Product Manager

Help us use technology to make a big green dent in the universe!

Kraken powers some of the most innovative global developments in energy.

We’re a technology company focused on creating a smart, sustainable energy system. From optimising renewable generation, creating a more intelligent grid and enabling utilities to provide excellent customer experiences, our operating system for energy is transforming the industry around the world in a way that benefits everyone.

It’s a really exciting time in energy. Help us make a real impact on shaping a better, more sustainable future. 

Kraken Customer

What we do: build the most AI-driven, innovative, forward-thinking platform for energy management. From optimizing resources to delivering cost-effective, exceptional customer experiences through advanced Customer Information Systems (CIS), billing, meter data management, CRM, and AI-driven communications, Kraken is powering the next wave of innovation in the energy industry.

Why we do it: future energy will not look like energy as we know it today. We need to not just think about our future, but build for it. Now.

About the Role

You’ll be joining the Industry group as a Product Manager of the Market Gateway product, focused on North American work.

The Market Gateway product is globally operational and is being developed to support Kraken’s clients across Europe, Australia, Asia, and North America.

The Market Gateway serves as Kraken’s central service for exchanging industry messages with external market participants (network operators, suppliers, system operators, etc.). “Industry messages” vary in structure and format and, but, globally, they serve as a central means for exchanging critical data that allows Kraken’s clients to service their customers and operate in the utility space.

 The core capabilities of the Market Gateway are:

- To exchange messages with external market participants via communication protocols such as REST API, SFTP, SOAP, or email. Exchange includes both sending and receiving messages.

- To ensure secure message exchanges and support the encryption and decryption of messages.

- To provide a standard interface for Kraken to interpret incoming messages and construct outgoing messages.

- To be highly scalable and responsive: the Market Gateway must always be available and able to support high volumes of large messages for multiple clients.

The Market Gateway has a current product manager focusing on work in Australia and Europe. In this role, you will focus on the Market Gateway’s work in North America. This will involve leading the rollout and ongoing support of the Market Gateway product for North American clients. 

Additionally, this role will involve the creation and support of a North American certification testing program. In the United States, before exchanging Production messages, market participants must orchestrate and complete robust certification tests to demonstrate they can exchange industry messages per protocol. We will need to provide utilities with a seamless way to conduct and participate in testing with one another.

• Collaborate with the Market Gateway Tech Lead and Product Manager for Europe and Australia, to define and communicate the Market Gateway product strategy, roadmap, and offering to stakeholders.
• Develop a plan for and build out Kraken’s United States certification testing program: this may involve the design and development of new product features as well as business administration for certification testing. This may include contact management, test schedule creation, test script writing, and organized communications processes.
• Support the rollout of the Market Gateways for Kraken’s North American clients.
• Plan development sprints and coordinate parallel workloads for a team of backend-focused engineers.
• Work asynchronously with an international team across time zones (West USA to New Zealand), occasionally participating in out-of-hours calls and enabling ‘follow the sun’ work patterns

• Collaborate with tech, operations, clients, and stakeholders to manage products, identify problems, and ensure resolution.
• Gather technical requirements, define approaches, and create pitch documents and tickets for development teams.
• Manage and prioritize the product backlog using Asana.
• Report on product progress, including new features and roadmap updates, while maintaining success metrics and KPIs.
• Support front-line teams in quickly resolving issues.
• Contribute to improving the product management community by sharing insights and supporting team members.

• We’re looking for people with a variety of skills and experience to build our team, so if you fit some (and not all) of the criteria, please do apply. 
• Strong written and verbal English communication skills, comfortable engaging with varied technical expertise levels and international teams.
• Proactive, self-starter with a methodical, highly organized approach to managing projects from inception to completion.
• Ability to prioritize tasks effectively, aligning with team goals and strategic direction.
• Adaptable and thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment (start-up/scale-up experience is advantageous).
• Hands-on approach with willingness to tackle diverse tasks, including technical problem-solving.
• Prior product management experience preferred.
• Knowledge of the energy industry or experience working with regulated utilities.
• Experience with technical documentation like data format guidelines and process diagrams is beneficial.
• To be curious and willing to roll up your sleeves. For example, this might mean helping to build out and prioritise our tech hiring roadmap. You might even find yourself digging into problems using SQL or data science notebooks or by diving into the logging system.
• The Market Gateway team currently has team members based in North America and Europe. Preferably, this role is based in the NYC area, but we're open to considering exceptional remote candidates.
• Occasional travel to Kraken’s London headquarters.

• Our company culture - We are an organisation where people learn, decide, and build quicker. Where people work with autonomy, alongside a wide range of amazing co-owners, on projects that break new ground. We want your hard work to be rewarded with perks you actually care about! 
• Great medical, dental, and vision insurance options including FSAs.
• Paid time off — we know working hard means also being able to recharge as needed, we trust our employees to get the work done and take the time they need.
• 401(k) plan with employer match.
• Parental leave. Biological, adoptive and foster parents are all eligible. 
• Pre-tax commuter benefits.
• Flexible working environment: you need to shift around your schedule? You do you, we genuinely believe in work/life balance. 
• Equity Options: every Octopus employee owns part of the business. We’re a team, working together towards huge goals. Every person is crucial to our success, you should be rewarded as such. 
• Modern office or co-working spaces depending on location.
• We hire a wide range of experience levels into our teams. The estimated salary range for this position in NYC ranges from $100K-150K depending on relevant experience, role alignment, and expertise demonstrated throughout the interview process. While the estimated salary range is listed, not all candidates will be placed at the top of the range - this will be determined by the overall fit for the role. If you have any questions about this, please ask our recruiters! They'll be happy to provide more context.

If this sounds like you then we'd love to hear from you.

Are you ready for a career with us? We want to ensure you have all the tools and environment you need to unleash your potential. Need any specific accommodations? Whether you require specific accommodations or have a unique preference, let us know, and we'll do what we can to customise your interview process for comfort and maximum magic!

Studies have shown that some groups of people, like women, are less likely to apply to a role unless they meet 100% of the job requirements. Whoever you are, if you like one of our jobs, we encourage you to apply as you might just be the candidate we hire. Across Octopus, we're looking for genuinely decent people who are honest and empathetic. Our people are our strongest asset and the unique skills and perspectives people bring to the team are the driving force of our success. As an equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute. Our commitment is to provide equal opportunities, an inclusive work environment, and fairness for everyone.