Product Manager

Afficiency is a rapidly growing Insurtech startup whose mission is to provide life insurance to everyone on the platforms they already trust. Located in NYC, we design life insurance products that can be purchased entirely digitally and can be easily embedded into distribution platforms or with agents who sell insurance. The company is experiencing exponential growth and is well-funded. We are looking for new team members to join us on our journey to shake up the life insurance industry. We need individuals who bring passion, curiosity, and a desire for excellence.

We are seeking a self-starter; a proactive and self-motivated individual who thrives in a dynamic environment and can independently initiate and drive projects to completion.

Job Overview

We are seeking a proactive and accountable Product Manager to serve as the single point of contact for engineers and stakeholders. This role blends the essentials of Product Management and Product Ownership, combining nuts-and-bolts queue management with strategic oversight of key projects. The Product Manager will take ownership of the full development lifecycle, ensuring seamless communication, accountability for technical issues, and alignment with business goals. If you thrive in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment and excel at driving both strategy and execution, we’d love to hear from you!

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as the sole point of contact for engineers seeking clarity, guidance, or direction.
• Take full responsibility for technical platform issues, proactively driving solutions and ensuring timely resolution.
• Own and refine the backlog, balancing immediate priorities with long-term strategic goals.
• Drive, implement, and own Scrum processes, ensuring team adherence to agile principles and fostering continuous improvement.
• Manage queue workflows for development tasks, ensuring transparency and efficiency across the board.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to deliver production releases, including release planning, refinement, and execution.
• Align technical and business priorities to ensure projects support overarching company goals.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to develop and communicate a clear vision for assigned projects.
• Translate business needs into actionable user stories, acceptance criteria, and requirements.
• Drive strategic discussions to identify opportunities for innovation, while staying grounded in practical implementation.
• Lead efforts to enhance existing workflows, implementing process improvements that benefit engineering and business teams.
• Act as a bridge between technical teams and business units, ensuring effective communication and alignment.
• Understand and manage the nuances of technology platforms, accepting their imperfections while championing improvements.
• Partner with engineers to evaluate technical constraints and trade-offs, balancing feasibility with impact.

Must Have

• Proven experience as a Product Manager, Product Owner, or similar role in a technology-driven environment.
• Strong understanding of Agile/Scrum methodologies with experience implementing and driving Scrum processes.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to distill complex technical concepts into actionable plans.
• Demonstrated ability to own and resolve technical platform issues, ensuring accountability and follow-through.
• Experience managing backlogs, prioritizing features, and balancing competing demands from various stakeholders.
• Ability to blend strategic thinking with tactical execution, juggling priorities across multiple projects.
• Familiarity with production release processes, including planning, refinement, and execution.

What We Offer  

• Hybrid work environment.
• Competitive salary with equity options.
• Robust health, dental, and vision benefits for employee and dependents.
• 401k matching contributions.
• Generous PTO policy.
• Stipend to purchase work-from-home equipment.
• Work at a supportive and fast-growing startup with a fantastic team. 
• Environment to learn from other team members, grow a business from the ground up.  
• Support in developing your skills and accelerating your career quickly.  
• Opportunity to make an impact in the lives of tens of millions of consumers and get families the protection they need.   

Work Arrangement

Hybrid-work environment must be located in the NYC metro area, in office 2 days a week.

Salary  

$90,000-120,000 annually, commensurate with experience.

Afficiency is an equal opportunity employer.