Principal Product Manager / Head of Product

About Common Forge:

Common Forge has been developing custom software for over 20 years. Today, we are embarking on a mission to support construction & trade companies by leveraging advanced technologies to enhance their project planning and talent development processes. With demand for construction work outpacing the supply of workers, there is no better time to contribute to the productivity growth that drives our country forward.

This team within our business is in build + grow mode. The team operates with urgency, transparency, and ownership. Everyone is expected to roll up their sleeves, give and receive direct feedback, and move quickly while continuing to raise the bar on quality.

The Position:

The Principal Product Manager is a critical leader responsible for owning our products, including what has been built already and new products/features. The expectation is constant targeted iteration to deliver value to our clients and partners. This role will be responsible for discovery and delivery until scaling, when we can supplement additional product team members.

This person will own product direction, support an existing software engineering team, and serve as the primary translator between shared leadership vision, customer needs, client success, and engineering. The Principal Product Manager will operate with a high degree of autonomy, move quickly in a dynamic environment, and help the company deliver faster and to a higher level of quality. The role is ideal for a product leader who thrives in early-stage environments, desires to have meaningful influence, and is excited to build alongside founders and benefit from our growth.

Responsibilities:

• Build and own the product operating process from the ground up, including how Common Forge runs discovery, writes requirements, manages the backlog, defines acceptance criteria, and communicates roadmap decisions to internal and external stakeholders.
• Own and maintain a clear, prioritized product roadmap that balances speed, quality, and long-term vision. Partner closely with leadership, offering thoughtful challenges and independent judgment when needed.
• Prioritize and manage expectations from all stakeholders, including clients and internal team members.
• Translate customer and client feedback into well-defined product requirements and development priorities. Ensure the product is built with a deep understanding of the end user and their experience.
• Bring structure and organization to fast-changing priorities in a startup environment. Drive execution by taking ownership, staying close to the work, and delivering results.

Required Qualifications:

• 5+ years of product experience, ideally within B2B SaaS or vertical SaaS environments
• Proven UI/UX prototyping, testing, deployment, and improvement
• Proven ability to translate user needs into product solutions
• Strong understanding of how software is built and delivered
• Comfort running workshops and engaging directly with clients (office and field team members) face-to-face
• Comfort operating with autonomy and making decisions in ambiguity
• Experience working in early-stage environments
• High EQ, strong judgment, and the confidence to challenge ideas respectfully

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience working in the construction/MEP space (highly desired)
• Software engineering background or training (highly desired)
• Experience addressing challenges integrating with legacy ERPs
• Experience with data hygiene best practices
• Experience with AI, LLM integrations, Machine Learning (ML), and statistical analysis

Salary & Benefits:

• $120,000-160,000 + equity
• Benefits package, including health, PTO, retirement savings
• Location: Denver, CO, Hybrid preferred, Remote considered