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Role: Principal Product Manager (IC)
Location: London HQ (Oval) | Hybrid (3 days in office)
Type: Full-time
đ Our vision
Every child deserves a better start toward the best possible future.
The right educator in the right classroom at the right time can change a childâs chances and, at scale, a nationâs trajectory. Yet too much of our education systemâs time, money and talent are lost to inefficiency.
At Zen Educate weâre changing that through technology: helping schools save millions in tight times, helping educators find work that rewards their skills and fits their lives, and building a better-educated society that invests its best in every child.
That outcome (the right educator, in the right classroom, at the right time, everywhere) is our product. The software, tools, systems, processes, and people are how we make it happen.
đ Hi, Iâm Dan Cohen
Iâm the Chief Product Officer here at Zen Educate.
Weâve already helped schools save over ÂŁ30 million so far. That feels great, but honestly it just shows whatâs possible when the system works better and we have a long way to go!
Now weâre scaling fast in the UK and US, and the next chapter is about building the machine that keeps delivering that outcome at scale.
To do that, weâre looking for a Principal Product Manager whoâs outcome-obsessed, data-savvy and happy being in the messy middle where product, people and process meet.
This isnât a people-management role, although it will require a great deal of leadership. Itâs an individual contributor role for a savvy Product Operator who still loves building: defining problems, finding leverage and turning ambiguity into momentum.
If you like figuring things out, getting teams moving and seeing your work directly improve real peopleâs lives, youâll enjoy this.
đ§ What âproductâ means here
At Zen, âproductâ doesnât stop at the software. The software is one part of a much bigger system that connects schools, teachers, data and processes.
Sometimes the right answer is a feature. Sometimes itâs an operational tweak, a better metric or a mindset shift that changes how people work. Youâll care more about the outcome than about what shape the solution takes.
đĄ What youâll be doing
- Frame real problems and find the shortest path to proving or disproving them
- Combine qualitative insight with quantitative data to guide priorities
- Work closely with design, engineering and ops to ship, learn and repeat
- Define success metrics that link to business outcomes
- Keep improving how we do product at Zen through better tools, habits and feedback loops
Youâll be in the thick of it: shaping, testing, talking to users, untangling blockers and helping the team focus on what moves the needle.
𧩠The kind of PM weâre looking for
The kind whoâs calm in the chaos and curious in the unknown.
Youâre a natural mediator who can hold multiple perspectives, keep your head when others are flapping, and help a team find alignment without fuss. You know when to lead and when to let others run with it.
Youâre also a restless learner. You collect ideas and frameworks for fun. Youâre at your best when something is fuzzy and needs shaping into something testable. You get itchy when thereâs too much uncertainty and have a near-compulsive need to turn ambiguity into action. Once itâs clear enough, you move fast.
Youâre probably happiest when youâre learning, shipping and seeing tangible change.
đ The experience we think helps
Thereâs no single route, but itâll help if you have:
- 10+ years building and scaling digital products or systems with measurable impact in a marketplace business, and for extra credit, in EdTech or adjacent verticals or a hybrid physical and digital environment
- Experience running discovery, experiments and delivery end-to-end across a portfolio of product lines
- Setting strategic goals and driving delivery of products or experiences which achieve them
- Comfort working with data (spreadsheets, dashboards, BI systems or SQL if needed)
- Strong collaboration with engineers, designers, operations, sales and growth teams
- Evidence of making complex problems and systems simple and usable
đ What youâll get
- Work that directly improves childrenâs futures
- Competitive salary and stock options
- 25 days holiday plus bank holidays
- Health and life insurance
- Cycle to Work and Electric Vehicle schemes
- Coaching and development support
- A culture that values clarity, pace and sustainability alongside human kindness and understanding
đ€ How we hire
We keep it simple:
Intro chat â a real conversation, not a quiz
Product deep dive â how you think, what youâve built, what youâve learned
Competency and behavioural based interview
Task and meet the team!
Weâll tell you whatâs great, whatâs still messy and where youâll have an impact. We expect you to do the same.
If youâre excited by the idea of building the machine that gets the right educator into the right classroom at the right time, letâs talk.
đ Diversity & inclusionÂ
At Zen, we strive to build a culture of equity and inclusion, where everyone is respected, valued and appreciated for their unique traits, experiences and perspectives. We are committed to creating a safe, inclusive and equitable environment where our team can thrive, regardless of age, ethnicity, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, disability, religion or beliefs. We value our differences and believe that practices of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion help us create a fairer, more compassionate environment for all.Â
We welcome applicants with diverse backgrounds and different experiences and perspectives, just like the staff who teach through Zen and the children at the schools we work with. We believe in hiring the best people from the widest pool and creating an inclusive culture where peopleâs voices are heard and all our team can look forward to coming to work.Â
We are committed to building a team that reflects the diversity of our community and promoting an equitable and inclusive environment for all. We seek out diverse opinions, beliefs, and experiences because they collectively make us stronger; weâve had former teachers, pilots, fundraisers, engineers, lawyers, marketers, social media experts and more join our team.
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