Staff Product Manager

Proofpoint; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 151,000 - 221,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Comprehensive benefits

Flexible work environment

Job summary

Proofpoint is seeking a Staff Product Manager to drive strategy and execution for a critical area of our enterprise security platform. This senior IC will tackle complex customer and business problems, shape direction, and align across engineering, design, sales, and marketing.

You will translate insights into clear roadmaps and deliver measurable customer value. You will work autonomously, influence without authority, and elevate product thinking across the organization, partnering with

Qualifications

• Requires 5+ years of product management experience
• Experience leading complex software products from strategy to execution
• Experience in enterprise SaaS and B2B
• Proven ability to translate customer problems into differentiated product experiences
• Strong ability to influence senior leaders and cross-functional teams

Responsibilities

• Define and drive the product vision, strategy, and roadmap for a complex, strategic area.
• Own ambiguous, high-impact problems spanning multiple capabilities or teams.
• Develop deep understanding of customer workflows and be the voice of the customer.
• Collaborate with engineering and design to deliver scalable, enterprise-grade solutions.
• Translate insights and market trends into actionable product strategies and investments.
• Engage with customers to uncover unmet needs and validate direction.
• Monitor product success metrics and guide prioritization.
• Lead discovery and roadmap planning; communicate priorities to senior stakeholders.
• Partner with GTM teams on positioning and launches.

Skills

Product leadership

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder influence

Customer discovery

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Masters or MBA preferred

Job description

About Us

Proofpoint is a global leader in human- and agent-centric cybersecurity. We protect how people, data, and AI agents connect across email, cloud, and collaboration tools. Over 80 of the Fortune 100, 10,000 large enterprises, and millions of smaller organizations trust Proofpoint to stop threats, prevent data loss, and build resilience across their people and AI workflows. Our mission is simple: safeguard the digital world and empower people to work securely and confidently. Join us in our pursuit to defend data and protect people.

How We Work

At Proofpoint you’ll be part of a global team that breaks barriers to redefine cybersecurity guided by our BRAVE core values:

• Bold in how we dream and innovate
• Responsive to feedback, challenges and opportunities
• Accountable for results and best in class outcomes
• Visionary in future focused problem-solving
• Exceptional in execution and impact

The Role

Proofpoint is seeking a Staff Product Manager to drive product strategy and execution for a critical area of our enterprise security platform. This is a senior individual contributor role for an experienced product leader who can tackle complex customer and business problems, shape product direction, and drive alignment and execution across multiple teams. The ideal candidate combines deep product management expertise with strong business acumen, technical credibility, and exceptional product judgment. You have a track record of identifying meaningful customer problems, developing compelling product strategies, influencing senior stakeholders, and delivering solutions that create measurable customer and business value. In this role, you will partner closely with engineering, design, sales, marketing, customer success, and other Product leaders to translate customer insights and market opportunities into clear product strategies and roadmaps. You will operate with significant autonomy, lead through influence rather than authority, and help raise the quality of product thinking and execution across the organization.

What You’ll Do

• Define and drive the product vision, strategy, and roadmap for a complex and strategically important product area aligned with broader company and platform objectives.
• Own ambiguous, high-impact product problems that span multiple capabilities, teams, or areas of the customer experience.
• Develop a deep understanding of customer workflows and the problems they need to solve, serving as a strong voice of the customer throughout the product development process.
• Partner closely with engineering and design to translate product strategy into clear priorities, make thoughtful tradeoffs, and deliver scalable, enterprise-grade solutions.
• Translate customer insights, market trends, competitive dynamics, technical opportunities, and business priorities into actionable product strategies and investment recommendations.
• Engage directly with customers and prospects to uncover unmet needs, validate product direction, and develop a strong understanding of evolving enterprise security challenges.
• Define and monitor product success metrics, using customer feedback, product analytics, and business performance to guide prioritization.
• Lead product discovery and roadmap planning for your area, communicating priorities, tradeoffs, and expected outcomes to senior stakeholders.
• Partner with go-to-market teams on positioning, launches, field enablement, adoption.
• Represent the product in strategic customer conversations, executive briefings, analyst discussions, and industry engagements as appropriate.
• Identify opportunities to partner with the wider organization or external partnerships that accelerate customer value.

What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor's or equivalent degree experience; Masters or MBA preferred.
• 5+ years of product management experience, ideally including significant experience leading complex software products from strategy through execution.
• Proven experience defining and executing product strategy for enterprise software.
• Previous experience in large enterprise SaaS providers and cyber-security are desirable.
• Demonstrated success owning B2B products or product areas from customer discovery and strategy through development, launch, adoption, and optimization.
• A track record of solving complex and ambiguous product problems across multiple teams and functions.
• Exceptional product judgment and the ability to translate the highest-value customer problems into differentiated product experiences.
• Strong ability to influence senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Deep understanding of enterprise customer needs, buying processes, administrative workflows, and the requirements of building products for large organizations.
• Strong technical aptitude and the ability to engage effectively with engineering on architecture, platform capabilities, technical investments, and tradeoffs.
• Strong strategic and commercial thinking, with the ability to balance customer value, technical feasibility, competitive differentiation, and business outcomes.
• Strong analytical skills and experience using customer feedback, market research, competitive insights, and product data to make informed decisions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to tailor style and content for different audiences.
• Experience engaging directly with enterprise customers, prospects and partners.
• A demonstrated ability to mentor and elevate other Product Managers through expertise, collaboration, and example.

Why Proofpoint?

At Proofpoint, we believe that an exceptional career experience includes a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Here are just a few reasons you’ll love working with us:

• Competitive compensation
• Comprehensive benefits
• Career success on your terms
• Flexible work environment
• Annual wellness and community outreach days
• Always on recognition for your contributions
• Global collaboration and networking opportunities

Pay

Consistent with Proofpoint values and applicable law, we provide the following information to promote pay transparency and equity. Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several U.S. geographic markets, and we pay differently based on those defined markets as set out below. Pay within these ranges varies and depends on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The actual offer will be based on the individual candidate. The range provided may represent a candidate range and may not reflect the full range for an individual tenured employee. This role may be eligible for variable compensation and/or equity. We offer a competitive benefits package, including flexible time off, a comprehensive well-being program with two paid Wellbeing Days and two paid Volunteer Days per year, plus a three-week Work from Anywhere option.

• Base Pay Ranges:
• SF Bay Area, New York City Metro Area: Base Pay Range: 187,700.00 - 275,275.00 USD
• California (excludes SF Bay Area), Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Washington DC Metro, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas, Washington, Virginia, and Alaska: Base Pay Range: 151,000.00 - 221,430.00 USD
• All other cities and states excluding those listed above: Base Pay Range: 137,000.00 - 200,915.00 USD

We’re driven by a mission to stay ahead of bad actors and safeguard the digital world.

Proofpoint has been honored with six Best Places to Work Awards in 2024 by workplace culture leader Comparably, including Best Company Career Growth, Best Company Outlook, Best Global Culture, Best Engineering Teams, Best Sales Teams, and Best HR Teams. We are the leader in human-centric cybersecurity. Half a million customers, including 87 of the Fortune 100, rely on Proofpoint to protect their organizations.

Our Culture

Our culture is rooted in values that inspire belonging, empower purpose and drive success-every day, for everyone.

We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.

If you need accommodation during the application or interview process, please reach out to [e-mail].

Our BRAVE Values

At Proofpoint, we are BRAVE in everything we do, and our values aren’t just words—they shape how we work, collaborate, and grow. We seek people who are bold enough to challenge the status quo, responsive in the face of ever-evolving threats, and accountable for delivering real impact. We value those with a visionary mindset who anticipate what’s next and push cybersecurity forward, and we celebrate exceptional execution that ensures we continue to defend data and protect people.

Proofpoint is an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or disability.

Find your network, your allies, and your biggest fans. We know that work is simply better when you’re surrounded by people who inspire you—who share ideas, cheer you on, and genuinely want to see you succeed. That’s why we offer social circles, sponsored networks, and connection points across teams and time zones—to help you find your people, build your community, and thrive together.

This isn’t just a job—it’s a mission to protect people and defend data in a world that never slows down. We’re building the future of human-centric cybersecurity, and that future belongs to all of us. We take ownership, move fast, and hold ourselves accountable—because that’s what it takes to stay ahead. And we do it together, winning as one.

Be empowered to reach your full potential through meaningful challenges and personalized support—designed around you and your goals. Whether you're growing as a leader or leveling up from great to exceptional as an individual contributor, we’re here to help you get there.