Product managers are the powerful driving force behind every product you use or interact with.

The laptop or Android device you’re currently using to read this article? The brains behind its development was a product manager.

Logged into an AI tool or chatbot to help you get your work done more efficiently this morning? That was the result of a product manager’s strategic thinking, planning, oversight, and research.

ForbesProject Manager Vs. Product Manager Vs. Program ManagerBy Rachel Wells

Being a product manager can be an extremely rewarding and exciting profession. In fact, “overall employment in management occupations is projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations from 2023 to 2033,” says the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “About 1.2 million openings are projected each year, on average, in these occupations due to employment growth and the need to replace workers who leave the occupations permanently.”

Additionally, many product managers are fortunate to work in the tech industry—one of the most popular industries for remote jobs. And due to the nature of this type of work, they can afford to work entirely remotely, or hybrid remote depending on the employer.

Another one of the amazing things about a career in product management is that you get to be on the forefront of innovation and cutting-edge technology, which can be particularly exciting if you are working with a start-up to bring their concept to life. There are so many types of products you could be working on as a product manager that you’ll never have a dull day. Some examples of products you could be managing the production process for, include:

• AI-enabled tools
• AI-powered adaptions to existing software
• Hardware

In fact, Product School lists these seven types of products you could find yourself working with at any point in your product management career:

• Mass consumer apps
• B2B solutions
• Additive features
• Transformation of existing products
• Ecommerce marketplace platforms
• IoT (Internet of Things), physical, and ML (Machine learning) products
• Startup products

This variety can make for an interesting mix of remote product management roles, such as:

1. Remote technical product manager (average salary range between $113,298 to $139,938)
2. Remote growth product manager (average salary range between $141,000 to $197,000)
3. Remote platform product manager (average salary between $146,945 to $210,998)
4. Remote B2B product manager (average salary $161,935—no range available for this specific role)
5. Remote inbound product manager (exact salary data for this role unavailable)
6. Remote outbound product manager (average salary $109,089 to $223,601)

Product management roles can also vary in seniority and people management responsibility, as with most careers. For example you could work as:

1. Remote associate product manager (average salary range between $115,921 to $143,015)
2. Remote principal product manager (average salary range between $116,536 to $143,771)
3. Remote senior product manager (average salary range between $116,536 to $143,771)
4. Remote director of technology operations (average salary range between $179,729 to $223,604)
5. Remote product director (average salary range between $158,813 to $192,550)

All these roles have strong progression pathways, pay well, and offer you the chance to work from home (fully remote or in a hybrid remote model) while making a significant contribution to your industry. There are a number of employers that are currently hiring product management roles at a large scale in fall 2024. Walmart careers, for example, has several pages of current job listings for roles spanning product development, although it is unclear whether these roles have the potential to be hybrid remote in addition to their primary office location.

Another great area to look for remote jobs in product management is startups, who tend to favor remote and flexible working, and will be keen to onboard a savvy product manager as part of their founding team to bring their visionary product to market in record time.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Product Management?

A remote career in product management comes with many positives, but there are also some downsides. Tiago Pita, a Portugal-based brand and e-commerce director at Whole Foods Earth, recounts his twelve years of experience working in product management for health and and food-related ventures, as well as tech innovations.

What do you like about your role as a product manager?

“What I enjoy most about being a product manager is the opportunity to bring ideas to life, and the level of impact that I have. The challenge of constantly balancing customer expectations, business goals, and technical feasibility keeps things dynamic, and every day feels like a new puzzle to solve. I also thrive on collaboration and working across departments like marketing, engineering, and design means no two days are ever the same.

“You’re essentially shaping the future of a product, influencing business strategy, and improving user experiences. The variety of the job like moving from high-level vision to nitty-gritty details—means you’re always learning something new, which keeps it engaging.

What are the cons of being a product manager?

“Product management can be quite intense. You’re often pulled in multiple directions, stakeholders may have conflicting priorities, and you’re the one expected to make the final call. This can lead to pressure, especially when deadlines are tight or unexpected challenges arise. And while you have significant influence, you don’t always have direct authority over the teams you’re working with, which can sometimes slow things down. But if you enjoy navigating complexity, the pros definitely outweigh the cons,” Pita says.

Will a remote job in product management feature as the next chapter in your career?