Director of Product Operations, Confluent
$277.5-333k
+ Equity
Data streaming platform
Be an early applicant
Data streaming platform
1001+ employees
Be an early applicant
$277.5-333k
+ Equity
1001+ employees
Company mission
To help every organization harness data in motion so they can compete and thrive in the modern world.
Role
Who you are
- 8+ years in Product Management, Product Operations, or Program Management, with at least 3 years in a leadership or people management capacity
- Ability to look at a messy, fragmented set of activities and instantly visualize the clean, elegant system that can replace it. You are expert at mapping workflows and identifying leverage points
- Proven track record of driving lasting adoption of new processes across large, diverse teams, using masterful communication, empathy, and strategic repetition
- Ability to translate the CPO’s high-level strategic intent into concrete, tactical plans for the team. You are a trusted partner capable of confidently interfacing with leadership across Engineering, Sales, and Marketing
- Experience in partnering with data analysts and engineers to design and build reliable dashboarding and insight infrastructure
What the job involves
- We are looking for a Director of Product Operations, reporting to our Chief Product Officer, to serve as the Chief Architect of our Product ecosystem
- You will treat our internal processes, rhythms, and rituals as a high-value product, with our Product Managers as your primary "customers.
- Your mission is to design a frictionless, scalable environment where PMs can dedicate their energy to understanding customers and defining strategy, rather than navigating ambiguity
- This is a leadership opportunity for someone who wants to leave a lasting mark
- Unify Our Core Rhythms: Centralize ownership of mission-critical processes (like New Product Introduction and the Product Development Lifecycle) to ensure they are driven by a strong Product Strategy
- Bridge Strategy to Action: Close the gap between leadership vision and team execution, ensuring that strategic decisions are seamlessly translated into adopted, working processes across the entire organization
- Elevate Our Planning: Transform our planning cycles from events we react to into deliberate, impactful drivers that position the Product organization for success
- Design the Product Operating System: Treat the Product Development Lifecycle (e.g., PRFAQ, PRD, NPI) as a product. Continuously iterate based on PM feedback to eliminate friction and maximize velocity
- Drive Strategic Alignment: Act as Chief of Staff to the CPO, translating strategic intent into clear execution. Lead the coordination and preparation for major company ceremonies (QBRs, All-Hands)
- Own the Narrative & Standards: Develop high-impact executive communications and presentations for the CPO. Define and enforce the "Gold Standard" for product artifacts and team rituals
- Master Change Management: Design and lead the rollout of all new processes, ensuring PMs understand the why and have a seamless adoption experience
- Centralize Data & Tools: Establish a Single Source of Truth for product analytics. Strategically manage and optimize the core Product tech stack (Jira, Mixpanel, etc.) to enable workflows
- Lead and Mentor: The Product Operations team, shifting the focus from reactive execution to proactive, visionary system design
Our take
Confluent is a commercial company built on top of the open-source Apache Kafka project. Confluent and Kafka have developed a streaming data technology that processes massive amounts of information in real-time. The streaming database technology was developed at LinkedIn as a way of moving massive amounts of messages. The company decided to open-source that tech in 2011, and Confluent launched as the commercial arm in 2014.
While the base open-source component remains available for free download, it doesn’t include the additional tooling the company has built to make it easier for enterprises to use Kafka. Confluent's value add is in those additional tools, including a cloud version of the product and a marketplace for sharing extensions to the platform.
Confluent expanded strategic partnerships with Microsoft and acquired Immerok, and in 2023 expanded its cloud platform. 2024 saw further product expansions with the launch of the Confluent Migration Accelerator, all exemplifying how the company is living up to its name by rocket-boosting the benefits of Apache Kafka integration for companies.
Now, it looks like IBM is eyeing the company for acquisition and Confluent looks to be a natural fit. Long positioned as the real-time backbone behind modern application, Confluent would gain global scale and an even deeper enterprise reach under iBM, while cementing its role at the center of AI-driven architectures. For COnfluent, the deal would marka shift from fast-growing independent disruptor to foundational infrastructure player powering the next wave of enterprise AI.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
Company
Funding (last 2 of 5 rounds)
Apr 2020
$250m
SERIES E
Jan 2019
$125m
SERIES D
Total funding: $455.9m
Company HQ
Old Mountain View, Mountain View, CA
Leadership
Jay Kreps
(Co-Founder & CEO)Prior to co-founding Confluent in 2014, Jay spent 7 years at LinkedIn, holding various roles including Principal Engineer and Principal Staff Engineer.
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