Staff Product Operations Manager

Reports to: Chief Product and Technology Officer 

The Opportunity

Stack Overflow is transforming — building decision-grade knowledge that people and agents can trust, and fundamentally changing how we build it. We're moving to AI-native engineering, targeting a 10X increase in deployment frequency, and evolving how our entire Product, Design, and Engineering organization operates.

This role exists because transformation without operational discipline is just aspiration. We need someone who can build the system that makes it real.

As Director of Product Operations, you will drive, own, and be accountable for the end-to-end operational engine that connects research, design, engineering, pricing, and go-to-market into a high-velocity product development process. Success in this role impacts our financial outcomes. The role is regarded as the principal product operations advisor to the broader leadership team.

You'll report directly to the CPTO and work most closely with our VP of Product and Sr. Director of Design and Research.

What You'll Own

The product development lifecycle — partnering with Product, Design, and Engineering leadership to drive strategy and ensure clear ownership, handoffs, and quality standards at each stage from research and discovery through pricing and release. You identify where the process breaks down and drive improvements — without owning the decisions themselves.

Planning visibility and reliability — Jira governance, roadmap alignment, sprint cadences, and the operating rhythms that keep product direction and team execution in sync. You make plans visible and trustworthy; teams own the plans.

Metrics and dashboards — ensuring the org has clear, actionable visibility into what matters: deployment frequency, product outcomes, adoption, and cost. You ensure the right data exists and gets used 

Cross-functional alignment — coordinating across Product, Design, Engineering, and Product Marketing so dependencies are managed, decisions get made at the right level, and nothing falls through the cracks.

What We're Looking For

• 8+ years in Product Operations, and specifically in a senior-level product operation or closely related role, in a high-growth software environment
• Demonstrated experience owning and improving end-to-end product development processes — research through release
• Deep familiarity with Jira and modern product development workflows
• Strong systems thinker who builds operating models that scale without adding unnecessary overhead
• Influencer who drives change without direct authority
• Data literate — you know what's missing, make sure it gets measured, and help others act on it
• Ideally, but not required, possesses formal accreditations in this area or in a related field

What sets the best candidates apart

You've led a real process transformation — not just documented one. You know when to add structure and when to remove it. You've worked in close partnership with strong Product leaders and made their teams faster without diminishing their ownership. And critically — you understand how AI is changing product development workflows and are actively thinking about what that means for how product organizations operate.

Why This Role, Why Now

We are serious about moving faster. Speed won't come from adding more process — it will come from building a system that lets teams execute with clarity and confidence at scale. If you thrive at the intersection of strategy and execution, and want your work to have direct impact on a product and company at a genuine inflection point, this is the role for you.