Senior Product Manager (Parental Cover)

Totara is an innovative technology leader in the learning and development space, and a provider of learning development and HR solutions for 1500 customers across a variety of sectors in over 150 countries. At Totara you will find an army of talented, motivated, and ambitious people. Our team consists of over 200 people across the UK, US and NZ. As a community that looks after each other, we value diversity, collaboration, and personal development. 

We’re on the lookout for an experienced Senior Product Manager to join us on a Fixed Term Contract until mid November 2026, to take ownership of a defined product area within our core product suite. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys balancing strategic communication across the business alongside hands-on delivery in partnership with engineers and designers.

Our distributed product and development teams are largely based in New Zealand, and you will be collaborating with our commercial and marketing teams in the UK and US – so there will be a need to meet outside of business hours. 

• Wellington-based? You’ll have a desk in our centrally located Willis Street office for flexible, hybrid working. 
• Located elsewhere in New Zealand? For the right candidate, we’re happy for you to join us remotely. We’ll ensure you have opportunities for meaningful in-person time with your team. 

Your role 

As a Senior Product Manager at Totara, you will play a key role in one of our product areas, working closely with a cross-functional delivery team and senior stakeholders. 

In your day-to-day work, you’ll be part of a product leadership trio, partnering with a Development Lead and UX Designer to plan, prioritise, and deliver valuable outcomes. You’ll be responsible for setting clear product direction, guiding delivery, and ensuring the team is focused on solving the right problems for our customers and partners. You’ll also help keep the product narrative alive, creating shared understanding and confidence across customer, partner, and commercial-facing team. 

Some of the things you’ll be responsible for include: 

• Owning the product strategy and roadmap for your product area, aligned with Totara’s wider product vision and business goals. 
• Translating strategy into an outcome-driven roadmap and managing the work programme through to delivery. 
• Providing day-to-day product leadership to a cross-functional delivery team, working closely with a Development Lead and UX Designer. 
• Leading product discovery and delivery, helping the team identify, break down, and deliver valuable work. 
• Building a deep understanding of customer and partner needs through research, feedback, and collaboration. 
• Acting as the voice of the customer in product and delivery discussions. 
• Partnering with commercial, marketing, and partner-facing teams to support go-to-market activities and ongoing product success. 
• Monitoring product performance and driving continuous improvement. 

What you’ll bring 

We’re looking for a Senior Product Manager with experience delivering outcomes in complex, technical product environments. While we expect familiarity with many of the areas below, we also value curiosity, pragmatism, and a willingness to learn. 

The knowledge, skills, and experience we’re looking for include: 

• Five or more years of experience working as a Product Manager on software products, ideally in a senior or lead capacity. 
• Strong understanding of product management practices and agile software delivery. 
• Experience leading a product strategy from definition through to sustained execution, keeping the narrative, and end goals alive over a multi-quarter delivery horizon. 
• Strong communication skills and proven ability to build alignment and influence across product, engineering, and commercial teams without formal authority. 

What We Offer: Joining our team means joining the pursuit to create effective and engaging learning workplaces for all. We’re looking for people who are excited about making an impact on the global stage and are passionate about working in the software product industry.

Working at Totara, you’ll have:

• A collaborative, high-autonomy work environment, where your ideas have real impact.
• A passionate and creative team solving real-world customer challenges.
• Competitive salary, flexible working, and professional development support.
• Some of our benefits include health insurance, a yearly wellbeing allowance, a work from home set up allowance, fruit and coffee in the office as well as opportunities to gather regularly with your workmates.
• A highly skilled, well-connected international team supporting your success.