Principal Product Manager, Core Experience

About Tin Can

Tin Can is building a safer, simpler way for kids to connect — without smartphones. We're creating screen-free, delightful devices and services that let families call the people who matter most, free from the noise of today's digital world.

We're building a bold, authentic, nostalgic, and kinda quirky brand that resonates with folks who want something simpler & better for their kids than the tech-infused lives we're currently living (and who have a sense of humor about it).

The Role

We're looking for a Principal Product Manager to drive retention: getting families off to a great start with Tin Can and keeping kids calling the people who matter, week after week. Engagement is one of the highest-leverage product problems we have, and right now no one owns it full-time.

This role spans more of the product than most PM jobs: the app, calling, voicemail, accessories, and onboarding. Driving connection might mean improving the app one week, rethinking how voicemail works, or proposing a new accessory the next. You'll own strategy for the core experience from day one, and you'll own the work end to end — building the backlog, shipping, and learning from what ships to decide what's next. The best decision for Tin Can always comes first, but you'll also keep an eye on how each one builds toward the ecosystem we're building. You'll partner closely with the Head of Product, the founding team, engineering, brand, and marketing. This is a hands-on role for someone who cares deeply about user experience, knows how to balance rigor with momentum, and is kooky (like we are).

What You'll Do

• Own the strategy for the core Tin Can experience, with an eye on how each decision builds toward the ecosystem

• Find the highest-leverage ways to drive consistent calling — the rituals that keep families coming back — and go make them happen

• Turn broad goals into clear hypotheses and a focused product backlog

• Do whatever the problem needs: write the test plan and run it yourself, draft the in-app and email copy, work with engineering to spec the fix

• Design and ship product that builds durable calling rituals in partnership with engineering

• Sweat the first-run and week-one experience, the moments that make Tin Can stick

• Design and build instrumentation to see whether you’re moving the needle

• Run experiments, synthesize learnings, and decide what to scale, iterate on, or stop

• Collaborate with leadership to align your work with overall product strategy and values

What We're Looking For

• 10+ years of product management experience, including ownership of complex, ambiguous problem spaces

• A track record of moving retention or engagement metrics, not just shipping features

• Strong product instincts paired with analytical rigor and comfort with data

• Fluency using AI as a multiplier across discovery, prototyping, and analysis — this is how we work, not a nice-to-have

• Excellent judgment around user trust, quality, and long-term tradeoffs, especially building for kids and the parents who trust us

• Ability to set direction and move work forward with little oversight

• Clear communication and the ability to tell a compelling story about what you're learning and why it matters

• Hands-on and scrappy approach; you'd rather write the copy or dig into the bug yourself than wait on someone else

• Low-ego and collaborative vibes; you share credit and pitch in on problems that aren't yours

Why Join Tin Can

• We're building tech that protects childhood: We're on a quest to give kids a more analog childhood — one with real conversations, real connection, and way less screen time. This is a rare opportunity to build something that truly matters.

• You'll own how we get there: Retention is one of our most important bets, and you'll drive it — building the backlog, running real experiments, and setting strategy alongside the Head of Product. You'll see your work change how families use Tin Can, and you'll own where it goes from here.

• Small, high-trust team: Every company says "team," but at Tin Can it means something different. We're a small, mission-driven group that genuinely has each other's backs — professionally and personally. You'll be joining a tight-knit crew where your ideas and instincts matter from day one.

• Room to explore, not just execute: You'll have the space to explore new ideas, challenge assumptions, and shape a product experience that reflects our values of trust, simplicity, and care.

If you're excited by the idea of taking a product families already love and making it something they can't imagine living without, please reach out. We can't wait to meet someone who's ready to jump in, own a goal that matters, and help us grow.