Staff Product Manager (CDC) Save

About Skylight

Skylight is a digital consultancy using design and technology to help government agencies deliver better public services. We’re at the forefront of a civic movement to reinvent how all levels of government serve families, patients, and many others in today's digital world.

If you want to play a part in driving this critical movement forward, we’d love for you to join our growing team of public interest technologists. The work we do matters.

About the job

At Skylight, product managers are responsible for strategy, planning, execution, stakeholder management, and team health. Product managers partner with researchers, designers, engineers, client stakeholders, and others to inform their product decisions. At a high level, it’s the product manager’s job to figure out what to build next and why.

In this role, you’ll work closely with leading public health experts and technologists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help build a modern, response-ready public health data system. You'll be part of a dynamic initiative developing open-source, modular tools that empower public health agencies to enhance data collection, processing, and analysis — ultimately strengthening their ability to respond to public health threats. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to a national effort that will shape the future of public health data infrastructure.

What you’ll do

• Lead a cross-functional team of researchers, designers, engineers, and subject matter experts to build and ship user-centered, scalable products and services
• Translate user and stakeholder needs into clear product strategies, defining vision, success metrics, roadmaps, and prioritized backlogs
• Manage the direction, scope, and priorities of product initiatives from early user research and minimum viable products (MVPs) to mature, scalable solutions
• Write, prioritize, and maintain user stories, plan product releases, and continuously iterate based on user feedback and technical constraints
• Use qualitative and quantitative data to inform strategic decisions and prioritize work based on user and stakeholder value
• Facilitate team ceremonies (e.g., sprint planning, stakeholder syncs, retrospectives)
• Navigate organizational complexity, remove bureaucratic barriers, and advocate for agile, user-first practices
• Manage client, stakeholder, and third-party relationships effectively to build trust, alignment, and healthy team environments
• Conduct outreach to public health jurisdictions and stakeholders to foster product adoption
• Ensure product solutions integrate seamlessly with existing government systems, processes, policies, and security requirements

What we're looking for

Minimum qualifications

• Proven ability to define and implement outcome-driven product strategies grounded in problem framing, stakeholder goals, and user research
• Experience using human-centered design methods to inform, test, and iterate product direction
• Strong understanding of lean product principles (e.g., MVP) and their practical application throughout the product lifecycle to mitigate risk and validate assumptions
• Ability to break down complex product initiatives into manageable deliverables, prioritize effectively, and execute against evolving goals
• Experience working with agile and lean delivery methods (Scrum, Kanban, etc.) and knowing when and how to apply each effectively
• Demonstrated adaptability managing both new ("greenfield") products and existing, mature product environments
• Strong collaboration skills across disciplines, especially design, engineering, acquisition, and client stakeholders
• Ability to occasionally travel for work

Nice-to-have qualifications

• Active federal public trust (tier 2)
• Experience supporting public health initiatives or working with CDC stakeholders
• Prior software engineering or engineering management experience
• Experience collaborating effectively with distributed or remote teams
• Prior experience in the civic tech space

Don’t meet 100% of the criteria but think you can do the job? We’d love to chat anyway! We’re on a mission to build diverse teams, and studies have shown that women and marginalized folks are less likely to apply to jobs if they don’t check every box.

Other requirements

• All work must be conducted within the U.S.
• You must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. now and in the future without sponsorship.
• As a government contractor, you may be required to obtain a public trust or security clearance.
• You may be required to complete a company background check successfully.

Position type

This is a full-time, exempt position

Location

This is a fully remote position.

Care package

Salary

We want to give you the most competitive salary possible. After all, you deserve it! To that end, we use the results of our interview process to determine what salary is most appropriate given your current level of seniority. For a Product Manager at Skylight, the current salary ranges are as follows:

• Associate Product Manager: $90,000–$125,000
• Product Manager I: $120,000–$140,000
• Product Manager II: $135,000–$160,000
• Senior Product Manager: $150,000–$185,000
• Staff Product Manager: $170,000–$203,000
• Principal Product Manager:  $180,000–$230,000

Benefits

Your well-being is important to us, so we focus on supporting you in a variety of ways:

• Medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance
• Life and AD&D insurance
• Dependent care FSA, healthcare FSA, health savings account
• Dollar-for-dollar 401(k) match up to 10% of your salary with no vesting period
• Flexible paid time off policy (generally around 25 days per year), plus 11 paid federal holidays
• Up to 12 weeks paid time off for all eligible new birth, adoption, or foster parents
• Performance rewards, including annual salary increase, annual performance bonus, spot bonuses, and stock options
• Business development / sales bonuses
• Referral bonuses
• Annual $2,000 allowance for professional development
• Annual $750 allowance for tech-related purchases
• Annual swag budget of $100 to display your Skylight pride with some merchandise (hoodies, hats, and more)
• Dollar-for-dollar charity donation matching, up to $500 per year
• Access up to $1,000 before payday to cover emergency expenses
• Flexible, remote-friendly work environment
• An environment that empowers you to unleash your superpowers for public good

Interview tips

• Visit our join page to learn more about how our interview process works.
• Check out our Career Pathways framework to learn more about the different roles within Skylight and the skills needed to do them.
• If you’d like to request reasonable accommodations during the application or interviewing process, please contact our recruiting team at [email protected].

We participate in E-Verify and upon hire, will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you’re authorized to work in the U.S.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, veteran status, or any other category protected by applicable law.