Senior Product & Design Manager (Leave Coverage, Contract)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product & Design Manager (Leave Coverage, Contract)

Company: Birdy Grey

Location: Los Angeles, CA (Remote Eligible - US)

Job Type: Contract (6-Month)

Category: Product Management & Design, Site Experience, E-commerce Operations

Date Posted: May 28, 2026

Experience Level: 7-10 years Product Management, 2-3 years People Leadership

Remote Status: Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and manage the product management and design functions for the end-to-end customer journey on the Birdy Grey website, focusing on product discovery, consideration, and conversion.

• Drive strategic initiatives already in flight, including party coordination tools, next-generation product discovery, and share of event growth, ensuring continued momentum and successful advancement.

• Champion a data-driven approach to site experience, leveraging A/B testing, consumer insights, and experimentation to identify and capitalize on opportunities for conversion, revenue, and marketing efficiency improvements.

• Provide direct people leadership to a cross-functional team of product managers and designers, offering substantive feedback and guidance to elevate design quality and product strategy.

• Ensure a seamless transition and handoff of ongoing projects and roadmap items by documenting progress, results, and lessons learned throughout the contract engagement.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is a critical 6-month contract position focused on "leave coverage," meaning the candidate must be able to quickly integrate into existing projects and maintain momentum without rebuilding from scratch. The emphasis on "site experience across the customer journey" and "conversion, revenue, and marketing efficiency" clearly places this within the realm of e-commerce operations and growth.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Develop, plan, and execute against an inherited product vision, strategy, and roadmap, collaborating closely with engineering, marketing, lifecycle, and creative teams.

• Manage and mentor direct reports, including Product Managers and Product Designers, providing clear direction, constructive feedback on design quality, and fostering a high-performing team environment.

• Monitor and analyze key site experience KPIs, translating data-driven insights from tools like SQL, Looker, Heap, and session recording tools into actionable product and design improvements.

• Create detailed product and design requirements documents, clearly define dependencies, and align roadmaps with engineering leadership to facilitate agile ceremonies and sprint planning.

• Lead the end-to-end rollout of new features, including the design and execution of statistically valid A/B and multivariate tests, quality assurance, and comprehensive post-launch performance analysis.

• Proactively manage relationships with relevant SaaS partners and vendors, ensuring their integration and performance align with strategic objectives.

• Communicate project progress, key learnings, and performance results effectively to key stakeholders, including executive leadership, to maintain alignment and secure buy-in.

• Prepare a thorough and well-documented handoff package at the conclusion of the contract to ensure a smooth transition for the returning team member.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic product ownership, team leadership, and hands-on execution within an e-commerce context. The emphasis on "advancing work already in flight" and "setting up a clean handoff" underscores the contract nature and the need for a candidate who can hit the ground running and manage existing initiatives effectively.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s Degree Required

Experience:

• 7-10 years of progressive experience in product management, with a strong emphasis on e-commerce conversion, site experience optimization, and customer journey enhancement.

• 2-3 years of direct people leadership experience, managing both product managers and designers, with a proven ability to provide substantive design feedback. Required Skills:

• Proven track record of owning and successfully executing product roadmaps in fast-paced, high-growth environments, including the ability to inherit and advance existing projects.

• Deep fluency in experimentation methodologies, including designing and interpreting statistically valid A/B and multivariate tests.

• Strong design leadership instincts, with familiarity in design systems, interaction design principles, and the ability to provide meaningful direction to designers.

• Mobile-first product thinking and a demonstrated ability to build for mobile conversion.

• Experience with personalization and dynamic content systems, including recommendations and dynamic site experiences.

• Sufficient technical literacy to collaborate effectively with engineering on site performance, Core Web Vitals, and frontend architecture.

• AI fluency in both product development and workflow optimization, with experience shipping AI-powered features and a clear point of view on AI integration in the customer journey.

• Proficiency in directing qualitative and quantitative UX research, synthesizing findings into product decisions, and maintaining a research-informed roadmap.

• Strong analytical skills with demonstrated proficiency in SQL, Looker, Heap, Shopify analytics, and session recording tools (e.g., Hotjar, FullStory).

• Experience collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams (engineering, marketing, lifecycle, creative) and managing executive-level stakeholders.

• Working knowledge of accessibility standards and a commitment to building inclusive product experiences.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Preferred Skills:

• Experience with Shopify platform and/or headless e-commerce architecture.

• Prior experience in a startup or high-growth direct-to-consumer (DTC) environment.

• A genuine interest in the e-commerce, wedding, or fashion industries.

📝 Enhancement Note: The qualifications emphasize a specialized skill set for e-commerce site experience and product leadership. The inclusion of specific analytical tools and AI fluency points to the modern demands of this role. The preference for startup/DTC experience and industry interest suggests a culture fit is also important.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrable examples of successfully owning and executing product roadmaps, showcasing how you managed inherited work and drove it forward to completion.

• Case studies detailing the design and execution of A/B or multivariate tests, clearly outlining the hypothesis, methodology, results, and impact on key metrics like conversion rate and revenue.

• Examples of product and design requirements documents, illustrating your ability to scope features, define dependencies, and align with engineering processes.

• Instances where you've led the rollout of new features, including experimentation, QA, and post-launch analysis, highlighting your end-to-end ownership.

• Evidence of people leadership, showcasing how you've managed and mentored product managers and designers, provided feedback, and fostered team growth. Process Documentation:

• Showcase your approach to creating well-scoped product and design requirements, detailing your methodology for defining user stories, acceptance criteria, and technical dependencies.

• Provide examples of how you've facilitated agile ceremonies and managed backlogs, demonstrating your understanding of sprint planning and prioritization within a fast-paced environment.

• Illustrate your process for synthesizing user research (qualitative and quantitative) into actionable product insights and roadmap adjustments.

• Document your workflow for managing SaaS partners and vendors, from selection and integration to ongoing performance monitoring.

• Highlight your process for communicating progress, results, and lessons learned to diverse stakeholders, including executive leadership.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a contract role with a focus on continuing existing work, a portfolio demonstrating a strong track record in e-commerce product management, experimentation, and people leadership is crucial. The emphasis should be on showcasing the ability to quickly understand, manage, and advance ongoing projects with a focus on measurable results and clear documentation for handoff.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: As this is a contract role, a competitive hourly or daily rate is expected. Based on the Senior Product & Design Manager title, 7-10 years of experience, and the specified location (Los Angeles, CA), the estimated range for a contract position in this market typically falls between $80 - $120+ per hour, depending on the candidate's specific experience, expertise, and negotiation.

Benefits:

• As a contract employee, standard benefits like health insurance, 401k, and PTO are typically not provided by the employer.

Benefits are generally handled by the contractor's own entity or through a third-party payroll provider.

• Note: Birdy Grey offers comprehensive benefits for eligible Full-Time Employees, which may include:

  • 100% employer-covered medical, dental, and vision plans.

  • 50% coverage for spouse and dependent medical plans.

  • Access to One Medical and mental health benefits.

  • 401K with up to a 4% match after 3 months.

  • Flexible Open PTO policy.

  • 11 paid holidays.

  • Monthly wellness day and stipend.

  • Summer Fridays.

  • Employee discounts on Birdy Grey products.

  • 3 months of paid parental leave. Working Hours:

• The role is listed as US-Remote, and the standard working hours are likely 40 hours per week.

• Given the contract nature and the need to manage existing initiatives, flexibility to accommodate collaboration across different time zones and potentially some work outside of standard business hours may be expected, especially during critical project phases or for executive communications.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimation for contract roles requires careful consideration of market rates, experience level, and location. The provided range is a benchmark. It's crucial to differentiate between benefits offered to full-time employees and those typically available to contractors. The "working hours" note emphasizes the potential need for flexibility inherent in contract roles, especially for leadership positions.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) E-commerce, Bridal Fashion & Accessories. Birdy Grey is innovating within the large U.S. wedding market, offering affordable and stylish options for bridesmaids and the wedding party.

Company Size: Birdy Grey is described as a "high-growth, 80% women, minority founded, early-stage startup." While a precise employee count isn't given, its inclusion on Inc5000's List of Fastest Growing US Companies and BuiltIn's Best Startups to Work For indicates a dynamic, scaling organization likely in the range of 50-200 employees.

Founded: 2017 by best friends Grace Lee and Monica Ashauer. This founding story highlights a strong emphasis on friendship and a relatable customer-centric approach.

Team Structure:

• The Senior Product & Design Manager reports to the Chief Growth Officer, indicating a strategic role that directly influences growth initiatives.

• The role involves managing a cross-functional team of individual contributors (ICs) in product management and design, implying a collaborative structure where leadership is provided to peers and direct reports.

• Collaboration is expected across various departments, including engineering, marketing, lifecycle, and creative, suggesting a matrixed or integrated team approach common in high-growth startups. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: The company emphasizes leveraging data, consumer insights, and experimentation (A/B testing) to drive product and site experience improvements.

• Test-and-Learn Culture: Encouraging experimentation is central to identifying and validating opportunities for optimization.

• Agile Development: The role will facilitate agile ceremonies and align on sprints with engineering, indicating an agile development methodology.

• Customer-Centricity: The mission to celebrate friendships and the focus on customer journey optimization highlight a strong customer-centric approach.

Company Website: https://www.birdygrey.com

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding Birdy Grey's position as a high-growth DTC startup is key. This implies a fast-paced, agile environment where data, experimentation, and a strong customer focus are paramount. The founding story may also hint at a culture that values collaboration and passion.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role represents a senior-level position within Product Management and Design, with a significant leadership component. It's a critical, high-impact role for a contract period, focused on driving core business objectives related to site experience and conversion.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product & Design Manager reports directly to the Chief Growth Officer. This provides visibility and direct access to executive leadership, essential for driving strategic initiatives and securing necessary buy-in.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct and substantial impact on Birdy Grey's revenue and growth. By optimizing the customer journey, improving site conversion rates, and advancing strategic initiatives like party coordination tools and share of event growth, this position directly contributes to the company's top-line performance and market expansion within the wedding industry.

Growth Opportunities:

• For the Contract Role: While a 6-month contract, this offers a significant opportunity to lead critical projects, gain experience in a high-growth DTC environment, and demonstrate leadership capabilities in a specialized area (e-commerce site experience). It's a chance to make a tangible impact and build a strong portfolio of work.

• For Operations Professionals: For individuals looking to transition into or deepen their expertise in e-commerce operations, this role provides exposure to advanced analytics (SQL, Looker), experimentation frameworks, AI integration in product, and managing cross-functional teams toward specific growth targets.

• Potential for Future Roles: Successful contract performance can sometimes lead to opportunities for full-time roles or future contract engagements within high-growth companies. The experience gained in managing an inherited roadmap and ensuring a clean handoff is a valuable skill for future leadership positions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The analysis highlights the strategic importance of this contract role and its potential for professional development within the e-commerce operations and product leadership space. The direct reporting line and impact on revenue are key differentiators.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Birdy Grey supports remote work for eligible roles, with headquarters in Los Angeles, CA, and an office in New York, NY. This indicates a hybrid-friendly culture, even for remote employees, with potential for occasional in-person collaboration if based near an office.

Office Location(s): The company has a physical presence in Los Angeles, CA, and New York, NY. While the role is remote, understanding these locations can provide context on the company's operational hubs and potential for future in-person engagements.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The role requires extensive collaboration with cross-functional teams (engineering, marketing, lifecycle, creative), suggesting an open and communicative work environment.

• Technology-Enabled: As a remote role in a tech-forward company, expect access to modern collaboration tools and a robust digital workspace. Proficiency in tools like Slack, Zoom, and project management software will be essential.

• Operations Focus: The emphasis on site experience, conversion optimization, and data analysis means the workspace will likely support deep analytical work and iterative development processes.

Work Schedule: The role is likely based on a standard 40-hour work week, but the remote and contract nature, combined with the need for cross-time zone collaboration, may require flexibility. The company offers "Summer Fridays" as a perk for full-time employees, which might translate to a more flexible schedule for contractors during those periods.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote-first nature of this role is a key aspect. The mention of physical offices provides context, but the primary focus is on how the remote setup facilitates collaboration and productivity within a fast-paced startup environment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A call with a recruiter or hiring manager to assess basic qualifications, experience, and cultural fit, particularly for a contract role requiring quick integration.

• Hiring Manager Interview: In-depth discussion with the Chief Growth Officer to evaluate strategic thinking, leadership style, product vision, and understanding of e-commerce site experience and conversion optimization.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with key stakeholders from engineering, marketing, and design teams to assess collaboration skills, technical literacy, and ability to provide design feedback.

• Portfolio Review & Case Study: A dedicated session to review the candidate's portfolio, focusing on past projects in e-commerce conversion, experimentation, and team leadership. A case study or hypothetical problem-solving exercise related to Birdy Grey's site experience may be presented.

• Final Interview/Offer: Discussions to finalize terms, compensation (hourly rate), and contract details.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase Impact: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the solutions implemented, and the measurable business impact (e.g., conversion rate increase, revenue growth, efficiency gains). Quantify results whenever possible.

• Highlight E-commerce Specifics: Prioritize projects directly related to e-commerce conversion, customer journey optimization, site experience, A/B testing, personalization, and mobile-first design.

• Demonstrate Leadership: Include examples of managing direct reports, providing design feedback, and collaborating with cross-functional teams. Showcase how you've influenced roadmaps and stakeholder alignment.

• Document Process: For experimentation projects, detail the hypothesis, test design, key metrics, and learnings. For product initiatives, show your process for requirements gathering, prioritization, and execution.

• Prepare for Handoff: Be ready to discuss how you document and transfer knowledge for ongoing projects, as this is a critical requirement for this contract role.

Challenge Preparation:

• Site Experience Audit: Be prepared to discuss your approach to auditing a website's user experience and identifying key areas for improvement related to discovery, consideration, and conversion.

• Experimentation Strategy: Anticipate questions about designing and prioritizing A/B tests for an e-commerce site, and how you would interpret ambiguous results.

• AI Integration: Consider how AI could be leveraged to enhance the customer journey on Birdy Grey's site, from product discovery to personalized recommendations.

• Team Management: Prepare to discuss your leadership philosophy, how you provide feedback to designers, and how you manage a team to deliver on an existing roadmap.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for a contract role often emphasizes speed and demonstrated ability to deliver. The portfolio review is paramount, requiring candidates to showcase tangible results and a relevant skill set directly applicable to Birdy Grey's immediate needs.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• E-commerce Platform: Shopify (preferred, experience with headless architecture is a plus).

• Analytics & Reporting: SQL (essential), Looker (essential), Heap, Shopify Analytics.

• Session Recording & User Behavior: Hotjar, FullStory, or similar tools for understanding user interactions.

• Experimentation Platforms: Tools for designing and running A/B and multivariate tests (specific platform not mentioned, but proficiency is key).

• Project Management/Agile Tools: Jira, Asana, Trello, or similar for backlog management and sprint planning.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Data Warehousing/BI: Proficiency in SQL and Looker is critical for extracting, analyzing, and visualizing data to drive insights into site performance and conversion metrics.

• Web Analytics: Experience with tools like Google Analytics (though Heap is specifically mentioned) for tracking user behavior and campaign performance.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM: While not explicitly mentioned, CRM integration is often relevant for customer journey analysis.

• Marketing Automation: Potential integration with email/SMS marketing platforms (e.g., Klaviyo) for lifecycle marketing analysis.

• Integration Tools: Understanding how different systems (e.g., Shopify, analytics, marketing tools) connect and pass data.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack is heavily focused on e-commerce analytics and customer behavior. Proficiency in SQL and Looker is non-negotiable for analyzing performance data. Experience with Shopify is a strong preference.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Data-Driven & Experimental: A core value is making decisions based on data and a willingness to test hypotheses rigorously to uncover what works best for the customer and the business.

• Customer-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the customer, ensuring their journey on the site is seamless, enjoyable, and effective.

• Efficiency & Pace: As a high-growth startup, there's an inherent value placed on speed, agility, and driving initiatives forward efficiently.

• Collaboration & Open Communication: Encouraging teamwork across departments, open feedback, and clear communication to ensure alignment and successful project execution.

• Innovation & Growth: A culture that embraces new ideas, particularly in leveraging technology like AI, to enhance product offerings and drive business growth.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: The role requires close collaboration with engineering, marketing, lifecycle, and creative teams, necessitating a style that bridges these disciplines and ensures shared understanding and goals.

• Process Improvement Focus: A collaborative approach to refining workflows, optimizing processes, and sharing best practices to enhance team productivity and output.

• Feedback Exchange: An environment where constructive feedback is welcomed and given, both within the product/design team and across other departments, to foster continuous improvement.

• Data-Informed Partnerships: Building collaborative relationships grounded in shared data insights and experimentation results to align strategies and drive collective success.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture emphasizes a blend of data-driven rigor, customer focus, and the agile pace of a startup. Collaboration is key, especially in a remote setting, and the ability to work effectively across diverse teams is highly valued.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Inherited Roadmap & Fast Pace: The primary challenge is stepping into an ongoing project and roadmap, requiring rapid assimilation of context and immediate contribution without significant ramp-up time. This demands strong organizational skills and the ability to prioritize effectively.

• Maintaining Momentum in Leave Coverage: Ensuring that critical projects continue to progress smoothly and that a clean, documented handoff is prepared for the returning employee requires meticulous planning and execution.

• Balancing Strategic Initiatives with Operational Needs: Managing ongoing strategic projects while also overseeing daily operational tasks, backlog management, and stakeholder requests can be demanding.

• Cross-Functional Alignment in a Remote Setting: Effectively leading and collaborating with diverse teams across different functions and potentially time zones in a remote environment requires strong communication and influence skills.

• Integrating AI Effectively: Staying abreast of AI advancements and strategically incorporating them into the customer journey and product workflows presents an ongoing challenge and opportunity for innovation.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• E-commerce Growth Strategies: Deepen expertise in conversion rate optimization (CRO), A/B testing, personalization, and customer journey mapping within a successful DTC business.

• Leadership in a Startup Environment: Gain hands-on experience managing a product and design team in a fast-paced, high-growth startup setting, honing people management and strategic execution skills.

• AI in Product Development: Enhance understanding and practical application of AI tools and features within product management and design contexts.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Develop strong collaboration and influence skills by working closely with engineering, marketing, and creative departments.

• Contract-to-Full-Time Potential: For exceptional performance, there may be opportunities for future full-time roles or repeat contract engagements, expanding professional networks and career trajectory.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are directly tied to the contract nature of the role and the dynamic startup environment. The growth opportunities focus on skill enhancement in specialized areas of e-commerce and leadership.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your approach to quickly understanding and taking ownership of an existing product roadmap and driving it forward." (Focus on your process for assimilation, prioritization, and stakeholder engagement.)

• "How would you prioritize incoming requests and manage the product/design backlog for a team of ICs while also advancing strategic initiatives?" (Highlight your framework for balancing immediate needs with long-term goals.)

• "Walk us through a complex A/B test you designed and executed. What was the hypothesis, your methodology, the results, and what did you learn?" (Emphasize your experimental design, analytical rigor, and ability to translate learnings into action.)

• "How do you provide constructive design feedback to product designers, and how do you ensure good design quality without being a designer yourself?" (Showcase your understanding of design principles and your leadership approach.)

• "What is your perspective on integrating AI into the e-commerce customer journey, and can you provide an example of an AI-powered feature you've worked on or envision?" (Demonstrate your AI fluency and strategic thinking.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "Why are you interested in this specific contract role at Birdy Grey, and what excites you about our mission?" (Research the company's mission, values, and recent achievements.)

• "How do you foster a collaborative environment, especially when working remotely, and how would you ensure alignment with teams like engineering and marketing?" (Discuss your communication strategies and experience with cross-functional collaboration.)

• "What is your understanding of Birdy Grey's current site experience and where do you see the biggest opportunities for improvement?" (This requires pre-interview research on their website.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Organize your portfolio around key achievements and projects that directly align with the job description. Use a STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) or similar framework for case studies.

• Quantify Everything: For each project, clearly state the business problem, your specific actions, and the measurable impact (e.g., "Increased conversion rate by 15%", "Reduced bounce rate by 10%", "Grew average order value by $X").

• Focus on Process & Methodology: For experimentation projects, detail your hypothesis, test design, statistical significance, and learnings. For product initiatives, show your requirements gathering, prioritization, and execution process.

• Highlight Leadership: Include examples of your people management style, how you've mentored team members, and how you've influenced stakeholders.

• Prepare for Handoff Discussion: Be ready to articulate how you document projects and ensure knowledge transfer, as this is a critical requirement for this contract role.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on demonstrating immediate value and the ability to integrate quickly. Candidates should be ready to articulate their process, quantify their impact, and showcase their leadership and collaboration skills, especially in the context of a remote contract role.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided greenhouse.io link.

• Tailor your Resume: Highlight experience in e-commerce conversion, site experience optimization, product roadmap execution, A/B testing, people leadership, and familiarity with relevant analytics tools (SQL, Looker, Heap, Hotjar/FullStory). Ensure keywords from the job description are naturally integrated.

• Prepare Your Portfolio: Curate a selection of 2-3 key projects that best showcase your ability to drive e-commerce growth, lead product/design teams, and manage complex initiatives. Be ready to discuss the measurable impact, your process, and how you ensured successful outcomes and documentation for handoff.

• Research Birdy Grey: Familiarize yourself with their website, product offerings, brand mission, and recent company news. Identify potential areas of opportunity for site experience improvement.

• Practice Interview Responses: Prepare thoughtful answers to strategy and behavioral questions, focusing on demonstrating your ability to hit the ground running, lead effectively, and deliver results in a contract capacity.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.