Product Management - Leadership

This job family represents all Managers in the Product Management department.

This job family represents all Managers in the Product Management department. They are responsible for managing, directly or indirectly GitLab team members performing in the role of Product Manager. These roles are responsible for managing and building teams which focus on specific specialties as part of GitLab’s product hierarchy (sometimes encompassing entire stages or a section).

References

At A Glance

	GPM (M3)	SGPM (M4)	Director (M5)	Sr Director (M6)
Scope	PMs within a stage, focused on team execution and PM development	PMs and/or GPMs across stage(s); multiplies team effectiveness at scale	GPMs, SGPMs, and PMs across a section; sets the operating model	Multiple sections or full sub-department; shapes organizational strategy and structure
Time Horizon	2–4 quarters	4–6 quarters with 2–3 year vision	12–18 months with 3-year vision cycle	2–3 years with long-range organizational vision
Strategy	Ensures PMs maintain strategy docs; coaches strategic thinking	Develops 2–3 year vision; integrates monetization and packaging	Drives section strategy framework; establishes decision architecture	Shapes sub-department strategy; aligns across sections and company OKRs
Customer & Market	Holds PMs accountable to customer engagement; joins key meetings	Builds systematic insight approaches across teams; product walk-throughs	Sets customer insight standards across the sub-department	Establishes org-wide customer intelligence systems; represents GitLab with strategic partners
Outcomes	PMs measured by adoption and business outcomes, not feature volume	Measurable business impact: ARR growth, adoption, retention	Sub-department measured by impact; owns section-level KPIs	Drives durable organizational outcomes; accountable for division-level business results
Data	Ensures leading indicators defined; teams can articulate strategy	Analyzes GTM metrics; drives R&D and GTM interaction improvements	Manages adoption funnels; informs pricing/packaging decisions	Defines measurement standards across sections; leads data-driven investment decisions
Cross-Functional	Convenes stable counterparts within stage; GTM partnership on Use Cases	Drives high-impact workstreams beyond direct area; cross-group single-app experience	Champions cross-functional model; trusted partner to peer Directors	Operates as a strategic peer to VPs and C-suite; drives company-wide alignment
Execution	Manages team capacity; removes blockers; routine operational decisions	Resolves crises independently; higher risk/complexity decisions	Sets sub-department objectives; resolves highly complex business challenges	Defines operating rhythms across sections; leads organizational transformation
Leadership	Coaches PMs as decision-makers; models GitLab values	Recognized internally/externally; shapes PM function priorities; fosters values across org	Elevates PM culture; develops decision-makers and outcome drivers; champions values	Builds leadership bench; develops Directors; embeds values and high-performance culture at scale

Levels

Group Product Manager (GPM)

Job Grade: M3

GPMs manage Product Managers as decision-makers accountable for their groups’ investments and outcomes. They ensure teams are customer-focused, strategy-aligned, and measured by impact — not output.

Scope: Product Managers across related product areas within a stage.

Time Horizon: 2–4 quarters aligned with stage strategy.

Product Strategy & Ownership

Ensures each PM maintains an approved strategy document that is reviewed at least twice per year
Coaches PMs as strategic operators with clear points of view on what value to build and why
Enables PMs to make tradeoffs on behalf of the company, ensuring the right product gets built

Customer Insight & Engagement

Holds PMs accountable to conduct regular customer meetings each quarter with insights tied to the roadmap
Joins customer meetings regularly; ensures PMs are field-connected through Sales, CS, and Support
Point-of-contact for escalated accounts; ensures most escalations are resolved at their level

Outcome-Driven

Ensures PMs are measured by adoption, customer satisfaction, and business outcomes — not feature volume
Monitors the adoption funnel across groups
Coaches PMs on ruthless prioritization — focusing on what drives the biggest impact

Data & Insights

Ensures PMs partner with Analytics on defining and validating success metrics
Ensures teams create actionable leading indicators, not only lagging KPIs
Ensures team members can articulate the product strategy and their role in delivering it

Cross-Functional Leadership & Collaboration

Convenes stable counterparts within stage; partners with GTM on assigned Use Cases
Ensures PMs collaborate with UX Research, Design, and Engineering while owning what/why
Cascades strategy to the team; represents the product group’s direction to stakeholders

Operational Excellence

Manages team capacity and removes blockers; makes routine operational decisions
Models “right level of detail” — deep enough to uncover risks without drowning in noise
Escalates issues cleanly to appropriate levels when decisions or progress are blocked

Innovation & Thought Leadership

Coaches PMs as decision-makers, not backlog groomers
Develops PMs’ ability to synthesize inputs, make tradeoffs, and own outcomes
Models GitLab values across the stage; fosters a culture of accountability and craft

Senior Group Product Manager (SGPM)

Job Grade: M4

SGPMs lead PMs and GPMs as decision-makers driving material business impact. They shape product vision, ensure customer obsession at scale, and multiply team effectiveness.

Scope: PMs and/or GPMs across stage(s) or sub-department.

Time Horizon: 4–6 quarters with a 2–3 year product vision.

Product Strategy & Ownership

Develops long-range plans (2–3 year vision) affecting major areas with cross-functional alignment
Integrates monetization and packaging into product strategy
Proposes and completes appropriate global optimizations of R&D investment

Customer Insight & Engagement

Builds systematic approaches to customer insight gathering that scale across multiple teams
Ensures regular customer engagement is maintained across the organization
Performs product walk-throughs to highlight opportunities for improved cross-group workflows

Outcome-Driven

Demonstrates measurable business impact (ARR growth, adoption, engagement, retention)
Ensures teams define success metrics pre-launch and conduct retrospectives
Demonstrates ability to pivot or stop low-value work early

Data & Insights

Analyzes GTM metrics and proposes improvements to R&D and GTM interactions
Ensures teams build an organization-wide understanding of success metrics
Identifies leading indicators at the stage/section level and uses them to drive investment decisions

Cross-Functional Leadership & Collaboration

Partners on multiple Use Cases; aligns senior engineering and cross-functional leaders
Drives cross-functional, high-impact business workstreams outside the direct area of ownership
Collaborates across peer groups to create single-app experiences, solving the job-to-be-done

Operational Excellence

Resolves crises independently; makes tactical decisions at higher risk/complexity
Maintains priorities for and champions acquisitions impacting product maturity
Ensures adequate career coaching is available to all PMs in the organization

Innovation & Thought Leadership

Recognized thought leader internally and externally; represents Section Direction
Contributes strategic improvements to how the Product Leadership Team operates
Shapes priorities of the Product Management function; fosters GitLab values across the organization

Group Manager, Product (GMP) - Hiring Process

Candidates for this position can generally expect the hiring process to follow the order below. Note that as candidates indicate preference or aptitude for one or more specialties, the hiring process will be adjusted to suit. Please keep in mind that candidates can be declined from the position at any stage of the process.

Selected candidates will be invited to schedule a 30 minute screening call with one of our Technical Recruiters
Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 60 minute first interview with a Director of Product
Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute peer interview with an Engineering Manager
Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute deep dive interview with a member of the Product team
Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute direct report panel interview with members of the Product team
Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute fifth interview with a VP of Product or above

Director of Product Management

This role typically manages 4-6 direct reports, including Product Managers and Group Managers of Product Management, and reports to either a Senior Director of Product Management or the VP of Product Management.

Director of Product Management - Responsibilities

Job Grade: M5

Directors lead across sections, driving organization-wide initiatives and establishing the operating model for how product teams work. They are accountable for section-level business outcomes and recognized as strategic partners across the company.

Scope: GPMs, SGPMs, and PMs across a section or multiple stages.

Time Horizon: 12–18 months with a 3-year product vision cycle.

Product Strategy & Ownership

Drives section strategy framework; establishes the decision architecture that enables consistent, high-quality choices across the organization
Translates company strategy into actionable product investment priorities across stages
Leads evaluation of major strategic bets, partnerships, and build/buy/partner decisions within the section

Customer Insight & Engagement

Establishes systematic customer insight standards across the sub-department
Represents GitLab in strategic conversations with key enterprise customers and partners
Ensures the organization maintains deep field connectivity across Sales, CS, and Support at scale

Outcome-Driven

Ensures the sub-department is measured by impact, not output — sets the standard for outcome-driven PM culture
Owns section-level KPIs and business outcomes; holds GPMs and SGPMs accountable to results
Identifies and acts on signals that investment should be reallocated or work stopped

Data & Insights

Manages adoption funnels across the section; uses data to drive investment and prioritization decisions
Collaborates on pricing and packaging decisions with cross-functional partners
Establishes the measurement standards and analytics frameworks used across the section

Cross-Functional Leadership & Collaboration

Champions the cross-functional operating model across the section; recognized as a trusted partner by peer Directors
Drives alignment across product, engineering, design, and GTM at the section level
Represents product priorities to senior leadership; influences company-level trade-off decisions

Operational Excellence

Sets sub-department objectives and operating rhythms; resolves highly complex business challenges
Builds and maintains a high-performing team; removes systemic blockers to execution
Models operational excellence in planning cycles — annual, quarterly, and monthly

Innovation & Thought Leadership

Elevates PM culture across the section by developing decision-makers, storytellers, and outcome drivers
Internally and externally represents GitLab at conferences; demonstrates GitLab’s leadership in the space
Champions GitLab values at the organizational level; builds a culture of accountability, craft, and inclusion

Director of Product Management - Hiring Process

Selected candidates will be invited to schedule a 30 minute screening call with one of our Technical Recruiters
Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 60 minute first interview with the VP of Product Management
Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute second peer interview with a Product Director
Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute third interview with another member of the Product team
Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute fourth peer interview with an Engineering Director
Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute fifth interview with a Product or Engineering Director or above
Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute Deep Dive interview with a Product Director
Finally, candidates may be asked to schedule a 50 minute final interview with our CEO

Senior Director of Product Management

This role typically manages 4-6 direct reports, including Product Managers, Group Managers of Product Management, and Directors of Product Management, and reports to the VP of Product Management.

Job Grade: M6

Senior Directors shape organizational strategy across multiple sections or a full sub-department. They operate as peers to VPs and C-suite partners, drive long-range investment decisions, and build the leadership bench that sustains GitLab’s product ambition.

Scope: GPMs, SGPMs, Directors, and PMs across multiple sections or a full sub-department.

Time Horizon: 2–3 years with a long-range organizational vision.

Product Strategy & Ownership

Shapes sub-department strategy; integrates across sections to ensure coherent, company-aligned investment priorities
Leads long-range product planning cycles; anticipates market shifts and positions the organization to respond
Champions platform-level and cross-section initiatives that create durable competitive advantage

Customer Insight & Engagement

Establishes org-wide customer intelligence systems that scale across sections and inform strategic decisions
Builds and maintains relationships with key strategic partners, analysts, and enterprise customers at the executive level
Ensures the organization stays ahead of market trends; synthesizes intelligence into actionable strategy

Outcome-Driven

Accountable for business outcomes across multiple sections; drives durable improvements in ARR, adoption, and retention
Ensures Directors are managing for impact and outcome — not activity or output
Makes and owns high-stakes investment decisions with significant organizational and business consequences

Data & Insights

Defines measurement standards and investment frameworks used across sections
Leads data-driven decisions on build/buy/partner opportunities at the sub-department level
Identifies and validates emerging market opportunities; brings financial and market proof to strategic bets

Cross-Functional Leadership & Collaboration

Operates as a strategic peer to VPs and C-suite; drives company-wide alignment on product priorities
Leads cross-functional initiatives requiring alignment across product, engineering, sales, marketing, and finance
Resolves complex organizational challenges that span multiple sections or functional areas

Operational Excellence

Defines the operating model and planning cadences across sections; ensures consistency and quality at scale
Leads organizational transformation efforts — structural, process, or cultural — that improve how the org ships
Builds succession depth; ensures Directors are developed and ready for expanded scope

Innovation & Thought Leadership

Recognized externally as a leader in the product management discipline; speaks at industry events and contributes to the field
Drives M&A evaluation and recommendation at the sub-department level; champions strategic investments
Embeds GitLab values and high-performance culture at scale; develops Directors as culture carriers and leaders

Senior Director of Product Management - Hiring Process

Selected candidates will be invited to schedule a 30 minute screening call with one of our Technical Recruiters
Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 60 minute first interview with the VP of Product Management
Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute second peer interview with a Product Director
Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute third interview with another member of the Product team
Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute fourth peer interview with an Engineering Director
Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute fifth interview with a Product or Engineering Director or above
Next, candidates will be invited to schedule a 45 minute Deep Dive interview with a Product Director
Finally, candidates may be asked to schedule a 50 minute final interview with our CEO

About GitLab

GitLab is an open core software company that develops the most comprehensive AI-powered DevSecOps Platform, used by more than 100,000 organizations. Our mission is to enable everyone to contribute to and co-create the software that powers our world. When everyone can contribute, consumers become contributors, significantly accelerating the rate of human progress. This mission is integral to our culture, influencing how we hire, build products, and lead our industry. We make this possible at GitLab by running our operations on our product and staying aligned with our values. Learn more about Life at GitLab. Thanks to products like Duo Enterprise, and Duo Workflow, customers get the benefit of AI at every stage of the SDLC. The same principles built into our products are reflected in how our team works: we embrace AI as a core productivity multiplier. All team members are encouraged and expected to incorporate AI into their daily workflows to drive efficiency, innovation, and impact across our global organisation.

See our culture page for more!

Work remotely from anywhere in the world. Curious to see what that looks like? Check out our remote manifesto and guides.

Last modified April 9, 2026: Remove trailing spaces (edd8c656)

View page source - Edit this page - please contribute.