Portainer.io Product Steward

About Portainer

Portainer is on a mission to simplify container and Kubernetes management for organisations of all sizes. Our software helps users deploy, monitor, and maintain containerised applications seamlessly, enabling them to focus on innovation rather than infrastructure complexities. We are looking for a Product Steward who will champion our product vision, serve as the internal “product owner,” and lead the product management function to drive our platform’s continued success.

Role Overview

As Portainer’s Product Steward, you will serve as the voice of large enterprise customers, ensuring our product resonates with their needs and operational realities. Drawing on your background in IT Infrastructure Operations, you will help guide the product roadmap, anticipate how enterprise teams measure success (e.g. SLAs and budgets), and advocate for product features that reduce complexity while enhancing user adoption. You’ll collaborate closely with Engineering, Marketing, Customer Success, and Executive Leadership to deliver a product that continues to delight current customers while attracting new ones across diverse industries.

Key Responsibilities

Product Vision & Roadmap

• Develop, maintain, and communicate a clear product roadmap that aligns with overall business objectives and reflects enterprise insights.
• Balance the demand for standardisation vs. customisation, ensuring the product remains both flexible and manageable.

Enterprise Empathy

• Leverage your experience as an IT Infrastructure Operations engineer to understand how enterprise requirements, constraints, and politics can impact a product, and ensure what we are building operates within these.
• Stay informed about emerging trends in Kubernetes, DevOps, and platform operations to ensure Portainer remains relevant and competitive.

Platform Advocacy

• Champion the user experience by gathering feedback from large enterprise customers and internal stakeholders, translating these needs into actionable product improvements.
• Advocate for a user experience that is focused on simplicity and operational efficiency, mitigating the negative impacts of complexity on enterprise adoption.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Engineering teams to ensure product features are designed with real-world enterprise conditions in mind.
• Partner with Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success to align on product positioning, go-to-market strategies, and user enablement materials.

Communication & Stakeholder Management

• Present product updates, visions, and technical insights to various audiences—from C-level executives to hands-on engineers.
• Produce clear, professional documentation and thought leadership pieces that articulate the product’s value and roadmap.

Requirements

Technical & Operational Background

• Proven experience as an IT Infrastructure Operations leader in a large enterprise setting.
• Hands-on understanding of Kubernetes implementation and how a shared platform can be adopted rapidly (often with “organic enthusiasm”) by internal user communities.
• Familiarity with DevOps principles and Developer Self-Service approaches, ensuring products align with modern development workflows.

Enterprise Perspective

• Demonstrable insight and experience into how SLA commitments and IT budgets influence enterprise software decisions—and how a software vendor can address these constraints positively.
• History of functioning as an internal “product owner” or platform lead, even if the end users were within the same organisation.

Product & Leadership Skills

• Ability to balance user needs, technical feasibility, and business objectives to define a strategic product roadmap.
• Strong written communication skills, capable of producing high-quality product collateral, documentation, and stakeholder updates.
• Confident presentation and public-speaking abilities, adept at tailoring content for diverse audiences and levels of technical understanding.

Mindset & Approach

• Deep appreciation for the impacts of unnecessary complexity on enterprise operations.
• Collaborative 'start-up' spirit and team player, comfortable working with cross-functional teams to iterate quickly and deliver continuous product improvements.
• Whilst Portainer is a 100% remote organisation, close alignment with the New Zealand time zone is a must.

Why Join Portainer?

• Shape the Future: Take charge of a product that is transforming container and Kubernetes management for enterprises worldwide.
• Innovative Culture: Collaborate in an environment that values experimentation, agility, and continuous learning.
• Professional Growth: Hone your skills in product management, leadership, and enterprise strategy.
• Global Reach: Be part of a team delivering solutions used by organisations around the globe

Benefits

Portainer is a leading tech company offering a broad benefits package including a highly competitive salary, stock options, insurance, and the ability to work anywhere in the world while still being part of a dynamic team taking on some of the most interesting challenges in the technology/infrastructure space. Benefits depend on where you reside in the world, but we're confident we can put the right package together for the right individual.