Product Manager
2 days ago
City of London
Company Description Sownd Affects is developing the world's first Audio Inclusivity Certification Standard. Built on the insight that 60% of the adult population are noise sensitive, we are on a mission to change how people experience sound where we live, work and socialise and to inspire venues to build spaces that are enjoyable for everyone, starting with the noise sensitive. Our work combines acoustics expertise, behavioural insight and modern software systems to create a new global standard for sound in social spaces. We have just launched and are in a fast growth phase, building out our tech platform to onboard partners and clients and manage the certification process end to end. Role Description This role exists to own the product roadmap for our certification platform so it’s adopted by our partners and their clients and translate business goals, partner needs and client feedback into a focused, sensibly sequenced roadmap that moves the business forward. Our approach is unique because the beneficiary is always the end user. You will sit at the centre of the team, working closely with our lead developer to deliver software that helps onboard partners and spaces, generate certifications and accelerate engagement on the platform both web and mobile. This is a pivotal role replacing our outgoing fractional Product lead, and it offers a clear path from mid level to senior PM as the business scales. We are a small team that moves fast, ships often and uses AI tools aggressively to increase speed and quality. We need a PM who is comfortable with ambiguity, can think lean, and is happy to roll up their sleeves on design, QA and user research when needed. Engagement and compensation Compensation suited to a mid level Product Manager (2 to 5 years experience) looking to step up to a senior role. Here's what else you can expect: • 🇬🇧 UK based, hybrid working - monthly in-person days in London, the rest flexible, • ⏱️ Core hours overlap between 10am and 4pm, Monday to Friday, • 📅 August 2026 start preferred, • 🔄 Full time contract with the aim to convert to a permanent role after 2 months, • 🚀 Clear path from mid level to senior PM as the business scales, • 🤖 AI-native workflows - we expect you to use AI tools aggressively in your day to day, • 🎯 Meaningful influence over what we build and how we build it What the role involves You will own the product roadmap end to end - balancing partner, client and internal team needs, prioritising lean, and writing the specs that the development team builds from. Key Accountabilities • Roadmap Ownership: Own the product roadmap for our certification platform, balancing partner, client and internal team needs., • User Research: Conduct user research with partners, clients and experts to surface real problems and validate solutions., • Lean Prioritisation: Prioritise features using a lean, test and learn approach so we focus on what moves the business forward., • Specs & User Stories: Write clear, concise specs and user stories that the development team can build from with minimal back and forth., • Delivery Management: Manage multiple workstreams in parallel across web and mobile, keeping delivery on track and stakeholders informed., • Hands-On Design & Prototyping: Get hands on with design when needed, including using AI prototyping tools to rapidly mock up and test ideas., • QA & Acceptance Testing: Run QA and acceptance testing on web and mobile outputs before release, catching issues before partners and clients do., • AI-Native Workflow and Automation: Use AI tools across the product workflow to accelerate research synthesis, spec writing, prototyping and analysis., • Metrics & Iteration: Track product metrics and feed insight back into the roadmap so we iterate based on evidence, not opinion., • Strategy: Partner with the Founder and CTO to shape product strategy as we move from MVP to scale. A bit about you You're an exceptional product thinker, communicator and operator who thrives on turning ambiguity into focused, well-sequenced delivery. You understand how to balance partner, client and business needs, and how AI can accelerate every part of the product workflow. What you bring (Essential) • 2 to 5 years of product management experience, ideally in a fast moving environment, • Demonstrable experience using AI tools day to day in your product work (research, writing, prototyping, analysis), • Strong user research skills and a clear approach to prioritising features under constraint, • Comfortable getting hands on in design and prototyping when needed, including with AI design tools, • Strategic mindset with the ability to plan lean, sensibly sequenced roadmaps that test, validate and iterate, • Strong project management skills with experience running multiple projects in parallel, • Good understanding of both web and mobile, with the rigour to thoroughly test and QA outputs, • Excellent written and verbal communication, comfortable engaging directly with founders, developers and clients Bonus points for... • Preferred: Prop tech experience or experience building products for the built environment, real estate, hospitality or workplace sectors, • Start up experience, particularly at the 0 to 1 or early growth stage, • Experience launching a new category or standard into a market, • Experience working with technical or engineering inputs (e.g. acoustic, structural, environmental data), • Familiarity with certification, audit or compliance style workflows, • Interest in audio, acoustics, accessibility or workplace wellbeing, • You or someone you know are noise sensitive. Our process We've designed our hiring process to be thorough but respectful of your time: • Submit your interest or send your CV to careers@sownd.co.uk along with a short message telling us why you want to work with us, what excites you about the mission, and a few examples of how you use AI tools in your product work., • Short introductory call - get to know each other., • Deeper conversation covering a recent product you have shipped, how you prioritised it and what you learned., • Take-home exercise based on a real Sownd Affects scenario, followed by a working session with the Founder and Lead Developer., • Final culture fit call with the founder, • Decision + feedback - transparency always. Timeline • August 2026 start preferred, • No recruiters, please Salary range £50k to £65k, willing to accommodate based on experience and fit.