A Quick Dive Into Growth Product Managers
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IT Jobs and Recruitment Insights
Growth Product Managers, if you’ve been anywhere near the Product Manager job boards you’ve definitely been seeing this term all over the place, but what does it mean? Isn’t every Product Manager focused on growth? How do they differ from a regular Product Manager? Where does it fit within the Product team?
Those are just some of the questions that came to mind, and some of the questions I’m going to answer in this blog.
What does being a Growth Product Manager mean?
Growth Product Managers are solely focused on the growth of the company by prioritising initiatives that have the most impact on achieving the business goals.
So basically, the main two goals of a Growth Product Manager are to identify long-term growth opportunities and solve business problems.
This can be done by achieving short-term business goals, driving revenue or improving other business metrics.
Where are Growth Product Managers often found?
Although a Growth Product Manager can bring value to many different company structures, they are best suited for a Product-led company.
If your product team is already on the front lines of strategy implementation, then a Growth Product Manager acts as a partner to assure that each product is aligned with the company values.
Product Manager VS Growth Product Manager
Traditional Product Managers are responsible for the performance and delivery of a product. This does not mean that they are not focused on long-term growth, but they are specifically responsible for the long-term growth and success of their product.
A Growth Product Manager is focused on long-term company growth and driving business impact.
Where do they fit in a team?
Collaborative partnership. That is the first term that comes to mind, they are a partner to your product team, marketing team, operations teams, and anyone involved in the delivery of the company strategy (so, everyone).
The Growth Product Manager’s key stakeholder is the business, so they are involved with every team within that business.
Potential Career Progression
I think it’s a good time to remember how new the title/position- Growth Product Management really is. Unlike other Product Management specialities, there aren’t enough people who have been in this role for the long haul in order to identify a pattern or clear progression path.
However, I choose to look at this as a positive. This role could become an integral part of many organisations in different industries, sizes, strategies etc., which means each one can have a different path for a Growth PM, and it also means that each Growth PM can have a say in where they want to see their career going.
Maybe it’s a road to becoming a CPO, a seat on the Board of Directors, VP of Growth, maybe it’s a role that doesn’t yet exist. The world is your oyster!
Skills Required
- Collaboration, Collaboration, Collaboration
- Experimentally driven approach
- A naturally curious person
- Analytical - the ability to look at data and draw important measurable results and insights
- Ability to challenge existing working process
- A deep understanding of different business approaches, strategies and initiatives
- Passion for innovation
- Excellent prioritisation skills and ability to justify your decisions
- Industry expert
- Ability to effectively communicate with a wide range of stakeholders (business, technical, clients, customers etc)
- Adaptable in the face of ambiguity
Job Description for a Growth Product Manager
As I mentioned, the main stakeholder for a Growth PM is the business. So, the job description is more or less defined by the business goals. However, generally, the Growth PM is responsible for defining and delivering the company’s growth direction.
This can be done by increasing the customer base, expanding to new markets, analysing and improving existing metrics, identifying new growth opportunities, and basically delivering measurable business outcomes that align with the company vision, values and strategy.
Final thoughts...
I hope this blog helped to answer some of your questions regarding Growth Product Managers, and maybe it even made you realise that this is a path you would like to follow. I think that this position will continue to change, evolve and eventually be more clearly defined, but one thing the market is showing us right now is that a high number of reputable brands are interested in having these skills on their teams, and there are plenty of opportunities to upskill or specialise in Growth Product Management.
I speak to dozens of Product Managers on a weekly basis, this position is a dream come true for some and for others, well, not so much. And that is my favourite part about Product Management, it is a journey with hundreds of destinations and the freedom to follow what you are passionate about.
If you are looking for a role in Product Management, or if you want to discuss Growth or other specialisations, please get in contact us, we're always eager to learn about different ways that Product Management can impact organisations.
