Senior Product Manager​/VP of Product

Overview

⚠️ Please read first

This is a full-time, in-person role based in San Francisco (Presidio) - we work from the office 5 days a week.

You must be based in the Bay Area or willing to relocate before starting. We require US work authorisation, but are open to O-1 visa sponsorship for truly exceptional candidates.

Sauna (formerly Wordware) is building an AI assistant that integrates with all user data sources. We’re a 15-person team shipping fast, iterating with users, and racing toward product-market fit. We operate in small, autonomous two-to-three person teams (PM + Designer, PM + Engineer, Designer + Engineer) where each project has clear ownership, resources, and timeline—then we get out of the way.

This is a founding-team-level product role that exists on a spectrum between pure product vision and operational execution. We’re looking for someone who can flex across both dimensions based on what the company needs most.

On one end of the spectrum:
You’re defining product strategy, working directly with founders on feature prioritization, creating dopamine spikes and engagement loops, and grooming to become CPO. You’ve built viral consumer products or bottom-up B2B tools. You know what makes products addictive and how to design experiences people want to return to.

On the other end:
You’re bringing operational rigor and urgency to our micro-teams. You’re the person who keeps the trains running—ensuring milestones hit, vectors stay aligned, and nothing falls through the cracks when founders take four days off. You’re the glue between teams, managing velocity across 8-10 small groups.

Most likely:
You’re somewhere in between. You have strong product instincts AND can execute operationally. You can debate product strategy in the morning and run standup rituals in the afternoon. You bring both taste and discipline.

The exact balance depends on your background and what energizes you. A product-focused ex-founder might start heavy on strategy and grow into operational leadership. A strong operator from a fast-scaling startup might start on execution and develop more strategic product muscle over 3-6 months.

Background that fits:

• Ex-founder (product-focused CEO/CPO of a funded startup with product in market and real users)
• VP/Head of Product at productivity tools, viral B2C apps, or agentic AI platforms
• Senior PM who’s shipped beloved features at prosumer companies
• Head of Product Ops / Program Management at high-growth startups
• Ex-CEO of a funded startup (even if it didn’t work out—as long as you shipped and had users)

Experience with:

• Product: Shipped products at companies like Grammarly, Notion, Coda, Superhuman, Trello, Slack, Todoist, Aura, Whoop, Obsidian, Evernote, or similar B2C/prosumer tools
• Growth: Bottom-up motion, PLG, viral consumer mechanics, dopamine spikes, engagement loops
• Execution: Coordinating cross-functional teams, running rituals, keeping execution tight across 30-40 people
• Agentic AI: Experience with AI agent platforms (Cofounder, new Grammarly products, etc.) is a plus
• Environment: Comfortable in 0→1 and rapid iteration environments

You bring:

• Exceptional taste + analytical brain = results
• Bias toward shipping and iterating fast
• Comfort with autonomy (we align on problem/timeline/resources, then you own it)
• Urgency and operational rigor
• Top-tier education or no degree + proven track record of shipping

Depending on where you land on the spectrum, you’ll be doing some combination of:

Product Strategy & Vision:

• Defining product vision and roadmap alongside CEO/CTO
• Owning feature prioritization and user experience decisions
• Making products feel addictive (dopamine spikes, engagement loops, viral mechanics)
• Running product rituals across micro-teams

Operational Execution:

• Ensuring all teams hit milestones and stay aligned
• Running sprints, standups, and coordination rituals
• Managing velocity across 8-10 small teams
• Being the “glue” that keeps execution tight
• Bringing urgency when things slow down

Day-to-Day Ownership:

• Owning 2-person project teams (you + designer or you + engineer)
• Making 50 decisions a day without approval loops
• Defining scope,…