Background
Today 30% of all clothing products made end up in landfill. 10% of global carbon emissions are attributed to the fashion industry.
Unmade are building the digital infrastructure to enable a demand-driven apparel industry. Their patented technology allows you to design and customise clothing yourself, so brands only make what will actually sell. This reduces waste, helps the planet, and supports a more sustainable, ethical economy.
Today, Unmade works with some of the most recognisable fashion and sportswear brands, such as New Balance. See the 111 Knit shoe and read more about this “audacious project“.
Try Unmade’s customisation tooling yourself on Ralph Lauren.
The company
Unmade was founded in 2013 by Hal, Kirsty and Ben. Read this interview with Ben.
We’re well-backed by the likes of Octopus Ventures. Our clients are high-volume/big subscriptions so generate solid revenue, which has allowed us to navigate the pandemic.
Unmade won Drapers’ Best Digital Innovation award, was nominated as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative, and recently joined the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s CE100 Programme, helping the world transition to a more circular economy.
The role
We are looking for a Product Manager to join our team. This role sits within the Product & Design team which is made up of product managers and product designers. You’ll report to the Head of Product & Design.
We work in cross functional teams that own different parts of our platform. This role is leading the “Product Setup” team of our platform. This team is focussed on the needs of users who input product data into UnmadeOS. The product challenges here are very focussed on building elegant software solutions for complex workflows across multiple systems, as well as cleverly integrating with other tools involved in the product development process such as 3D and 2D design tools or PIM systems (Product Information Management).
Product teams are tasked with business outcome focussed missions and a large degree of freedom, autonomy and flexibility as to how to achieve these outcomes. The role of the product manager in such a team is to make sure any solution a team creates is both valuable and viable. The role needs to collaborate closely with product designers and engineers so that desirability and feasibility are also accounted for.
The product manager role is about balancing longer-term business strategy concerns with nearer-term delivery concerns. In practical terms this means the role is about contributing to cross-functional teams with knowledge about a multitude of areas such as: customer and user needs, sales insights, marketing needs, customer success requirements, or even finance or legal considerations.
As Unmade is still a growing company with an emerging product, this role is also about being opportunistic, entrepreneurial and highly collaborative within the organisation.
In the next 12 months you will:
- Lead and empower a cross functional Product Team to do its best work.
- Run key rituals such as planning, stand ups and retrospectives.
- Continuously help everyone by breaking down complex problem spaces into manageable, actionable missions and milestones.
- Communicate internally and externally to identify customer insights, develop plans, share progress and create documentation to help others understand the product.
- Straddle the balance of desirability, feasibility and viability, weighing off short-term gains and long-term impact.
- Maintain an awareness of wider business initiatives and other team’s missions and milestones to enable, unblock teams and identify product synergies and opportunities.
- Work closely with the Head of Product & Design to align on the high-level product vision and roadmap.
- Identify and seize product growth opportunities and be part of the conversation informing the strategy of Unmade.
To be successful in this role, you will need:
- Experience in working on web-based technical software products from kick-off to shipping, as either a product manager, product/service designer, engineer, data analyst, data scientist, or user researcher.
- A passion for getting immersed in multiple, diverse user needs. For example, today our product touches: Sports and apparel brands as a whole, teamwear sales reps, e-commerce web developers, apparel manufacturers, end-consumers and more.
- Experience leading initiatives that require collaboration across multiple teams and stakeholders.
- An ability to stay agile and pragmatic, like being comfortable with changing focus when it makes sense or calling something “good enough” for the job.
- An understanding of web based software, including practises such as continuous integration and concepts such as APIs and services based systems architecture.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with a talent for precise articulations of customer problems.
- Business acumen and an entrepreneurial spirit.
- Knowledge of at least one of the following areas: Enterprise SaaS, fashion industry, sportswear industry, ecommerce, ERP, digital design tools, visualisation technologies, automated manufacturing.
Salary: £50,000 – £63,000 p/a
Location: This role is based in the UK. We have an office in Clerkenwell and have planned in-person activities roughly 3-4 days a month (when safe to do so). Beyond this, everyone can work where they work best, whether that is on-site or at home. We have a remote-first working pattern to ensure we operate well as a hybrid team.
This role may require occasional international travel, subject to covid-restrictions being lifted and it being safe to do so.
What’s it like working at Unmade
Unmade is a friendly, enthusiastic team who share the belief that the fashion industry needs radical change. We have a dynamic, supportive environment and strive to ensure everyone can do their best work and have fun whilst doing so.
We are building a product to have a lasting, positive impact on the fashion and sportswear industries, and the planet. We care about the work we do, are passionate about doing it, and are supportive of everyone to do the same.
We push for the best, but know that even with the best laid plans things can go wrong. Failure is not a dirty word, and we’re ok sharing when it happens. We value learning from each other and sharing what we do. No one is unapproachable, and everyone’s voice matters.
We care about helping the tech industry become a more inclusive, diverse place and strive to lead by example. We encourage everyone to bring their whole selves to work, regardless of gender, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age or disability.
Read about Unmade’s core values.
Perks and benefits
- All employees are granted share options with reduced tax liability
- 25 days + bank and public holidays You’re encouraged to use them and can buy more days if you need
- Flexible working hours – organise your own time over the week to help you fit work around life
- Freedom and budget to choose your hardware, software, and WFH equipment
- A budget of £1000 per year for courses, events, and books to help you learn and grow
- A working from abroad policy to enable you to work during longer visits to friends and family outside the UK
- 2 days of paid leave to volunteer for charity each year
- Equal parental leave of up to a year with enhanced pay, no matter your gender
- Annual salary reviews in line with a transparent salary framework, to ensure equal pay for equal work and that we recognise and reward when your responsibilities increase
- Season travel ticket loans
- Cycle and tech schemes
- Monthly mental health coaching from Sanctus
- Regular virtual and in-person social activities to help us stay connected and have fun together
- We’re a carbon positive workforce! Your individual carbon footprint will be offset, at work and at home
We really value feedback and conduct quarterly pulse surveys to better understand how we can continue to make Unmade a brilliant place to work for everyone - We currently hold a sponsor licence for Skilled Worker visas and are happy to consider applicants who are from outside of the UK and Ireland as long as they are currently UK-based. For more information on visas see: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa
What to expect from the application and interview process
We want to hire the best people, regardless of their background. It’s also really important to us that we hire in a way which is both effective and aligns with our values. For those reasons, Unmade’s hiring process is completely CV-less. Instead, we ask all applicants to answer three simple questions which are based on real scenarios that you would be likely to face in the role. Your answers are then separated from your name and double-marked blind by the hiring team.
The benefits of hiring in this way:
- It reduces any unconscious biases we may have, like affinity bias or the halo effect.
- We are able to focus on your skills, instead of trying to connect the dots between your cover letter and CV and the requirements of the role.
- It is proven to be a better predictor of whether you will be successful in the role.
What the process will look like for you:
Step 1 – Application: Answer three questions relating to scenarios you would be likely to face in the role. We will aim to get back to you by 21st of Jan.
Step 2 – Phone call: If you’re among the top-scoring applicants, you’ll be invited to a 25-minute phone call with the hiring manager to screen for basic requirements and to find out more about your expectations.
Step 3 – Video interview part 1: This will usually be a 50-minute video call with the hiring manager and another team member you would work with closely in the role. It will be focussed on the technical skills needed to be successful in the role, and may include a task. You will always be told what to expect in advance.
Step 4 – Video interview part 2: The second stage will be 2 x 50-minute video calls with other members of the team. The first will focus on alignment with our approach and philosophy in product & design and the second will be on qualities and behaviours that show alignment with our company values:
- We are greater than the sum of our parts
- We make a positive difference
- We strive for a better solution
- We embrace change
- We assume best intent
Applications are open and we will get back to you by 21st of January.