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Founding Product Manager Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Founding Product Manager

New York, NY · On-site

$190K - $210K/yr

We are looking for a Product Manager who wants to build real products, move fast, and take ownership early. You will help define how AI changes one of the largest industries in the world. What You'll ...

Founding Product Manager Location: NYC, onsite 5 days/week. This is a full-time, in-person opportunity located in the NoHo neighborhood of Manhattan with a high-growth technology business ...

About The Role As our founding Product Designer, you will work closely with our product management, engineering, and lending operations teams to create simple, elegant, and thoughtful experiences for ...

Founding Product Designer

New York, NY · On-site

$170K - $220K/yr

As our founding product designer, you'll shape our design philosophy, systems, and execution. You ... Partner tightly with engineering, Product Management, and the CEO to drive product strategy ...

Role overview GovWell is hiring a Founding Product Marketing Manager to own how we position, message, and bring our products to market. As we scale our engineering and product teams, this role ...

Our product is a complete security program that automates device management, endpoint security ... About The Role As a Founding Product Lead at Zip Security, you'll be one of the earliest product ...

Founding Product Designer

New York, NY · On-site

$180K - $200K/yr

Read more about our founding story in TechCrunch. ☀ Why GovWell? * A mission that matters ... Partner closely with Product Management on roadmap sequencing and UX strategy to ensure cross-team ...

Founding Product Director

Mountain View, CA

$274K - $287K/yr

The Role We are looking for a Founding Product Director who thrives in the 0-to-1 phase. You are a ... The "Startup Native" Pedigree: 8+ years in Product Management, with at least 3 years in an early ...

This is a 6 month Contract to extend if needed About the Role As the founding Product Manager on our client?s new Digital AI Team , you?ll translate business goals, customer needs, and technical ...

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Founding Product Manager information

See salary details

$51.5K

$159.4K

$197K

How much do founding product manager jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 12, 2026, the average yearly pay for founding product manager in the United States is $159,405.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $141,000.00 and $197,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Founding Product Manager vs Product Manager?

AspectFounding Product ManagerProduct Manager
CredentialsExperience in startups, product development, and sometimes technical backgroundTypically requires experience in product lifecycle, market research, and cross-functional collaboration
Work EnvironmentEarly-stage startups, high autonomy, broad responsibilitiesEstablished companies or growing teams, focused on specific product areas
Employer & Industry UsageStartups, tech companies, entrepreneurial venturesTech firms, consumer goods, SaaS companies
Search & Comparison IntentUnderstanding startup roles, early product leadershipStandard product management roles, career progression

The main difference is that a Founding Product Manager leads product development at a startup's inception, often wearing multiple hats and shaping the company's product vision. A Product Manager typically works within established organizations, managing specific products or features with more defined responsibilities.

What unique challenges can a Founding Product Manager expect when building products in an early-stage startup?

As a Founding Product Manager, you’ll often face the challenge of working with limited resources and ambiguous requirements, as early-stage startups typically have evolving priorities and smaller teams. You’ll likely wear multiple hats, closely collaborating with founders, engineers, and designers to define the product vision and quickly iterate on feedback. This environment demands strong adaptability, proactive problem-solving, and a willingness to validate assumptions through rapid experimentation. Being comfortable with change and uncertainty is essential, but these challenges also offer the unique opportunity to shape the company’s product strategy and culture from the ground up.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Founding Product Manager, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Founding Product Manager, you need strong product strategy, market analysis, and cross-functional leadership skills, typically backed by experience in product management or startup environments. Familiarity with tools like Jira, Figma, analytics platforms, and agile methodologies is commonly required. Exceptional communication, adaptability, and entrepreneurial mindset are vital soft skills for this role. These capabilities are crucial for driving early-stage product success, aligning diverse teams, and quickly iterating in dynamic startup settings.

What is a Founding Product Manager?

A Founding Product Manager is an early team member, often one of the first hires, responsible for shaping the product vision and strategy at a startup. They work closely with the founders to define the product roadmap, gather user feedback, and prioritize features to help achieve product-market fit. Unlike traditional product managers, Founding Product Managers often wear multiple hats, contributing to areas like user research, design, and even marketing. Their decisions can significantly influence the trajectory of the company, making this a highly impactful and entrepreneurial role.
More about Founding Product Manager jobs
What cities are hiring for Founding Product Manager jobs? Cities with the most Founding Product Manager job openings:
What states have the most Founding Product Manager jobs? States with the most job openings for Founding Product Manager jobs include:
Infographic showing various Founding Product Manager job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 86% Full Time, 13% Part Time, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 92% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 6% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $159,405 per year, or $76.6 per hour.

Founding Product Manager

Rebar

New York, NY • On-site

$190K - $210K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision

Posted 6 days ago


Job description

About Rebar
Rebar is building the AI operating system for commercial HVAC, Electrical, and Plumbing.
Over the past year our quoting platform has processed tens of thousands of projects across North America and we've doubled our revenue in the first 6 weeks of this year. Our customers include many of the top firms in the industry. Some of these companies are running billion dollar construction projects on workflows that still look like it's 1985.
Construction is 10% of GDP and still massively underserved by software. We are changing that.
We recently raised a $14M Series A from leading construction tech investors and are entering our next phase of growth. We are building a set of AI native products that will define how this industry operates.
We are looking for a Product Manager who wants to build real products, move fast, and take ownership early. You will help define how AI changes one of the largest industries in the world.
What You'll Do
This is product hire #1.
You'll work closely with the founders to help shape Rebar's product direction-what we build today, next month, and over the long term.
Our customers rely on Rebar throughout their entire workday, and feedback is constant, direct, and grounded in real workflows. You'll spend time talking with users, understanding how they work, and helping ensure we stay focused on the highest-impact problems.
This is a hands-on, high-ownership role. It's a great fit for someone who wants to learn quickly, take initiative, and contribute to building something meaningful from the ground up.
You will:
  • Partner closely with founders to drive product decisions and execution
  • Engage regularly with customers to understand workflows and pain points
  • Identify and prioritize high-impact problems to solve
  • Improve and expand the core product experience
  • Contribute to launching new products and features
  • Turn customer feedback into clear, actionable product direction
  • Help build and refine how we plan and ship product
  • Collaborate with engineering and design to iterate quickly and deliver high-quality work
  • Support alignment across customer and internal feedback

Who This Role Is For
This role is for someone who likes talking to users, identifying real problems, and turning them into products.
You'll thrive here if you:
  • Enjoy working in fast-moving environments where priorities evolve
  • Are comfortable navigating ambiguity and figuring things out as you go
  • Take ownership of your work and follow through on outcomes
  • Care about building products that have real-world impact

This role may be especially interesting if you:
  • Are curious about starting a company one day
  • Want to work closely with founders and experienced builders
  • Are looking for early ownership in a growing company
  • Are motivated by learning quickly and taking on new challenges
Experience
We're looking for someone with 3+ years of product experience, but we care most about your ability to build, learn, and execute.
We're excited about candidates from a range of backgrounds, including:
  • Software or mechanical engineers who moved into product
  • Product managers in vertical SaaS or construction tech
  • People who have worked on complex, real-world workflows

You might be a strong fit if you have:
  • Experience contributing to shipped products
  • Thoughtful product judgment and decision-making skills
  • Comfort working through ambiguity and evolving priorities
  • Strong organizational and communication skills
  • Familiarity with common product and collaboration tools (e.g., Linear, Jira, Figma, Miro, etc.)

Helpful but not required:
  • Experience with AI-driven products or workflows

More than any specific background, we value the ability to take a messy problem and turn it into a shipped product that delivers real value.
Compensation and Benefits
  • Salary: $190K-210K depending on experience
  • Equity: Meaningful equity package
  • Medical, dental, and vision coverage
  • Free lunches and dinners

This is a full time onsite role in New York City in the Flatiron district.