Senior Product Manager, Platform Engineering

Appian; McLean (VA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with company match

Paid parental leave

Medical, dental, vision plans

Equity opportunities (as eligible)

Job summary

Appian in McLean, Virginia seeks a seasoned Product Manager to own the Kubernetes-based product roadmap and cloud-native platform strategy. You will collaborate with Engineering to refine requirements, manage backlogs, and guide implementation while aligning with Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success for go-to-market initiatives.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years in product management or software engineering within enterprise software, a CS/engineering degree, and experience with SaaS and

Qualifications

• 5+ years in Product Management or Software Engineering in enterprise software.
• Experience with SaaS and customer-managed deployments.
• Strong communication for technical and executive audiences.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the product roadmap for Appian on Kubernetes.
• Prioritize investments based on feedback, impact, and strategy.
• Partner with Engineering to define requirements and backlog priorities.
• Design scalable, cloud-native platform capabilities with architects.
• Own product lifecycle from ideation to launch and enhancements.
• Collaborate with Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success on GTM.
• Maintain office presence in McLean, VA five days a week.

Skills

Product Management

Software Engineering

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Engineering

Tools

Kubernetes

Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP)

Containerized deployments

Job description

Here at Appian, our values of Intensity and Excellence define who we are. We set high standards and live up to them, ensuring that everything we do is done with care and quality. We approach every challenge with ambition and commitment, holding ourselves and each other accountable to achieve the best results. When you join Appian, you’ll be part of a passionate team dedicated to accomplishing hard things, together.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the product roadmap for Appian on Kubernetes.
• Prioritize product investments based on customer feedback, business impact, and technical strategy.
• Partner closely with Engineering to define requirements, refine backlog priorities, and guide implementation.
• Collaborate with architects and engineers to design scalable, cloud-native platform capabilities.
• Establish clear product boundaries between customer‑managed infrastructure and Appian‑managed functionality.
• Write detailed product requirements and specifications for engineering teams.
• Track feature adoption and success through customer feedback, product metrics, and usage analytics.
• Own the product lifecycle from ideation through documentation, launch, and ongoing enhancements.
• Partner with Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success to support go‑to‑market initiatives and product positioning.
• Build strong relationships with enterprise customers to understand complex deployment challenges and influence future product direction.
• Maintain a presence in the McLean, Virginia office 5 days a week to foster collaboration and teamwork.

Basic Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in Product Management or Software Engineering within an enterprise software organization.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Experience managing products supporting both SaaS and customer‑managed deployments.
• Strong understanding of cloud‑native technologies and Kubernetes.
• Experience working with containerized applications throughout the deployment and operational lifecycle.
• Knowledge of enterprise infrastructure concepts including scalability, availability, resiliency, and security.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex technical concepts for both technical and executive audiences.
• Experience partnering directly with enterprise customers to influence product strategy.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Kubernetes platforms such as Amazon EKS, Azure AKS, Google GKE, Red Hat OpenShift, Rancher, or VMware Kubernetes Service.
• Experience building or supporting Internal Developer Platforms (IDPs).
• Familiarity with software deployments in denied, degraded, intermittent, and limited (DDIL) environments.
• Understanding of enterprise data sovereignty and regulatory requirements, including frameworks such as DORA.
• Experience supporting customers in highly regulated industries, including government, financial services, healthcare, or life sciences.

Salary and Benefits

Base Salary Range: $125,000 — $250,000 USD. A discretionary bonus may be awarded in recognition of individual and company performance.

Benefits include a 401(k) plan with company match, flexible time off, paid parental leave, medical, dental, and vision plans, life insurance, disability insurance, wellness programs, flexible spending accounts, health savings account contributions, an employee referral bonus program, and learning and development resources. Certain positions may be eligible for equity awards.

Appian is an equal‑opportunity employer that strives to attract and retain the best talent. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Appian provides reasonable accommodations to applicants in accordance with all applicable laws.