Product Manager: Data & Innovation (20791060)

City of San Rafael; San Rafael (CA); On-site; USD 144,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

Dental and Vision

Vacation leave

Sick leave

Administrative leave

Holidays

Bereavement leave

Parental leave

Retirement plan

Gym membership reimbursement

Bilingual pay

Computer loan program

Job summary

The City of San Rafael’s Department of Digital Services & Open Government seeks a Product Manager for Data & Innovation to lead the Citywide Data and Insights program. You will oversee GIS operations, collaborate across departments, and advance Council priorities through data-driven, human-centered digital services.

Equipped with a degree in a relevant field and 3+ years as a product manager, you will drive agile delivery, develop performance metrics, and champion ethical AI governance while

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field and 3+ years of product management experience.
• Experience leading cross‑functional teams and delivering public digital services.
• Desirable: 1 year supervisory/lead experience.

Responsibilities

• Develops and manages the vision and roadmap for City software products.
• Leads cross‑department collaboration to deliver user‑centered digital services.
• Defines success metrics and uses data to improve service delivery and equity.

Skills

Product management

Human-centered design

Data strategy

AI governance

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science/information systems/IT/public policy/business/public administration

Job description

The City of San Rafael is a charter city founded in 1913. The mission of the City is to enhance the quality of life and to provide for a safe, healthy, prosperous and livable environment in partnership with the community. The City has a staff of 441 regular FTEemployees and an annual budget of $172million. City departments include the City Manager’s Office, Management Services, Finance, Community Development, Community Services, Fire, Library, Police, and Public Works.

The City of San Rafaelwas voted one of the 2022 Best Places to Work in local government by ELGL, a nationally recognized organization.The City was recognizedfor our cross-departmental work that is key to advancing community programs and projects. Employees from all departments worked together, allowing us to break down silos, and model our culture initiative, Together San Rafael .

A strong emphasis on innovation, equity, and a commitment to our employees are a vital part of creating a wonderful community and for the trust we instill and have for providing ongoing learning opportunities to all staff are just some of the perks that make San Rafael the Best Place to Work.

Non-Discrimination Policy
The City of San Rafael values a diverse, inclusive workforce and provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
In accordance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act, all potential employees are required to provide proof and/or be verified of U.S. Citizenship or authorization to work in the United States.
Disaster Service Workers
California Government Code Title I, Sections 3100 - 3109, declare all public employees to be Disaster Service Workers, subject to such disaster service activities as may be assigned to them by their superiors or by law. More information can be found here .
Reasonable Accommodation
The City of San Rafael will make reasonable accommodations at any phase of the application and interview process, to accommodate persons with disabilities. If you have a disability for which you require an accommodation, please advise Human Resources upon submittal of your application. For examination accommodations, please contact Human Resources at least seven (7) calendar days before the test date, at [phone].

Application deadline: Apply by Sunday, December 6,2026 at 5:00 p.m.

Salary: $144,144- $175,200annuallyplus excellent benefits!

THE CITYis focused on enhancing our community members’ quality of life through well-designed services and a positive workplace culture. San Rafael is the economic and cultural heart of Marin County, and its high quality of life is centered on its commercial districts, engaged neighborhoods, active lifestyle, and natural environment. San Rafael, with a population of approximately 60,000, is a full-service city with a City Council/City Manager form of government with 12 departments, more than 400 employees, and a fiscal year 2026-2027annual budget of approximately $208million. The City’s vision is to be a vibrant economic and cultural center reflective of its diversity. The City Council is engaged and seeks to strengthen the urban and commercial areas as well as sustain the beautiful natural environment.

San Rafael’s Organizational culture framework is an initiative called “Together San Rafael.” City employees are our greatest asset, and we seek talented individuals with diverse backgrounds who are creative, curious, and excited about a challenge. We are a results-driven team focused on the needs of community members. The Together San Rafael initiative is focused on modernizing City services and increasing the engagement of employees. This initiative recognizes the interconnectedness of the customer and employee experience.

THE DEPARTMENT

The core purpose of the Department of Digital Services & Open Government is to help make City services easy to use and work for everyone. We do this by applying human-centered design, process improvement, and performance measurement to continuously improve service delivery, civic engagement, and civic technology.

We believe:

• Government should be designed with and for people
• Empathy for all users leads to equitable outcomes
• Data and information should be used to create trust, transparency, and better government
• Building capacity across City teams empowers positive change
• Technology should be secure, accessible, and make life easier

Digital's focus areas include Civic Engagement, Digital Transformation, Data and Insights, and IT Operations and Maintenance. The Data & Insights team was awarded San Rafael’s Team of the Year for 2025, in part for helping San Rafael to achieve silver-certification as a data-driven city from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ What Works Cities program.

IDEAL CANDIDATE

The ideal candidate for the Product Manager of Data & Innovation role is a results-driven and human-centered civic designer with expertise in data ecosystems, performance metrics, and agile digital service delivery. They have proven ability to break down departmental silos, scale open government initiatives, and lead cross-departmental teams to operationalize performance measurement. They can transform complex municipal workflows into accessible public services while championing responsible adoption of emerging technologies and artificial intelligence across the organization.

The Product Manager of Data & Innovation leads the Citywide Data and Insights program, oversees GIS operations, and works collaboratively with the Digital Service team to advance City Council priorities and address community needs. They lead, and work collaboratively with, cross-departmental teams to develop innovative solutions leveraging data, technology, and process improvements that enhance the community experience of City services.

UPCOMING PROJECTS

• CRM discovery and implementation:We're seeking to improve the community experience of Citywide in-take, tracking, and responsiveness to questions and service requests. Help us by integrating workflows and tools that increase the quality and satisfaction of services while providing insights and analysis of trends.
  
• Enterprise artificial intelligence adoption and adaptation: Pilot and explore useful solutions where artificial intelligence can save staff time, increase capacity, and ultimately improve trust with the community.
  
• Expand performance measurement program: Increase the use of performance measurement of projects, services, and operations while advancing the data maturity of the City to be more data-centered and transparent.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

This list is meant to be representative, not exhaustive.for the full job spec.

• Prepares and assists with the development of strategic plans related to area of
  responsibility and addresses City-wide policy and management issues.
• Develops, defines, and manages the vision and roadmap for one or more of the City’s
  software and hardware products.
• Develops and shares clarity around what problem a product is solving and for whom;
  builds services with a strong equity lens to support everyone who needs access to
  services; ensures that the City’s products work for all members of the public without
  experience gaps.
• Runs user research sprints with users and usability testing workshops for products at
  varying stages of development and analyzes into site/product analytics.
• Manages the execution of the vision and roadmap on a day-to-day and sprint-to-sprint
  basis of products including managing priorities, grooming backlogs, and tracking task
  completion.
• Develops success metrics by defining what success looks like for the products and
  creates and manages the metrics to track progress during development and after
  deployment; understands and analyzes user and business needs to ensure outcomes are
  aligned with service vision and business strategy.
• Documents the City’s products and the processes; develops and oversees the design and
  end-to-end journey of services and business processes through user-centered design.
• Ensures that both qualitative and quantitative research inform the product, and that
  product definition is not just about opinion.
• Embeds human-centered design principles into every aspect of how the City is building
  the product.
• Develops strong stakeholder relationships at every level; manages resourcing in
  collaboration with the design and development teams; works with departments to help
  them understand Agile; leads and collaborates with cross-functional teams to explore,
  prototype and define the end-to-end product experience; and manages stakeholders so
  that the product team gets decisions and is supported at a senior level.
• Works with service designers to create functional prototypes to illustrate design or
  architecture options.
• Establishes best practices and standards for front end testing, and works to oversee
  adoption across the organization.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Human-centered civic design and product management – Develop digital solutions and rapid prototypes based on user research and community feedback.
• Data strategy and product development - Evolve the City’s data strategy and governance, develop performance dashboards, and self-service analytics to empower internal staff and external stakeholders.
• Responsible Public Sector AI Governance: Implement automation and AI tools responsibly by aligning innovation with policy, privacy, and risk-mitigation standards.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

Equivalent to graduation from an accredited college or university with a degree in computerscience, information systems, information technology, public policy, business, publicadministration, or closely related field and three years of experience working as a productmanager for a digital product that is in use by people today.

One year of experience serving as a lead or in a supervisory or management capacity is desirable.

• MEDICAL | City group health coverage, with the City paying a fixed dollar amount toward the cost of the monthly insurance premium. In 2027 the City contribution will be Employee only: $1,014.10; Employee plus one: $2,027.12; Family: $2,560.58.
• DENTAL AND VISION | Premium fully paid for employee plus eligible dependents.
• VACATION LEAVE | 15 days annually, increases after 5 years of service
• SICK LEAVE | 12 days annually
• ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE | 10 days each calendar year, prorated if hired after the first of the year
• HOLIDAYS | 12 paid City holidays plus 1 floating holiday per year
• BEREAVEMENT LEAVE | Up to 5 days paid leave
• END OF LIFE CARE LEAVE | Up to 80 hours paid leave
• PAID PARENTAL LEAVE (if eligible) | Up to 300 hours paid leave. SRMMEA employees also contribute to State Disability Insurance (SDI)
• LIFE INSURANCE & AD&D | $300,000
• LONG TERM DISABILITY | 66.67% of salary, up to $7,500 per month
• RETIREMENT | Enrollment in the Marin County Retirement System (MCERA) pension plan, a defined benefit retirement program
• DEFERRED COMPENSATION | City will contribute one percent (1.06%) of base pay into a City-provided deferred compensation plan
• GYM MEMBERSHIP REIMBURSEMENT | Up to $198 per year
• BILINGUAL PAY (if eligible) | Up to $250 per month
• COMPUTER LOAN PROGRAM (if eligible) | Up to $1,500 for the purchase of computer hardware

Special Instructions

Application deadline: Apply by Sunday, December 6,2026, at 5:00 p.m.

Week of December 14:Panel interview -in person

Week of December 14:Finalist interviews -in person

It is recommended to plan your schedule accordingly.