Ascendance Foundry (AF) is built on two beliefs:
Apprenticeship belongs at the centre of education
Winning with AI demands the fastest workforce retraining in history
Our Ascendance Fellowship program embeds a top student on your team after they have completed an intensive bootcamp focused on AI tools. The placement is supported by structured mentorship from seasoned founders, executives, and technical leaders.
Through our flagship Ascendance Fellowship, we recruit top students from universities and high schools, train them in AI-first problem solving, and embed them into real client projects alongside experienced operators. Our programs combine intensive bootcamps, hands-on project work, expert talks, and mentorship from an “Expert Network” of industry leaders.
About the roleAs a Product Manager at AF, you will lead product direction and execution for client engagements—working at the intersection of business strategy, user needs, and technical delivery. You will partner closely with Solutions Architects, engineers, and Ascendance Fellows to define, scope, and ship AI-enabled products and internal tools for our clients.
This is a highly entrepreneurial role suited for operators who enjoy ambiguity, fast iteration, and working directly with clients to build meaningful, production-grade solutions.
Key ResponsibilitiesOwn Product Direction for Client EngagementsLead product discovery with client stakeholders to understand workflows, pain points, and success metrics
Translate ambiguous business problems into clear product requirements, roadmaps, and prioritized backlogs
Define MVP scope and iterate rapidly based on user feedback and real-world usage
Align stakeholders on product vision, trade-offs, and delivery timelines
Work closely with Solutions Architects and engineers to translate requirements into technical plans
Manage sprint planning, prioritization, and delivery cadence across project teams
Ensure high-quality, user-centric outputs that deliver measurable business value
Continuously refine product direction based on data, user feedback, and evolving client needs
Communicate product decisions in terms of ROI, operational impact, and scalability
Collaborate with technical teams on feasibility, constraints, and system design decisions
Help clients operationalize and adopt delivered solutions within their organizations
Provide guidance to Fellows on product thinking, user research, and prioritization
Help structure work in a way that creates a strong apprenticeship experience while maintaining delivery quality
Strong product intuition paired with first-principles thinking
Comfort operating in ambiguous, fast-moving environments
Bias toward action and rapid iteration
Ability to simplify complex problems into clear, actionable plans
Strong communication skills across both technical and non-technical stakeholders
Experience with product discovery, user research, and defining MVPs
Strong ability to write clear product requirements and manage backlogs
Familiarity with agile/iterative development processes
Comfort working alongside engineering teams building data and AI-driven products
Working understanding of modern AI systems (LLMs, RAG, APIs, data pipelines)
Familiarity with how software systems are built and deployed (cloud, APIs, databases)
Ability to engage meaningfully with engineers and Solutions Architects on trade-offs
2–8 years in product management, product strategy, or similar roles
Experience working on B2B products, internal tools, or data/AI-driven systems
Experience working directly with clients or cross-functional stakeholders
Experience leading small teams or owning end-to-end product delivery
Work directly with founders, executives, and operators across a wide range of industries
Build and ship real products—not decks or theoretical strategies
High autonomy and ownership over product decisions
Exposure to cutting-edge AI applications across sectors
Opportunity to mentor and shape the next generation of technical talent
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