product manager.

In your role as a product manager, you stay on top of things to ensure products or services sell successfully. You optimise, develop, and monitor. That’s why you play an important role within the company. If you have creative ideas, it can positively impact sales. Your tasks as a product manager are quite diverse. Are you curious about what your job will involve? Then read on here.

Product managers work in nearly all industries. Plus, you can specialise in certain areas. Take a look at the different types of product managers:

• Technical product manager: In this role, you hold the technical responsibility for product groups. You advise on technical solutions, create and evaluate specifications. Additionally, you manage product data and determine manufacturing costs. As a Technical product manager, you also handle customer complaints. In case of major issues, you work on further developing the technical products. The goal of your work is flawless functionality and customer satisfaction.
• Product development manager: As a Business Development Manager, you focus on identifying new business opportunities. You are responsible for the company's growth. Your job is to discover new products or business areas. Wherever the market shows potential for expansion, you tap into that potential. This could also involve forward-looking sectors, such as energy systems. In your specialization, you play a key role in the success of the company.
• IT product manager: As a digital product manager, you create functional software and develop digital products. You work closely with software engineers and product designers. Together with IT specialists, you ensure that the products are up-to-date with the latest technology.

If you search for the gross salary of a product manager on the popular Swiss job platforms, you'll find a wide range. This is because various factors can influence the salary positively. Your education and professional experience have the most significant impact on your gross income. For example, as a graduate of a university of applied sciences with an Executive Master’s degree, your salary will be higher than with a basic apprenticeship. Additionally, the industry and the location of the company also play a role. As a starting salary, you can expect an average of CHF 85,000 per year. Find out more about your gross salary as a product manager here.

There is no specific training required to become a product manager. Having a commercial or technical basic education already provides a solid foundation. You can acquire the necessary expertise through targeted further education. The range of in-house certification courses is quite extensive. For example, consider the product manager course including Digital Marketing offered by KV Business School in Zurich. Large corporations typically prefer a higher-level professional exam or a university degree. You have excellent prospects with a degree in Business Administration, Business Informatics, or Engineering. Another advantage is several years of professional experience in the relevant industry. Part-time further education at a university of applied sciences can be completed with various qualifications such as CAS, DAS, EMBA, MAS, or MBA. Depending on the program, these courses last from several months up to three years.

As a product manager, you're in demand across many industries. Companies that develop products and services are constantly looking for qualified specialists. Especially in the ICT sector, you’ll find forward-looking and interesting challenges. Are you looking for an attractive position as a product manager? Take a look at our job listings on this page.

In product management, it’s common to fill positions with career changers. Due to the interfaces with production, marketing, and sales, these newcomers usually come from those areas. As a technician, software engineer, or salesperson, you already have a solid foundation. Your chances improve with several years of professional experience. Equipped with a strong determination to develop further, companies warmly welcome you. Through Randstad, you can find a suitable job even as a career changer.

As you gain more professional experience, you can climb the career ladder as a product manager and take on leadership roles. It’s common to start out as a Junior product manager within a project team. You’ll take responsibility for a sub-project and successfully see it through. With practical experience and achievements, you’ll grow into the role of Senior product manager. Do you see your job as a stepping stone to a leadership career? A position as Head of Product Management is within reach. If you enjoy hands-on challenges, you might specialise in a specific area such as IT Product Management. Want to develop further as a product manager? Check out our tests and tips.

Product managers know their products and markets. For that, you need expertise and industry knowledge. But there are other important skills that define successful product managers, such as:

• Communication skills: As a product manager, you have numerous interfaces within the company. You gather customer needs and wishes directly or through the sales team. You convey your ideas to the product designers and engineers. You convince management to invest resources. You communicate with all stakeholders on an equal footing. As a competent and empathetic professional, you are a valued point of contact.
• Persuasiveness: In your profession, you develop ideas to optimise existing products or create new ones. First, you inspire the management team. They are willing to invest in the future. You communicate with engineers to produce the product according to your vision. You also convince marketing and sales to position the product successfully on the market.
• Time management: Not everything always runs smoothly at your job. Occasionally, you encounter challenging circumstances. For example, the schedule for product development may be unfeasible. The digital transformation is rapidly changing the framework conditions. This, in turn, impacts the product lifecycle. As a product manager, you allocate your valuable time wisely. You set priorities and still find time to further your education.

There are many good reasons to work at Randstad as a product manager.
✓ exciting jobs with well-known companies
✓ a reliable contact person whenever you need one, personal advice really matters
✓ attractive employment conditions and good social benefits
✓ continuing education courses and personal development opportunities
✓ clear information in the myRandstad app
✓ do you have a fixed-term contract? Often, there’s a chance to secure a permanent position afterwards. Many popular companies also recruit their staff directly through Randstad.

your professional development budget as a product manager at randstad.

If you work as a product manager for Randstad, you have access to further training courses. As part of the TempTraining program from swissstaffing, you can attend various training sessions. You will get the course fees reimbursed later, provided you pass the course exam. Your Randstad advisor is there to support you if you have any questions. This way, you can acquire additional language skills or job-specific knowledge, all during your working hours as a product manager.

Have you found your dream job as a product manager? It’s not just qualifications and certificates that determine the success of your applications. Careful, error-free, and personalized documents will definitely help you in your job search. Here are a few useful tips to improve your chances:

Here you'll find answers to frequently asked questions about the product manager profession.