Confluent - Senior Product Manager, Kafka Connect

Introduction At IBM Software, we transform client challenges into solutions. Building the world’s leading AI-powered, cloud-native products that shape the future of business and society. Our legacy of innovation creates endless opportunities for IBMers to learn, grow, and make an impact on a global scale. Working in Software means joining a team fueled by curiosity and collaboration. You’ll work with diverse technologies, partners, and industries to design, develop, and deliver solutions that power digital transformation. With a culture that values innovation, growth, and continuous learning, IBM Software places you at the heart of IBM’s product and technology landscape. Here, you’ll have the tools and opportunities to advance your career while creating software that changes the world. Your Role And Responsibilities About the Role: As a Senior Product Manager in the Kafka Connect team at Confluent, you’ll contribute to the mission of building the world’s best data streaming platform. You will help drive Confluent Connect’s Enterprise feature portfolio. You will also be responsible for enabling seamless, enterprise-grade integration between Kafka and common external systems, and supporting on-premise deployments and managed services in Confluent Cloud. You are expected to use or introduce AI/ML capabilities for the features you are building or enhancing. You will be working with the field on many GTM initiatives and be the focal point for customer success. What You Will Do • You’ll be responsible for the success of a major product initiative, from initial conception and customer development to growth strategy. • You’ll become the trusted resource for your product, making sure that the engineering, design, sales, and marketing have what they need to make the right trade-offs, build the right product, and grow it successfully in the market. Preferred Education Master's Degree Required Technical And Professional Expertise • 5+ years of experience as a software product manager, ideally for an Enterprise technical product • Empathy for our enterprise customers, and a passion for solving their problems with the software, sometimes being hands-on. • Ability to craft a product strategy and roadmap in concert with customers, engineering, design, and go-to-market teams • Excellent communication skills, including the ability to distill technical concepts to a non-technical audience • Strong technical competency, especially with distributed data systems, public and private clouds, and stream processing • Experience with a modern integration platform is a plus • Experience with Enterprise software features like security, networking, observability is a plus • MBA is a strong plus • Bachelor's, Master’s, or Ph.D. in Computer Science or related technical field Preferred Technical And Professional Experience • Expertise in Market Analysis: Experience with analyzing market trends, customer needs, and competitor activity to inform product definition and stay ahead of competitors. • Product Roadmap Development: Experience in defining product roadmaps, pricing, and ecosystem strategies to achieve market leadership, including developing and executing product plans. • Cross-Functional Team Collaboration: Experience managing and guiding cross-functional teams, including design, product marketing, ecosystem partners, analysts, engineering, sales, and services teams, to deliver successful products.