Product Director

We are looking for a Product Director who will independently decide what training to offer for IT specialists and companies, and earn based on the results of their product line.

Slerom is a training center for IT specialists. Since 2018, we have trained over 80,000 engineers and developers. We have more than 50 programs: DevOps, Kubernetes, Linux, SRE, Python for engineers, AI. We train both individual specialists and corporate IT teams. The entire company works remotely.

Role Responsibilities

Understand what training individual clients and B2B clients want to buy today, and create products that sell well. The product line must stay within its budget (calculated as a percentage of revenue), and existing courses must be delivered on time.

What You Will Get

A product line of five existing courses, including Linux, SRE, DevOps, and AI. Direct reports: 5-6 people: three project managers (one of whom is lead and builds project processes) and a strong marketer. A methodologist, designer, and several other specialists work for two product teams. The core team is reliable, but the course portfolio and people's workload can be made significantly more efficient.

What You Will Do

• Research the market: talk to graduates, companies, experts, and partners, monitor the IT job market.
• Decide which courses to launch, develop, and close. Verify demand before a course goes into production.
• Manage the product line's economics: unit economics for each course, P&L, team budget.
• Be responsible for ensuring existing courses are delivered on time and within budget. Project managers handle production; you set their priorities and monitor results.
• Set marketing focus and priorities.
• Manage the team: decide who is needed for the product line, how many people are needed for the current course volume, and who and how to reward.

First Tasks

• Take over marketing focus and priorities for the product line.
• Break down the course portfolio into financials: launch frequency, revenue per course.
• Assess team workload and decide which courses to develop and which to close.

How We Measure Success

By the results of the product line: is revenue growing, are expenses within budget, and are new products being launched that sell.

Income

• Salary: 100,000 RUB net.
• 10% net of the team's positive balance for the month. The team fund receives x% of course payments for the product line; all team expenses are deducted from this amount. Bonuses are paid immediately after a month closes in the black. For example: 3,000,000 RUB was paid for courses in a month, 975,000 RUB went into the team fund, the team spent 600,000 RUB, the balance is 375,000 RUB, and the bonus is 37,500 RUB net.
• 50,000 RUB if the company's overall profitability according to accounting reports exceeds 10%.

The balance bonus is paid as long as the accumulated team fund balance does not go below a set limit. The limit will be discussed at the meeting. The team budget covers personnel, marketing, and production; the director distributes team bonuses.

Why the salary is 100,000 RUB and not a higher fixed amount immediately. We pay not for the position but share the results. The more profitable the product line, the more the director earns, and a bonus can be received in the first month when the team is in the black. Frankly, the product line will need a portfolio and team workload overhaul in the first few months, and future income depends heavily on this work. We need someone interested in this model.

Who We Are Looking For

A person responsible for the product line's market and finances. Entrepreneurial in spirit within the company, rather than a manager waiting for tasks.

What kind of person suits us:

• Curious and open to new things. Comfortable working in uncertainty: the market changes, some hypotheses don't work out, and that's a normal part of the job.
• Derives energy from interacting with people. Proactively engages with students, companies, experts, and partners, rather than just reading reports.
• Takes a hands-on approach: is responsible for the product and team as a whole and doesn't wait to be reminded of important things. At the same time, knows how to prioritize and doesn't try to do everything at once.
• Objective. Makes decisions based on numbers and work results, not personal preferences, and is ready for unpopular decisions: closing a course, reallocating people, not paying a bonus.
• Resilient. Calmly handles pressure and direct conversation, perceiving tough feedback constructively, without offense.
• Demanding without being overbearing: communicates directly and respectfully, without reprimands.
• Independent. If they don't know something, they find a way to figure it out. Is comfortable in a remote team with minimal formal authority and a lot of freedom.

What is important in terms of experience:

• Managed a product or product line and launched successful products. Experience in EdTech or IT education will be a significant plus, but course topics can be learned on the job.
• Managed a team of 3+ people for at least 2 years.
• Make decisions based on unit economics and P&L: what to close, where to cut costs, who to give a bonus to.
• Work directly with the market: interviews, Customer Development, JTBD, demand validation before launch.
• Higher education.

It will be difficult for you here if:

• You prefer to manually manage launches rather than being responsible for the market and finances.
• You prefer a stable high salary over performance-based income.
• You need a clear hierarchy and detailed instructions from above.

Manager

The Director reports directly to Igor Olemsky, the founder and CEO of Slerom. Igor has a deep understanding of the product and numbers, is open to dialogue, and values direct and business-like communication. Regular communication with him is an important part of the job: together you will discuss the product line strategy and key decisions. Those who can argue their position and calmly discuss different viewpoints will find it comfortable here. Within the budget, decisions for the product line are made by the Product Director themselves.

Conditions

• Remote work, employment under the Labor Code of the Russian Federation.
• Direct reporting to the company founder.
• A ready-made team and existing courses, not a startup from scratch.