Associate Product Manager

Who We Are:

We're a high-growth software company with a big mission : empowering K-12 district teams to do more with less.


At LINQ, we get K12. That's why we help districts transform K-12 school operations with best-in-class, cloud-based software solutions built to help districts return more resources to classrooms. Integrating finance, HR, nutrition management, and payments into a single, secure platform, LINQ reduces administrative burden. LINQ is trusted by 30% of school districts across the U.S. to help them operate more efficiently and serve over 1 billion meals to 17 million students annually, process payroll for 364,000 educators, administrators, and staff, and engage with millions of families through the free LINQ Connect app.


Our team? They're talented, committed, and fiercely loyal problem-solvers. At LINQ, you'll find challenging and meaningful work, a team that respects and uplifts one another, and a commitment to constant improvement. Our customers love us because we're attentive, patient, communicative, and solutions focused. They know they can count on us to not only anticipate their needs but to deliver the right answer every time.


LINQ's Values:
• Act with Integrity & Build Trust: Trust is the foundation of our company. We operate with the highest standards of integrity, both internally and externally. We believe in transparency, honesty, and accountability. Building a culture where trust is earned and maintained.
• Deliver Excellence: We consistently exceed our clients' expectations. In every interaction, we strive to anticipate needs, provide swift solutions, and go the extra mile to relentlessly impress our customers. We communicate clearly, consistently, and in a timely way to cultivate lasting relationships.
• Embrace Challenges: We embrace a growth mindset. Challenges offer opportunities to learn, grow, and improve. Continuous learning keeps us relevant and effective to ensure our solutions remain on the leading edge of innovation.
• Collaborate & Act as One Team: Diverse skills, ideas, and perspectives are our strength. Through open communication, shared goals, and a spirit of unity and mutual respect, we collaborate to achieve excellence, drive innovation, and propel our company forward as a cohesive force.


About the Role

We are looking for an Associate Product Manager to work within a defined product area alongside an experienced product leader. Your focus is execution: translating requirements into clear user stories, keeping delivery on track, and building the domain knowledge and product instincts that grow into broader ownership over time. LINQ's products operate in complex, regulated domains - K-12 nutrition, payments, ERP, and state reporting - and the work you support is consequential from day one.
What You'll Be Doing

• Participate in discovery and requirements gathering through customer interviews, support trend analysis, and synthesis of qualitative and quantitative feedback.
• Write clear user stories, acceptance criteria, and documentation for features within your product line.
• Maintain a healthy product backlog - grooming tickets, tracking sprint status, and communicating progress across stakeholders.
• Partner with engineering, QA, design, and customer success to ensure shared understanding and smooth handoffs during development.
• Participate in sprint planning, retrospectives, and sprint reviews as an active contributor to delivery.
• Support product launches, including release notes, internal enablement materials, and post-launch monitoring.
• Monitor customer feedback and surface patterns to your manager to inform roadmap decisions.
• Develop deep domain knowledge of your product line - customers, workflows, pain points, and the competitive landscape.

What We're Looking For

• 4 or more years of professional experience with meaningful internship, research, or project management experience demonstrating cross-functional collaboration and clear communication.
• Structured problem-solver who can break a messy problem into parts and think through tradeoffs.
• Clear communicator, written and verbal, across technical and non-technical audiences.
• Curious about technology and how software products are built, you don't need to code, but you need to be comfortable learning technical concepts.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and willing to ask questions rather than assume.
• Customer-oriented - you start with the problem, not the solution.
• Collaborative and able to build trust with cross-functional partners without formal authority.
• Curious about using AI tools to accelerate work including research, synthesis, writing, analysis, and rapid prototyping, and brings curiosity about how AI can help the team validate ideas faster, internally and with customers.

What Will Make You Stand Out

• Evidence of shipping something - a project, a process improvement, a prototype - that required you to define a problem, prioritize tradeoffs, and iterate toward a solution.
• Experience working directly with customers or end users in a prior role.
• Exposure to SaaS products, agile teams, or B2B software environments.
• Familiarity with tools like Jira, Confluence, or similar.

Education

Bachelor's degree in any field, or equivalent practical experience. Domain expertise and demonstrated craft carry more weight than academic background.
Travel Requirements

Less than 10%
Compensation

We offer a competitive salary of $80,000-$100,000 + a 4% annual bonus.

Why You'll Love Working With Us

Planning Your Future: Our 401(k) plan comes with a 4% employer match on total earnings (not just your base salary).


Performance Pays Off: Whether it's a company bonus or target sales commission, your hard work doesn't go unnoticed.


Vacation Your Way: Our flexible Open Paid Time Off Plan lets you take the time you need, when you need it.


Paid Parental Leave: Take the time you need to welcome your new addition - We've got you covered!


Ten Paid Corporate Holidays: Enjoy a little extra downtime to relax and recharge with the ten paid holidays each year.


♥ Giving Back: Feel good while doing good - 16 paid volunteer hours to support the causes that matter most to you. #LINQCares


Benefits That Have Your Back (And Teeth, Too!): Rock-solid medical, dental and vision coverage. Pick your vibe: a low deductible PPO and pair with an FSA or a HDHP with a sweet HSA - with contributions from LINQ. Dental perks that even cover braces for the kiddos.


Wellness Perks: Employer-paid Short-Term Disability, Long Term Disability, Basic Life, and AD&D insurance. Gym reimbursements and tons of extra savings on travel assistance, employee assistance, and even pet insurance options.


Rewards For Referrals: Got an amazing candidate in your network? Send them our way and earn a referral bonus when they join the team!


EOE Statement/Accommodation Notice:

As a federal contractor and equal employment opportunity employer, LINQ adheres to all applicable laws and regulations regarding employment practices, ensuring that all qualified individuals receive consideration for employment

based on their qualifications. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected category under applicable federal, state, and local law.


To learn more about your rights and protections under federal law, please refer to the EEOC Equal Employment Opportunity Poster at the following link:

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