Venture General Manager (Contract)

UP.Labs; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A pioneering tech venture is seeking a Venture General Manager to lead new business initiatives and drive product lifecycle management. This role requires expertise in product development, team leadership, and partnership building. Ideal candidates will have extensive experience in early-stage B2B SaaS and a strong entrepreneurial mindset. This is a contract position located in the United States with potential for extension.

Qualifications

• 9+ years in product management, preferably in early-stage B2B SaaS startups.
• Experience in 0-to-1 product development, including MVP scoping.
• Strong technical fluency and experience working with engineers.

Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end product lifecycle from research to MVP launch.
• Manage and inspire a cross-functional team.
• Lead investor and partner steering meetings.

Skills

Product lifecycle management

Cross-functional team leadership

Partnership building

Market validation

Entrepreneurial thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Job description

Venture General Manager (Contract) role at UP.Labs

About the Opportunity

We’re partnering with a global energy industry leader to build an AI‑driven intelligence platform that turns complexity into clarity — enabling organizations to understand change faster, act decisively, and unlock new levels of strategic advantage. This is a rare opportunity to work shoulder‑to‑shoulder with a global market leader, tackling high‑impact problems with cutting‑edge technology and taking bold ideas from 0 to 1.

As a Venture General Manager (GM), you’ll be the driving force behind these new ventures — leading a multidisciplinary team to transform raw concepts into real products. You’ll lead partner alignment along with the Venture President, turn strategic goals into execution plans, and guide the team through rapid build, validation, and launch cycles to deliver products that create measurable business value. This role demands the creativity of a founder, the rigor of a consultant, and the operational excellence of a business leader.

Note: This is a 12 month contract (1099). Extension possibility TBD.

What you’ll do

• Lead the Venture and Team: Own the end‑to‑end product lifecycle, from research and ideation to MVP launch and early customer traction.
• Manage and inspire a cross‑functional team of product managers, engineers, designers, data scientists, and business leaders to deliver impactful results.
• Build and sustain a strong partnership with ExxonMobil, serving as the primary point of contact and strategic thought partner.
• Lead investor and partner steering meetings, aligning UP.Labs, the corporate partner, and internal stakeholders on venture progress and priorities.
• Manage multiple product builds concurrently.

• Shape the Product and Business: Translate big‑picture strategy into tangible roadmaps, balancing speed, quality, and learning.
• Drive rapid validation — using customer discovery, prototype testing, and iterative development to ensure market fit.
• Define and refine the business model, go‑to‑market strategy, and early revenue path for the venture.
• Identify and manage external partners (consulting firms, development shops, research agencies) to accelerate execution.

• Operate Like a Founder: Own the venture P&L, allocate resources effectively, and make disciplined build‑buy‑partner decisions.
• Act as an interim CEO/GM as ventures spin out, ensuring continuity, investor readiness, and operational traction.
• Build a high‑performance, mission‑driven venture culture, bridging startup energy with enterprise scale.
• Guide the venture to its second enterprise customer and position it for sustainable growth beyond incubation.

Who you are

• You have built and shipped products from scratch — not just iterated on existing ones.
• You thrive in ambiguity — and know how to structure chaos into a roadmap.
• You’re a storyteller and influencer — you can get buy‑in from executives, engineers, and investors alike.
• You’re a hands‑on builder — comfortable jumping between customer interviews, Figma mocks, AI tools, PRDs, and code.
• You think like an entrepreneur — not waiting for permission, but making things happen.

What You Bring

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited educational institution or equivalent work experience.
• 9+ years in product management, preferably in early‑stage B2B SaaS startups.
• Experience in 0‑to‑1 product development, including MVP scoping, rapid iteration, and GTM strategy.
• Strong technical fluency and experience working with engineers and data scientists (bonus: AI, data‑driven products).
• A knack for deconstructing new industries and business models quickly.
• Ability to move fast without sacrificing quality, balancing speed and thoughtfulness in execution.
• Experience in high‑stakes communication — aligning execs, partners, and investors around product vision.
• Comfort navigating B2B sales cycles with enterprise customers.