Strategic Product Manager

Pentana Solutions has been powering the Australian automotive industry for over 50 years. We're continuing to invest significantly in our product, further enhancing our existing platform with a modern AI-led approach. Around 1 in 3 of our staff use internal AI tools every business day. The work is real, the customers are demanding, and we're hiring.

The opportunity

You'll be the connection between our customers and our engineering teams as we evolve the product. The first three months are scoping, with 60-70% of your time spent talking to customers in person, on calls, on WebEx, building the picture of what the product needs to become.

From there, you'll work as part of a delivery squad, making sure the scope you helped build actually gets shipped. This role isn't about managing people - we have squad leads for that. It's about owning the product itself, end to end, with the customer in the room throughout.

Why this role exists right now

We're investing significantly to move the product forward at pace. We need product managers who can think wider than a single stream - people who understand how the product integrates across the whole system, not just their corner of it.

You're not building from a blank page. The work is happening. We've shipped voice products in eight weeks and our internal AI tooling is in daily use across the business. Your job is to shape what comes next - and find the business processes that AI can take from "sitting at a desktop typing through screens" to "telling the system what to do."

You'll report into the relevant Squad Lead with product alignment overseen by our Product Director. You'll work most closely with subject matter experts, your fellow PMs, the UX team and the development squads.

What you'll bring

• Customer-first instincts. You can demo a product, run a customer conversation, and translate what you hear into specs.

• Systems thinking. You see how a product feature integrates with the rest of the platform, not just your stream.

• AI-first thinking. You actively look for the business processes that AI could replace, not just enhance.

• Strong communication. You can write a white paper, run a customer workshop, present to executives.

• Pragmatic about scope. You can push back, prioritise, defend a decision with evidence.

• Background in CRM, communications, digital product, or customer experience would be an added bonus - particularly for the systems and communications stream.

• Automotive industry experience is welcome but not required. UX exposure is a real plus.

What to expect

Two things to know going in. First, you'll spend a lot of time with customers in the first three months - the scope you produce is only as good as the conversations you have.

Second, you won't be the deepest technical person in the room and you don't need to be. The product matters more than the platform. If you're a hardcore engineer who wants to stay close to the code, this isn't the role. If you can hold the customer's perspective and the technical reality at the same time, you'll thrive.

What's in it for you

• Pace. You'll work on one of the most significant transformation programmes in Australian automotive software. We're moving fast and we're already shipping.

• Meaningful work. You'll help shape the product that will run Australian automotive for the next decade. Your decisions will sit in production, in front of real customers, for years after you leave.

• A clear lane to ship. No exec gatekeeping, no two-week approval cycles. Decisions get made in the room.

• The chance to shape what comes next at Pentana Solutions. You're joining at the inflection point. What you build here will have a long-term impact on Australian automotive.

We're all about celebrating diversity and creating an inclusive, respectful team. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, including Indigenous Australians, people of colour, LGBTIQA+, and those with disabilities.

If you want to own a product, not just manage it, we should have a conversation. Apply now.