19 Different Product Management Careers from Entry-Level to Executive Roles
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- 5 min read
We cover 18 different types of product manager roles from entry to C-level positions, including responsibilities, salaries, and challenges associated with each type of product management.
When you hear the term “Product Manager,” it can sound pretty straightforward—someone who manages a product, right? But take a closer look at job boards or LinkedIn, and you’ll find titles like Technical Product Manager, Growth Product Manager, or even AI Product Manager. Suddenly, it’s clear that “Product Manager” can mean a lot of different things depending on the focus.
Product management roles vary widely depending on what part of the product you’re handling. Some people focus on building the product, while others ensure it’s growing in the right direction, or that it’s reaching the right customers. Then, there are those leading the entire product strategy for a company.
It can be a bit overwhelming to figure out where you fit in, especially if you’re new to the field or planning your next move. That’s where this blog will help you. We’ll walk you through the key roles in product management, what they do, and what to expect in terms of responsibilities and salaries.
By the end, you’ll have a better sense of where you might want to go within product management and which role best fits your strengths.
Key Takeaways:
- In product management, there are multiple roles such as Technical PM, Growth PM, and AI PM, focusing on their respective aspects.
- Typically, entry-level roles are those of an associate product manager, and more senior roles are much more strategic and also function as leaders.
- Specializations in product management mean you could specialize in a particular type according to your interest – tech, data, or user growth areas.
- Leadership roles involve several things, like leading teams and defining the product roadmap of an entire organization.
- Knowing the various stages of product management will guide you toward that particular role that fits your talent and career goals.
The First Level of Product Management
When you’re starting out in product management, your role will be more focused on learning the ropes and supporting more senior product managers. The two most common roles at this stage are Associate Product Manager and Product Manager.
At this stage, you will be learning by experience by taking on activities involving cross-functional teams, learning about customers’ needs, and learning how a product comes into being from scratch. You are not yet at the stage of making all the big-ticket decisions, you will have a hand in making decisions that shape the product and also understanding the process.
1. Associate Product Manager (APM)
An APM is kind of like a junior product manager. You typically report to other, more senior PMs, and learn from them the inside tricks of the product management game. Part of what you might do day-to-day could include gathering user feedback, researching, and also helping to define product features.
- Associate Product Manager Roles and Responsibilities:
- Conducting market and user research
- Assisting in writing product requirements
- Supporting the product development process
- Analyzing product performance post-launch
Associate Product Manager Salary Range in India: ₹8-12 lakh per year (Source: Payscale)
2. Product Manager
Once you have enough experience, you can move into a full Product Manager role. Here, you become in charge of the entire product or a specific feature of a product. At this level, you will decide what to build, collaborate with engineers and designers, and ensure your product addresses customers’ needs as well as business goals.
- Product Manager Roles and Responsibilities:
- Defining the product vision and roadmap
- Managing the product lifecycle from development to launch
- Collaborating with cross-functional teams (engineering, design, marketing)
- Analyzing user feedback and making improvements
Product Manager Salary Range in India: ₹15-25 lakh per year (Source: Glassdoor)
Specializing within Product Management
As you gain more experience in product management, you may decide to specialize in a specific area. Specialization enables you to focus on specific types of products or certain aspects of product management, depending on your expertise and or interest.
In these specialties, you’ll still own the results of your product but your everyday work will be cut to fit your specialty. Whether you are one to enjoy the technical nitty-gritty, design, and user experience, or even data and growth strategies, there’s a specialty within product management that fits your strengths.
Let’s dive into the most common specializations within product management.
3. Technical Product Manager (TPM)
If you are a technical professional with a passion for working closely with engineering teams, a Technical Product Manager (TPM) role could be in your best interest. TPMs work on complex technology-related products, such as software platforms and tools, requiring deep-domain technology savvy.
- Technical Product Manager Roles and Responsibilities:
- Defining technical requirements for the product
- Translating technical details into user-friendly features
- Collaborating closely with engineers to ensure technical feasibility
- Managing timelines and performance of technical features post-launch
- Technical Product Manager Salary Range in India: ₹18-30 lakh per year (Source: AmbitionBox)
4. Digital Product Manager
Digital Product Managers focus on products that exist totally in the digital space, such as websites, apps, or digital services. If you’re interested in creating seamless experiences for users online, then this could be a good fit for you.
- Digital Product Manager Roles and Responsibilities:
- Improving the user experience (UX) for digital products
- Using data to track product performance and making adjustments
- Running A/B tests to experiment with new features and designs
- Prioritizing features based on user feedback and business goals
Digital Product Manager Salary Range in India: ₹16-28 lakh per year (Source: Payscale)
5. Growth Product Manager
Growth product managers are more geared toward scaling a product- bringing in new users, keeping existing users engaged, and growing the user base. If you love data and are always looking for ways to improve, so much the better.
- Growth Product Manager Roles and Responsibilities:
- Developing strategies to acquire new users and retain existing ones
- Running experiments to test different growth strategies
- Optimizing the conversion funnel to increase user engagement
- Collaborating with cross-functional teams to drive product growth
Growth Product Manager Salary Range in India: ₹20-35 lakh per year (Source: Glassdoor)
6. Data Product Manager
Data Product Managers is one of the specializations that will be focused on products around data. Examples would be analytics platforms or data-driven applications.If you like working with data and making decisions based on numbers, this is a great specialization for you.
- Data Product Manager Roles and Responsibilities:
- Defining data collection and processing requirements
- Building data-driven features and tools, like dashboards or AI-based solutions
- Ensuring data quality and accuracy
- Working closely with data scientists and engineers to build and improve data products
Data Product Manager Salary Range in India: ₹22-38 lakh per year (Source: AmbitionBox)
7. Fintech Product Manager
Fintech Product Managers work on a product within the financial technology space, which could be a mobile banking application or a payment platform. In other words, a person who understands finance very well and has an equally good handle on technology defines a fintech product manager.
- Fintech Product Manager Roles and Responsibilities:
- Ensuring the product complies with financial regulations
- Developing secure and user-friendly financial products
- Managing risk and security measures within the product
- Collaborating with legal, compliance, and finance teams
Fintech Product Manager Salary Range in India: ₹18-30 lakh per year (Source: Payscale)
8. E-commerce Product Manager
The job of the e-commerce product manager typically involves managing online shopping platforms, ensuring that the final user experience for buying and selling is smooth and pleasurable, and driving sales for a business at the same time.
- E-commerce Product Manager Roles and Responsibilities:
- Optimizing the user experience across the e-commerce platform
- Managing product listings and ensuring accuracy
- Analyzing user behavior to increase conversion rates
- Streamlining operations to ensure timely order fulfillment
- E-Commerce Product Manager Salary Range in India: ₹18-32 lakh per year (Source: Glassdoor)
9. Product Marketing Manager (PMM)
Product Marketing Managers determine the marketing message; develop go-to-market strategies; and ensure that it “speaks” to their target audience. Product marketing managers are responsible for how the product is positioned in the market.
- Product Marketing Manager Roles and Responsibilities:
- Developing product messaging and positioning
- Creating go-to-market strategies for new product launches
- Working closely with sales and marketing teams to drive product adoption
- Analyzing competitor products and market trends
Product Marketing Manager Salary Range in India: ₹15-28 lakh per year (Source: Payscale)
10. UX/Product Design Manager
The UX/Product Design Manager will ensure that this product not only gets the message across as useful and functional but also user-friendly and an absolute pleasure to use. It’s a job situated at the intersection of both design and product management.
- UX Product Manager Roles and Responsibilities:
- Leading the design process and ensuring consistency across the product
- Improving usability through user testing and research
- Collaborating with product and engineering teams to align design with product goals
- Ensuring a seamless user experience across different touchpoints
UX Product Manager Salary Range in India: ₹18-30 lakh per year (Source: AmbitionBox)
11. AI Product Manager
AI product managers would work on products that use artificial intelligence, such as recommendation engines, chatbots, or any other kind of analytics powered with AI. You would be responsible for how AI can add value to the product from the user’s point of view.
- AI Product Manager Roles and Responsibilities:
- Defining AI features and working with data scientists and engineers to build them
- Managing ethical concerns like bias and privacy in AI products
- Continuously improving AI models based on data and feedback
- Testing and iterating on AI-powered features to enhance product performance
AI Product Manager Salary Range in India: ₹25-40 lakh per year (Source: Glassdoor)
Leadership within Product Management
The more you become experienced as a product manager, the sooner you’ll likely step into a leadership role. Leadership roles within product management go beyond just managing one product; it demands leadership in multiple products while shaping strategies and ensuring that everything remains in sync with the company’s goals.
You will be expected to focus on the setting of product teams, mentor junior PMs, and provide a more strategic view of the development of products. If you enjoy leading teams and thinking about the big picture, I think these roles are probably the next steps in your career.
12. Senior Product Manager
A Senior Product Manager is responsible for working on a more complicated product and hence will have to lead several other product managers. As a senior PM, you would be assisting in devising the overall strategy of the product and ensuring that your product is aligned with the company’s high-level goals.
- Senior Product Manager Roles and Responsibilities:
- Setting the product vision and strategy
- Leading a team of Product Managers and mentoring junior PMs
- Overseeing product development for larger or more complex products
- Ensuring that product goals align with business objectives
Senior Product Manager Salary Range in India: ₹30-45 lakh per year (Source: Glassdoor)
13. Staff Product Manager
Staff Product Managers are senior individual contributors and participants in the most important projects of the company. Though you will not be a team leader, you will lead high-impact initiatives that require significant experience and strategic thinking.
- Staff Product Manager Roles and Responsibilities:
- Leading strategic projects and initiatives
- Working across multiple teams to drive product goals
- Influencing product strategy at a higher level
- Acting as a mentor to other PMs, even if you’re not directly managing them
- Staff Product Manager Salary Range in India: ₹35-50 lakh per year (Source: Payscale)
14. Product Lead / Group Product Manager
As a Product Lead or Group Product Manager, you would likely be managing more than one product team that will keep the group in line with the company strategy while working effectively between teams.
- Key Responsibilities:
- Managing several Product Managers and their respective products
- Overseeing the product vision and strategy across multiple teams
- Ensuring cross-functional collaboration between product teams
- Aligning product goals with the company’s broader strategy
- Salary Range in India: ₹40-60 lakh per year (Source: Glassdoor)
15. Director of Product Management
The typical function of a Director of Product Management is that he/she is usually responsible for the entire product management function of a division or even the entire company. You would be overseeing several Product Managers and the overall direction for product development.
- Director of Product Management Roles and Responsibilities:
- Setting the product strategy for a division or the entire company
- Leading a large team of Product Managers
- Working closely with other executives to align product goals with business objectives
- Ensuring the success of the product portfolio
- Director of Product Management Salary Range in India: ₹50-70 lakh per year (Source: AmbitionBox)
16. Principal Product Manager
Principal Product Managers work on the company’s most important and most complex products. The role requires deep product knowledge and a strategic mindset because you will be driving initiatives that have a big impact on the company.
- Principal Product Manager Roles and Responsibilities:
- Leading high-impact product initiatives
- Driving strategy for complex or highly important products
- Working closely with senior leadership to influence company-wide decisions
- Mentoring other Product Managers and shaping the product management culture
Principal Product Manager Salary Range in India: ₹60-85 lakh per year (Source: Payscale)
Executive Level Product Management
Although product managers at the executive level cover a much more diverse set of responsibilities, these roles tend to focus on a managerial level at a more transcending level than just one organization – managerial level. In doing that, the business objectives for the company are aligned with its product strategy. The person in this role will need to have leadership skills, and strategic vision, and be able to collaborate with other executives on how to continue driving the company forward.
17. Head/Vice President of Product
The Head or VP of Product is responsible for overseeing all product-related activities in the company, leading product teams, and ensuring that the product vision aligns with company-wide strategy.
- Vice President of Product Roles and Responsibilities:
- Setting the overall product strategy for the company
- Leading all product teams and ensuring collaboration across functions
- Aligning product goals with business objectives
- Reporting to the executive team and stakeholders on product performance
Vice President of Product Salary Range in India: ₹80 lakh – 1.2 crore per year (Source: Glassdoor)
18. Senior Vice President of Product
The Senior VP of Product plays a much bigger role: long-term strategy, innovation, and work to ensure that all of the product teams are pulling together toward the achievement of the company’s goals.
- Senior Vice President of Product Roles and Responsibilities:
- Leading the entire product organization and ensuring that it is aligned with company strategy
- Focusing on innovation and long-term product vision
- Working closely with the executive leadership team to drive company growth
- Ensuring that product teams are executing the company’s strategy
Senior Vice President of Product Salary Range in India: ₹1.2 – 1.5 crore per year (Source: Payscale)
19. Chief Product Officer (CPO)
The Chief Product Officer is basically the most senior product executive in any company. You will oversee the overall product portfolio-from innovation to execution-so it’s really a very broad, holistic responsibility. Your job is going to be to ensure that product strategy in fact aligns with the long-term goals of the company and that product teams are delivering value.
- Chief Product Officer Roles and Responsibilities:
- Leading product innovation and strategy for the entire company
- Working closely with the CEO and other executives to ensure alignment between product and business goals
- Overseeing the success of all product teams and ensuring that they are delivering on their goals
- Managing the product leadership team and driving the company’s product culture
- Chief Product Officer Salary Range in India: ₹1.5 – 2.5 crore per year (Source: AmbitionBox)
Hopefully, this blog has given you some clarity on the different types of product management roles and what they involve. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to move into a new specialization, understanding what each role brings can help you decide which path is most suitable for you.
Product management is a diverse field, full of opportunities to play to your strengths, whether they lie in technical expertise, user growth, data, or leadership. Wherever your interests take you, there’s a role within product management that can be a perfect fit.
Becoming a Product Manager is a rewarding career path with many growth opportunities in product management. If you’re looking to start your journey, consider the courses offered by Institute of Product Leadership (IPL). IPL provides an on-campus UGC-accredited Executive MBA in product management degree program and live online product management courses to help you build the necessary skills and network to succeed in this field. With the right skills and mentoring you can successfully navigate your journey to becoming a product manager in 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions
A product manager is responsible for overseeing the entire product lifecycle, working closely with teams to ensure the product meets customer needs and business goals.
An associate product manager is an entry-level role in product management. As an associate product manager, you can help the product manager with tasks such as research and documentation. A product manager leads the development and strategy of a product.
The common specializations in product management include many roles like Technical Product Manager, Digital Product Manager, Growth Product Manager, Data Product Manager, Fintech Product Manager, and many more. Of course, each focuses on the specific functions of the product depending upon the industry or type of product
Some common leadership roles in product management include Senior Product Manager, Staff Product Manager, Product Lead, Group Product Manager, Director of Product Management, and Principal Product Manager. They would typically be responsible for managing multiple products and helping in the development of strategies for such products.
The CPO leads the entire product strategy for the company, ensuring that all products align with the company’s goals and helping the company innovate and grow.
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