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San Francisco Product Management Market

Beta

January 2026

This report analyzes 715 Product Management job postings from 357+ companies tracked via direct employer career pages and job board aggregators. Our coverage skews toward tech-forward and scaling companies; large enterprises using enterprise hiring platforms may be underrepresented. Coverage varies by section and is noted throughout.


Market Context

1.Highest AI/ML PM concentration San Francisco's 25% AI/ML PM share is the highest among all tracked cities, reflecting the region's position as a hub for artificial intelligence development and investment.
2.January 2026 layoffs peak According to Challenger data, January 2026 layoffs reached the highest level since 2009. This may contribute to the elevated senior-to-junior ratio as experienced talent re-enters the market.
3.Most competitive entry market The 44:1 senior-to-junior ratio is the most competitive entry-level market among tracked cities. Only 7% of roles are accessible to candidates with under 3 years of experience.
4.Uber expands PM hiring Uber leads all employers with 5 open PM roles, adding 3 positions from December. This expansion aligns with the broader Mobility sector's 4 percentage point gain.
5.Technical to AI/ML PM shift Technical PM roles declined 13 percentage points while AI/ML PM roles gained 11 percentage points, suggesting companies are reallocating technical product talent toward AI-focused initiatives.

Key Takeaways: Job Seekers

1.0Prioritize AI skills With AI appearing in 25% of job requirements - the highest of any tracked city - demonstrating AI product experience or coursework may differentiate your application.
1.1Target Fintech and Mobility These two sectors account for 34% of roles combined. Mobility is actively expanding (up 4 percentage points), making it a potential area for faster hiring cycles.
1.2Leverage remote flexibility 43% of roles are fully remote. Consider applying to San Francisco-based companies even if you are not local, as remote arrangements are widely available.
1.3Entry candidates: focus on Growth-stage companies Young companies (under 5 years) represent only 9% of hiring. Growth-stage firms (50%) may offer more pathways for junior candidates than Mature enterprises.
1.4Expect senior-level competition With 60% of roles at Senior level and a 44:1 senior-to-junior ratio, differentiate through specialized skills like AI, platform expertise, or strong growth metrics.

Key Takeaways: Hiring Managers

2.0AI/ML PM talent is in high demand With 25% of roles seeking AI/ML PMs, expect competition for this talent. Consider competitive compensation or emphasizing AI-adjacent projects for candidates transitioning into the space.
2.1Remote options may widen your talent pool 87% of competitors offer flexible arrangements. Mandating onsite work (only 13% of postings) could limit your candidate pipeline.
2.2Director+ demand is rising Director-level roles increased 5 percentage points month-over-month. If hiring for leadership, move quickly as January 2026 layoffs were the highest since 2009 according to Challenger data.
2.3Consider entry-level pipeline investment Only 7% of roles target junior candidates. Building entry-level programs may create a differentiated talent pipeline while competitors focus exclusively on senior hires.

Industry Distribution

63% of roles with industry data

Low
High
vs December 2025

Biggest Gainer

Mobility & Transportation

+5pp

Biggest Decline

Crypto & Web3

-3pp

Fintech leads at 20%, followed by Mobility and Transportation at 14%. Mobility gained 4 percentage points from December while AI/ML as a standalone category declined 4 percentage points, suggesting AI talent may be shifting into established verticals. Coverage is 64% of roles with industry classification.


Company Maturity

62% of roles with company age data

50%Growth Stage
Growth (6-15 yrs)50%
Mature (>15 yrs)41%
Young (<=5 yrs)10%

Growth-stage companies (6-15 years) lead hiring at 50%, followed closely by Mature companies at 41%. Young companies under 5 years account for only 9% of roles, reflecting the market's shift toward established organizations with proven business models.


Ownership Type

63% of roles with ownership data

53%Private
Private53%
Public40%
Subsidiary7%
Acquired0%

Private companies represent 53% of hiring, with publicly traded firms close behind at 40%. The relatively even split suggests opportunities across both venture-backed growth companies and established public enterprises in the San Francisco market.


Employer Size Distribution

58% of roles with company size data

54%Enterprise
Enterprise (1,000+)54%
Scale-up (50-1,000)26%
Startup (<50)20%

Enterprise companies (1,000+ employees) account for 54% of PM hiring, with Scale-ups at 26% and Startups at 20%. This distribution reflects larger organizations' capacity to maintain hiring during an uncertain economic environment with elevated layoffs.


Employers Hiring for Product Management Roles

Low
High
vs December 2025

Biggest Gainer

Uber

+3pp

New This Month

Amazon, Airwallex, SoFi

Biggest Decline

Waymo

-1pp

Market interpretation: Uber leads with 5 open PM roles, gaining 3 positions from December. Fintech firms Airwallex, Capital One, and SoFi appear prominently, along with Amazon. The hiring distribution is relatively broad, with the top 5 employers accounting for 12% of tracked postings.


Role Specialization

Low
High
vs December 2025

Biggest Gainer

ai_ml_pm

+12pp

Biggest Decline

technical_pm

-13pp

Core PM roles lead at 41%, with AI/ML PM at 25% - the highest AI/ML concentration among tracked cities. AI/ML PM demand rose 11 percentage points from December while Technical PM declined 13 percentage points, suggesting reallocation of technical product talent toward AI initiatives. Growth PM (11%) and Platform PM (9%) round out the specializations.


Seniority Distribution

Junior: 0-2 years | Mid-Level: 3-5 years | Senior: 6-10 years | Staff/Principal: 11+ years (IC track) | Director+: Management track

Low
High
vs December 2025

Biggest Gainer

Director+

+3pp

Biggest Decline

Staff/Principal

-2pp

Senior-to-Junior Ratio

43:1

Senior+ roles per Junior role

Entry Accessibility Rate

9%

Junior + Mid-Level roles combined

Senior roles account for 60% of demand, with Director+ at 20% and Staff/Principal at 13%. The 44:1 senior-to-junior ratio is the most competitive entry-level market among tracked cities. Director+ roles gained 5 percentage points from December, possibly driven by organizational restructuring following January layoffs.


IC vs Management Track

84%IC
Individual Contributor84%
Management16%

Individual contributor roles make up 79% of openings, with management positions at 21%. This ratio suggests a balanced opportunity set for both IC-track and management-track product professionals, though IC roles remain the primary pathway.


Working Arrangement

Onsite: office full-time | Hybrid: mix of office and remote | Remote: work from anywhere | Flexible: employee chooses arrangement

95% of roles with known working arrangement

42%Remote
Remote42%
Hybrid25%
Flexible19%
Onsite13%

Remote leads at 43%, followed by Hybrid at 24% and Flexible at 20%. Only 13% of roles require full onsite presence. The 87% flexibility rate indicates San Francisco employers continue to prioritize location flexibility to attract talent, despite some high-profile return-to-office mandates elsewhere.


Compensation

17% of roles with disclosed salary ranges

Overall Distribution

25th Percentile

$181K

Median

$210K

75th Percentile

$230K

IQR (Spread)

$49K

Advertised Salary by Seniority

Advertised Salary by Role


Skills Demand

49% of roles with skills data

Low
High

Skills insight: AI skills lead at 25% - the highest of any tracked city - followed by stakeholder management (17%), product strategy (16%), and roadmapping (15%). SQL (14%) and data analysis (13%) reflect continued emphasis on data-informed product decisions. The most common skill pairs combine cross-functional collaboration with roadmapping and product strategy.


Market Metrics

Market Structure

2.0

Jobs per employer

Average open roles per hiring company

Among tracked employers

13%

Top 5 concentration

Combined share of tracked postings by top 5 employers

Among tracked employers

24%

Top 15 concentration

Combined share of tracked postings by top 15 employers

Among tracked employers

Accessibility

43:1

Senior-to-Junior ratio

Senior+ roles for every junior role

Extremely competitive entry

9%

Entry accessibility

Roles open to candidates with <3 years experience

Difficult entry market

16%

Management opportunity

Roles on the people management track

Balanced tracks

Flexibility

42%

Remote availability

Roles offering fully remote work

High flexibility


Methodology

This report analyzes direct employer job postings for Product Management roles in San Francisco during January 2026.

Data collection:

  • 1.Over 700 roles from 364+ employers aggregated from multiple sources
  • 2.Recruitment agency postings identified and excluded (2% of raw data)
  • 3.Jobs deduplicated across sources to avoid double-counting

Classification:

  • 1.Roles classified using an LLM-powered taxonomy
  • 2.Subfamily, seniority, skills, and working arrangement extracted
  • 3.Employer metadata enriched from company databases where available

Limitations:

  • 1.Not a complete census of the market - some roles may not be captured
  • 2.Skills analysis based on 349 roles with skill data (49% coverage)
  • 3.Salary data available due to pay transparency law
  • 4.Working arrangement based on 196 ATS-sourced roles (Adzuna excluded due to truncated descriptions)

Data coverage:

85%

Seniority coverage

Roles with seniority level classified

95%

Arrangement coverage

Roles with working arrangement known

49%

Skills coverage

Roles with skills extracted from description

73%

Employer metadata

Roles with enriched company data

About

This report was created by Rich Jacobs, Data product manager focused on hiring market intelligence. Want the data? rich@richjacobs.me