Product Strategy Manager

Who we are

Smokeball helps law firms bill more without their clients paying more. Intriguing, right? We were founded by technology leaders with more than 20 years of experience in delivering impactful legal technology products. Our leadership continually strives to develop a company, culture, and team that share a profound love for the law and is compelled to help small law firms find success. Our mission isn’t simple, but it is straightforward: help small law firms be successful businesses so that they can better serve our communities.

What makes us special?

1. Culture is sacred. As a 'Best Places to Work' winner four years in a row, we believe company culture is the single most important ingredient to our success. At the end of the day, it is all about our people.
2. The best product in Legal Tech. We think deeply about the challenges small law firms face. We do not bother with simply delivering a “faster horse,” we drive innovations that truly enhance the lives and businesses of our clients. Check out our ratings on G2, Capterra, and Google.
3. Industry Opportunity. The Legal Tech industry is estimated to be worth around $15bn and is growing every year. Smokeball is growing right along with it, and we like to take our people with us.

Our working model

At Smokeball, we believe there is nothing more powerful than a community of people coming together to work on a product that they, and our clients, love. When it comes to working as a community, we see the value in both coming together and allowing our “Smokeballers” the flexibility that remote work offers.

All Chicago employees are in the office on Wednesdays and Thursdays. While our office is open 5 days a week, we allow you to choose what works best for you on Monday, Tuesday and Friday.

Our office is in the heart of the Loop within 10 minutes of the Metra and all “EL” trains. And, we have lots (and lots) of snacks.

The Role

We are seeking an experienced Product Strategy Manager to lead the charge in shaping and executing strategic product initiatives that drive meaningful impact for law firms across the U.S. In this highly collaborative role, you’ll own the product strategy for a dedicated portfolio, identifying customer pain points, analyzing market trends, and translating insights into innovative, client-centric solutions. From conducting deep market research to crafting product strategies and guiding cross-functional teams, you'll play a critical role in delivering measurable business and client value. If you thrive at the intersection of product innovation and strategic execution, this is your chance to make a real difference in a fast-growing legal tech company.

This is a hybrid role with our office being in Chicago, IL.

A Typical Day Involves

• Conduct market research to identify customer friction points, trends, and opportunities to inform product decisions
• Analyze the competitive landscape to understand market positioning and identify areas for differentiation
• In collaboration with Global Marketing, support product marketing with development of go-to-market strategies, including pricing, positioning, and marketing plans
• Utilize design thinking to determine client needs, research, define and ideate for product innovation.
• Create the product strategy for your dedicated product portfolio at Smokeball, acting as a client advocate ensuring their needs are met.
• Collaboratively create product/service blueprints for your product area to map out the desired user experience
• Collaborate and facilitate with cross-functional teams to gather and prioritize product requirements, ensuring alignment with the product strategy.
• Engage in product experimentation for incremental improvement, which is well documented, follows scientific methods, has defined metrics and objectives.
• Own the product metrics, dashboards and KPI’s for your product portfolio linking performance metrics to client and business value.
• Communicate product launches, including messaging, promotion, and sales enablement
• Maintain open and transparent communication with internal and external stakeholders, keeping them informed about product progress and updates

What You Bring

• 5 years in product management
• Proficient with product strategy tools and methodologies (e.g., Agile, Design Thinking, Behavioral Economics, Experimentation)
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Comfortable with a high-paced, evolving environment

Meet Your Manager

Your manager is Victoria, VP of Product Strategy, who lives in Chicago with her partner. Victoria makes the most of every season, whether sailing in the summer, skiing in the winter, or planning her next travel adventure. With over 14 years of global experience launching products and crafting product strategies, Victoria brings a wealth of knowledge, a collaborative spirit, and a genuine love for helping people grow in their careers. She’s all about smart execution, creative thinking, and getting outside whenever possible. Bonus points if you can swap travel stories over coffee!

Life at Smokeball

• Great Culture: Named 2024'S 10th Best Place to Work in the Technology Industry nationwide!
• Work-Life Balance: 20 vacation days, 7 sick days, 3 reboot days, 10 paid holidays, birthday off, volunteer time, and more!
• Career Growth: Smokeball believes in investing in our own people and promoting from within. Our own President started at Smokeball as an Account Manager!
• Benefits: Excellent medical coverage, 401(k) match, monthly wellness stipend, generous parental leave
• Transparency: We keep employees in the loop through monthly global huddles and local standups where we discuss company goals, updates, new hire introductions, etc.
• The Office: The kitchen is stocked with breakfast items, snacks, and beverages, and we have plenty of games to help you relax (ping-pong, billiards, pinball, board games, video games). We also offer free monthly massages provided by a licensed massage therapist!
• Fun Events: In-person happy hours, virtual game nights, family-friendly events, and so much more
• Convenient Transit: We’re located in the heart of downtown Chicago, in walking distance from all major modes of transportation

The Values We Live By

Creating and fostering a great culture is just as important as providing a great product. At Smokeball, we don’t have Core Values for show, we live and breathe them every day.

• Caring is not optional
• Make it happen
• Deliver legendary service
• Innovate for the client, not the press release
• Be frank
• Keep listening, keep learning

These values inform every strategic decision we make and guide our behavior with every person we meet. When we are bringing new team members into the Smokeball Family, we look for compassion, drive, keen judgement, varied perspectives, and no egos.

More, more, more!

Why do we do what we do? Where did the name ‘Smokeball’ come from? How do we give back? Learn more here.* Frequently cited statistics show that women and underrepresented groups apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. No one ever meets 100% of the qualifications! We encourage anyone who is interested to apply based on the responsibilities and requirements outlined. You may be the culture add that we are seeking! We look forward to your application.* Smokeball is an equal opportunity employer and committed to providing an open, welcoming environment for everyone