Types of Product Management Roles

In the previous lesson, we learned about all the different stakeholders that product managers work with, but there are certain specializations that product managers also bring to the team. For example, a product manager with a background in marketing or sales could unlock growth strategies for the product and might be well-suited to work with products that are in the growth life cycle.

There are many different types of product manager roles, and the specific responsibilities vary from company to company. However, some common product manager roles include:

• Growth product manager: Responsible for driving user acquisition and engagement for a product, they often focus on metrics such as user retention and lifetime value.

• Data product manager: Responsible for creating products that leverage data to provide insights or drive business decisions.

• Platform product manager: Responsible for creating a platform that allows other products or services to be built on top of it.

• API product manager: Responsible for creating and maintaining an API that allows external developers to access the functionality of a product or service.

• Business product manager: Responsible for developing a product that meets the needs of a specific business unit or department, and often works closely with sales and marketing teams.

• Technical product manager: Responsible for the technical direction and execution of a product, and often has a background in software engineering or a related field.

• B2B product manager: Responsible for developing products for businesses rather than consumers, and may have a different approach to user research, pricing, and distribution than B2C product managers.

• B2C product manager: Responsible for developing products for consumers, and typically focuses on user experience and design as well as pricing and distribution strategies.

These are just a few examples of the different types of product manager roles that exist. The exact responsibilities and focus of the role can vary depending on the company, industry, and stage of the product.