Head of Product and Design

About Geocaching HQ

We are the global headquarters for the game of geocaching. Our mission is to inspire outdoor adventure, exploration, and community. Our products empower a worldwide community of geocachers to make every location an adventure and everyone an explorer.

At Geocaching HQ, we strive to be the best place our employees have ever worked. We foster a workplace rooted in compassion and candor, and we invite you to join us!

Position overview

As the Head of Product and Design, you are responsible for cross-platform product strategy from conception to launch. You balance customer data, internal stakeholders, and input from the other members of the senior management team to guide and prioritize the roadmap. You have the leadership capabilities to inspire, mentor, and lead a team of product managers and a team of designers. Above all, you deliver a strategic product vision and strategy that the business and global community love. This position is part of the company’s senior management team and will actively collaborate across all levels of the business.

General responsibilities and duties

• Mentor and develop product managers and designers, empowering them to take ownership of their respective domains while aligning them with the broader company objectives.
• Define and lead customer-centered product strategy and innovation
• Align product vision with long-term business goals and market trends to drive sustainable growth
• Foster a customer centric culture that prioritizes delivering meaningful value to the global community, balancing ongoing improvements targeting business metrics
• Use qualitative and quantitative data to inform decision-making
• Support effective collaboration around business initiatives, ensuring alignment between your teams and key stakeholders
• Define success metrics and drive accountability for your teams while promoting an environment of autonomy, innovation, and ownership

Product responsibilities and duties

• Manage the product roadmap, tracking status, and reporting progress against key milestones
• Execute product initiatives with a results-oriented approach, proactively identifying challenges and strategic opportunities
• Build consensus on product priorities and a shared company-wide understanding and alignment around the roadmap
• Encourage a culture of testing and iteration balanced with timely decision making and delivery of customer facing improvements
• Guide the Product team to execute on a shared cross-platform product vision

Design responsibilities and duties

• Work with the Design Team Lead to encourage strategic qualitative research that drives a deeper understanding of our customers and helps to define the future of the product
• Support a pragmatic balance between research and action
• Champion the Design team as a resource across the company to gather and provide relevant qualitative research and customer insights
• Foster a strong relationship between the Design and Data teams, as the company’s qualitative and quantitative research experts, respectively

Skills and experience

• At least 10+ years of product management experience, with 3+ years leading a team of product managers and ideally, also product designers
• Experience with collaboration and decision-making at the executive level
• Experience managing both product and design/research teams, with a strong understanding of how these functions can independently add value across an organization
• Demonstrated experience in iterating and delivering successful products across web and mobile platforms.
• Expertise in ensuring cross-functional alignment and building strong relationships between product, design, engineering, marketing, and other key departments.
• Passion for the outdoors and inspiring people to get outdoors.
• Proficient in agile processes.
• Start-up, SaaS, and/or experience in web or game development a plus.
• Experience working with global audiences.
• Experience with consumer facing products
• Significant geocaching experience is a plus
• Experience with AI is a plus

Company competencies

• Accountability: Actively seeing commitments through to completion; taking responsibility for actions, welcoming feedback, and effectively explaining decisions.
• Adaptability: Demonstrating openness, flexibility, and agility in response to changing environments or circumstances.
• Collaboration: Identifying appropriate contributors from across and within teams; working with them in a way that leads to effective results and positive relationships.
• Problem Solving: Proactively recognizing challenges, analyzing potential responses, and taking initiative that leads to a thoughtful result.
• Results-Oriented: Outcomes matter; taking responsibility for the timing and results of work and projects.
• Self-Awareness: Continually improving upon personal strengths and areas for growth. Recognizing and managing our own emotions; recognizing and responding well to the emotions of others.

Behaviors

• Exemplify our company values: authenticity, effectiveness, passion, inclusivity
• Demonstrate collaborative communication and negotiation skills
• High level of emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills
• Ability to discern appropriate judgment and discretion 
• Possess a growth mindset with a desire to learn, develop, and share skills
• Graciously give and receive feedback  
• Effectively plan, organize, and prioritize workload
• Demonstrate curiosity and humility

Physical demands and work environment

This job description should not be construed to imply that these requirements are the only duties, responsibilities, and qualification for this job. Incumbents may be required to follow any additional related instructions, acquire related job skills and perform other related work as required. This role is primarily onsite with limited remote flexibility. The expectation is for this person to be working from our main headquarters 2-3 days per week if not more.

Compensation and benefits

We carefully consider a wide range of factors, including your experience and internal equity, when determining individual pay. The range for this role is $143,840 to $238,770. This position is eligible for annual salary increases and bonus (dependent on company & individual performance). 

In addition to a collaborative workforce and a variety of office perks, below are some of our current benefits:

• Comprehensive benefits package: medical, dental, vision insurance. We cover the health insurance premiums for you and your eligible dependents.
• Employer-paid premiums for Short and long-term disability, basic life and AD&D. 
• Options to enroll in Flexible Spending Account (health and dependent care) and additional voluntary life insurance.
• 401k retirement plan: traditional and/or Roth, plus a 4% employer match with immediate vesting.
• Healthy work/life balance: generous PTO (120 hour accrual for each of the first two years of full-time employment, with increased accruals after that) and 10 paid holidays + 2 bonus days, monthly company social events, unlimited access to our Employee Assistance Program, budget for team outings, and more.
• Free Geocaching Premium Membership (plus one for a buddy!) to cache to your heart's content!
• One month paid Sabbatical every 7 years.
• Free unlimited ski/snowboard lift tickets or reimbursement up to $300/year towards outdoor activities.
• On-site gear closet so you can enjoy the great outdoors.
• Employer paid commute options with ORCA cards and on-site parking.
• Professional development programs and budget tailored to your learning & growth -- not in the cookie-cutter "one size fits all" approach.
• Employer charitable donation matching program, adoption benefits, and reimbursement for child/pet/elderly parent caretaker needs.
• Catered in-office lunches Monday-Thursday
• Two hours of paid geocaching per month.

Statement of inclusivity

Geocaching HQ works actively and intentionally to build a diverse, equitable, and inclusive company and worldwide community. We encourage everyone to apply and welcome applicants who are historically underrepresented in the technology and outdoor industries.