Associate Product Manager

Associate Product Manager

Entry level 30000 - 40000 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
Smarkets

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Support product delivery and user insights for innovative betting applications.
  • Company: Join Smarkets, a leading tech company revolutionising the betting industry.
  • Benefits: Enjoy stock options, health insurance, flexible working, and a £1,000 education budget.
  • Other info: Collaborative culture with regular socials and opportunities for personal development.
  • Why this job: Shape the future of prediction markets while growing your career in a dynamic environment.
  • Qualifications: Analytical mindset with a passion for technology and user research.

The predicted salary is between 30000 - 40000 £ per year.

Smarkets runs one of the world’s most sophisticated prediction markets, handling over £29 billion in volume since 2010 and engaging 200,000+ traders globally. We’re a technology company that revolutionises betting - from sports to political markets, delivering the sharpest prices and the fairest odds. At the heart of our success are our people. We create a high-performance environment where exceptional talent can thrive, blending deep business experience with a commercial mindset to drive strategic growth.

The Product Team is responsible for ensuring Smarkets builds products that customers love and that move the commercial needle. Smarkets operates two products - SBK, a retail sports betting app, and the Smarkets Exchange, a peer-to-peer trading app - across multiple jurisdictions and licences, with an expanding footprint in US prediction markets. This puts product at the intersection of customer experience, trading, regulation and commercial strategy.

Product Discovery & Strategy: Identifying the highest-impact opportunities across acquisition, activation, retention and monetisation, and turning them into a clear, sequenced roadmap.

Product Delivery & Execution: Working day-to-day with engineering and design to ship high-quality features quickly, with well-defined scope, owned contracts and a clear definition of done.

Product Analytics & Experimentation: Measuring everything – funnels, cohorts, ARPU, retention - and using data and experiments to decide what to build next and whether it worked.

In a typical week, a Product Manager at Smarkets will:

  • Ship a customer-facing feature end-to-end, from spec and design review to release and post-launch analysis.
  • Dig into Lightdash and SQL to understand a funnel drop-off, cohort trend or revenue driver, and turn the finding into a decision.
  • Work with trading, compliance and commercial teams to ensure new products are viable across our regulatory environments.

About the Role: You will work hand-in-hand with the Product and Engineering Managers for our customer-facing applications (SBK & Smarkets), acting as their operational backbone. This is an accelerated opportunity for systematic thinkers to master the product life cycle and grow into a full Product Manager role. Your core mission is to drive product delivery and user insight by:

  • Supporting the Lead PM across discovery, prioritisation, and delivery.
  • Owning the QA and release processes across our two customer-facing brands.
  • Leading the user-research programme to keep our roadmap laser-focused on customer value.

What you will do:

  • Roadmap & Execution: Coordinate agile rituals, manage the product backlog, maintain stakeholder alignment, and unblock execution for the Lead PM.
  • Product Discovery & User Research: Own the user research process; schedule and run interviews, craft surveys, and synthesise findings into actionable customer insights.
  • QA & Releases: Manage the end-to-end QA and release cycle (Smarkets and SBK), including test planning, App Store/Play Store submissions, post-release monitoring, and bug triage.
  • Process Optimisation: Translate vague problem statements into clear user stories and acceptance criteria, ensuring readiness before sprint kick-offs.
  • Data Analysis: Analyse feature usage, sign-up funnels, and in-app behaviour to influence roadmap priorities.
  • Market Intelligence: Conduct competitive tear-downs of betting, fintech, and gaming apps to spot improvements.
  • Launch Support: Draft release notes, update help-centre articles, and brief Customer Support and Marketing teams.

Role Requirements:

  • Systematic Thinker: Highly process-oriented; a background in business analysis, operations, or a similar analytical discipline is highly desirable.
  • Tech-Savvy: Instinctively explores new apps and can articulate their delights and frustrations.
  • Analytical & First-Principles Driven: Comfortable slicing data while able to zoom out to the broader user journey.
  • High EQ Communicator: Adapts communication style seamlessly for engineers, designers, traders, and executives.
  • Trend Spotter: Keeps up with product, sports-tech, and fintech news.
  • Nice-to-have: Exposure to sports trading products, mobile gaming, brokerage, or any highly regulated consumer product.

Our Values:

  • Push to Win: We set ambitious goals and relentlessly pursue them, always striving for excellence.
  • Make Others Better: We lift each other up, share knowledge, and celebrate team success over individual achievement.
  • Give a Shit: We care deeply about our work, our users, and the impact we make.
  • Be a Pro: We take ownership, act with integrity, and consistently deliver to a high standard.
  • Bring the Energy: We bring positivity, curiosity, and enthusiasm to everything we do, inspiring those around us.

Culture Fit: These values define how we succeed as a team. If this isn’t you, this may not be the right place. We hire people who thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative, and ambitious environment.

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, alongside a dynamic, collaborative environment where your work truly makes an impact and your voice is heard. Our team is diverse, driven, and ambitious - united by a strong work ethic and a hunger to innovate and win. Our benefits are designed around Health, Wealth, and Development, supporting you both professionally and personally.

Benefits:

  • Stock Options: Vest over 4 years - your success is our success.
  • Pension Scheme: Competitive plan via Aviva, with up to 6% matched contributions if you opt in.
  • Health Insurance: Comprehensive coverage to keep you and your family healthy.
  • Enhanced Parental Leave: Enhanced maternity and paternity leave to support you through life’s most important moments.
  • Stay Fuelled: Enjoy fresh, chef-made breakfast and lunch every day, plus a constant supply of fruit, snacks, tea, coffee and soft drinks.
  • Cycle-to-Work Scheme: Support for sustainable commuting and staying active.
  • Learning & Development: £1,000 annual education budget for courses, conferences, books, or training.
  • Holiday: 25 days paid leave + bank holidays, with the option to carry over 5 days.
  • Flexible Working: Choose to work 1 day from home (20 WFA days/year) or 2 days from home (5 WFA days/year) based on your needs and preferences.
  • Team Energy: Regular socials, hackathons, and events.

What happens next: We aim to have a simple and speedy hiring process and we want to make sure that we are right for you as much as the other way around.

  • CV application review - We will review it as quickly as possible.
  • Let’s chat - Quick chat with our team about your experience and the role.
  • Competency Interview - Virtual with Hiring Manager.
  • In-Office Interview - Lunch with other colleagues in the team.

Diversity & Inclusion: We’re an equal opportunities employer and celebrate diversity in all its forms. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know — we’re happy to accommodate your needs.

Associate Product Manager employer: Smarkets

At Smarkets, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a high-performance culture where talent thrives. Our commitment to employee growth is evident through our generous benefits package, including stock options, a competitive pension scheme, and a £1,000 annual education budget, all within a dynamic and collaborative environment. Located in a vibrant city, we offer flexible working arrangements and regular team events, ensuring that your contributions are valued and your well-being is prioritised.

Smarkets

Contact Details:

Smarkets Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Associate Product Manager

Get Involved in Product Management Communities

Join online communities like Product School or LinkedIn groups focusing on product management; they’re great for networking and learning from others in the field. Participate in discussions and share your insights – it’ll help you make connections and show off your passion for product management!

Attend Product Management Meetups and Workshops

Look out for local meetups, workshops, and product management events in your area or online. These are perfect for meeting industry professionals, gaining insights, and potentially landing that entry-level gig at a company like Smarkets. Make sure to take notes and follow up with anyone you meet!

Showcase Your Projects

Start a blog or a portfolio website where you can showcase projects or ideas you've worked on. It doesn't have to be big; even small projects can demonstrate your understanding of product management principles. Share this with recruiters when applying to role like Associate Product Manager at Smarkets!

Apply Directly and Be Persistent

When you see a listing for an entry-level product management role at a company like Smarkets, apply directly through their website. Don't be afraid to send a follow-up email if you don’t hear back – it shows your enthusiasm and persistence!

We think you need these skills to ace Associate Product Manager

Product Management
Agile Methodologies
User Research
Data Analysis
SQL
Communication Skills
Stakeholder Management

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show Off Your Passion for Product Management:Let’s be real, we want to see your enthusiasm for product management! In your cover letter, share what drives you about this role, any projects you’ve worked on (even if they’re uni assignments or side projects), and how they relate to the goals of Smarkets. This is your chance to connect your academic background or personal interests to the role we’ve got on offer!

Tailor Your CV with Relevant Skills:When crafting your CV, make sure to highlight skills that are super relevant to product management. Think problem-solving, data analysis, and communication. If you’ve used any project management tools (like Trello or JIRA) or any data analysis software, mention it! It’s vital to show us you’ve got the chops for this entry-level gig.

Include Any Relevant Experience:Even if you don’t have formal work experience, include any internships or projects where you worked in a team. We’re interested in how you’ve collaborated and contributed to the product development process. Be detailed about what you did, the tools you used, and any outcomes – that’ll definitely catch our eye!

Keep It Simple and Clear:As an entry-level applicant, we appreciate clarity. Make your CV and cover letter easy to read and free of jargon. This isn’t about making it fancy – it’s about clearly communicating your experiences and skills. Remember, we’re looking for potential and motivation just as much as previous experience!

How to prepare for a job interview at Smarkets

Show Off Your Understanding of the Product Lifecycle

Dive into the specifics of the product lifecycle and how it applies to the role at Smarkets. Be prepared to discuss your understanding of ideation, development, and launch phases, and why each matters. This shows that you’re not just about the theory; you see how it connects to real-world products.

Brush Up on Agile Methodologies

As an entry-level product manager, familiarity with Agile and Scrum processes will set you apart. Be ready to chat about how you’ve seen these approaches work in practice, even if it’s from coursework or projects. Employers at Smarkets are likely looking for candidates who can seamlessly slide into their current processes.

Case Studies Are Your Best Friend

Expect to face some case study questions where you might need to walk through a problem a product could face. Prepare by thinking through examples from products you love or even projects you've worked on, and be ready to showcase how you'd approach potential solutions. It’s a great way to highlight your problem-solving skills and creativity.

Get Ready to Discuss Your Passion for Products

Since this is an entry-level role, showing your passion is crucial. Talk about your favourite products and what you think makes them successful. Bring your perspective on how user feedback drives development—this shows you’re eager to learn and adapt, traits that are vital for a role at Smarkets.