership Environment: We trust team members to lead initiatives, make decisions, and drive meaningful outcomes.
• Tight-Knit & Hands-On: We work collaboratively across teams, with direct access to leadership and opportunities to shape the company's direction.
• Competitive Benefits: Competitive salary, stock options, health benefits, and the opportunity to work alongside a highly mission-driven team solving meaningful problems.

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis and be willing to relocate to California prior to the start of employment. Symbium does not provide visa sponsorships at this time.

Symbium is an equal opportunity employer.