Staff Product Manager (Data Onboarding) at Cockroach Labs · New York…

Category-defining tech. Career-defining work. Lots of tech companies disrupt. But, many fail when they try to scale. We're different. CockroachDB makes it easier for companies to build and scale apps. This is how and why we're helping some of the most innovative companies on the planet. We tackle problems head-on and focus on solutions that create lasting impact. Because when our customers win, we all win. The Role We are looking for a seasoned Product Manager to own the end-to-end CockroachDB Data Onboarding user journey — the critical on-ramp for every CockroachDB customer. You will define the strategy, product direction, and measurable outcomes that transform complex migrations from databases like PostgreSQL, Oracle, MySQL, and SQL Server into a predictable, low-friction, and self-service experience, powered by AI-native tooling. Your north star: any user can go from schema introspection to a successful data load in under an hour. This is a deeply customer-centric role that sits at a critical inflection point in CockroachDB’s growth. Migrations are among the most painful and high-stakes steps in adopting any database platform — and a friction point in our sales motion today. The migration experience spans schema conversion, bulk data ingestion, compatibility validation, and live cutover, and it must work seamlessly across a diverse set of source databases and deployment environments. Strong data onboarding shortens time-to-production, reduces dependency on professional services, and builds early trust in the platform. This is CockroachDB’s front door, and you will define what it means to walk through it confidently. Large language models are poised to fundamentally transform what is possible with database migrations, turning what has historically been one of the most manual, expert-intensive workflows in enterprise software into something that could be self-service. As the PM for Data Onboarding, you will be at the frontier of a new class of AI-native developer tooling, and you will wrestle with some of the most interesting product questions of our time: What are the right economics of embedding LLMs in a migration workflow — and who bears the token costs? Should customers bring their own model or API key, or does CockroachDB provide a fully managed AI experience hosting the models ourselves? How do you design for trust when an LLM is making schema decisions on behalf of a DBA? How do you measure and improve AI accuracy in a domain where a wrong data type mapping can break production? These are open questions without obvious answers, and this role puts you squarely at the center of defining them. You Will Own the end-to-end journey. Lead the full lifecycle of the Data Onboarding experience — from initial schema introspection through data load, cutover, and post-migration validation — across all supported source databases. Define metrics that capture migration completion rates, time-to-value, and customer support signal to surface gaps and drive continuous improvement across all customer personas: Architects, DBAs, and Developers. Build a problem-first, data-driven strategy. Deeply understand the pain customers face during migrations: fragmented tooling, incomplete compatibility coverage, manual workarounds, and the lack of prescriptive guidance that leaves teams without a clear path forward. Define a roadmap that balances AI-augmented schema conversion, unified migration tooling, expanded database source coverage, and self-service capabilities — prioritizing using a combination of qualitative customer signals and quantitative migration funnel data. Deliver measurable outcomes. Set and track success metrics spanning self-service migration completion rates, reduction in migration-related professional services engagements, and time-to-first-successful-import. Ensure product changes deliver real, validated value and iterate rapidly when they don’t. Lead with clarity and customer centricity. Act as the voice of the customer — particularly Architects evaluating migration risk and DBAs managing the cutover process — in all strategic decisions. Communicate complex migration trade-offs clearly across Engineering, Marketing, Sales, and Executives, aligning teams around a coherent narrative: migrating to CockroachDB is fast, low-risk, and genuinely self-service. Drive cross-functional alignment on how data onboarding improvements shorten sales cycles and reduce professional services dependency. Apply an AI-first mindset. Lead the development and evolution of AI-native migration tooling as the centerpiece of a unified, end-to-end migration experience. Identify opportunities to apply large language models to schema conversion, data type mapping, error remediation, and migration guidance — eliminating hard-fail outcomes and reducing the manual effort that defines migrations today. The Expectations In the first 30–60 days, you will go through PM onboarding with your onboarding mentor (Roachmate). You will familiarize yourself with CockroachDB’s current migration tooling. You will run a complete end-to-end migration from a PostgreSQL or Oracle source, experiencing the workflow firsthand: schema conversion, compatibility gaps, bulk loading, and verification. You’ll review the existing backlog, speak with customers and prospects who have recently migrated (or stalled), and align with Engineering leads across the migration tooling teams. After 90 days, you will be fully integrated into the team. You will have conducted deep customer calls to understand migration blockers, support escalations, and the specific friction points that slow or derail time-to-production. You will own the strategy and a prioritized roadmap with clear problem statements backed by migration funnel data and customer evidence. As the owner of CockroachDB’s front door, you will advise senior leadership on how data onboarding investments drive new lands, reduce professional services costs, and shorten sales cycles. You will partner closely with Sales to ensure migration narratives are field-ready and directly tied to product capabilities you are shipping. You Have A computer science degree and/or first-hand experience building products focused on databases, data engineering, ETL/ELT pipelines, or developer tooling 4+ years of total work experience with enterprise or SaaS products Proven track record of improving user journeys while leveraging both qualitative and quantitative data Delivered successful customer-facing products or features by partnering with senior Engineering teams in a fast-moving environment Background working directly with medium-to-large enterprises — understanding their operational and economic constraints, setting proper timelines, and managing expectations with internal stakeholders and external teams Experience driving business results through influential communication and cross-functional stakeholder management across Engineering, PMM, Sales, and Finance A collaborative approach and eagerness to partner with other product teams and all functions in the company, including Legal, Finance, Marketing, and Sales Nice to Have An MBA and/or experience working with business stakeholders (e.g., Sales, Revenue) Familiarity with database migration tools, schema conversion, or ETL/ELT systems Experience building AI-assisted or LLM-powered developer tools The Team Reporting to Lakshmi Kannan, Sr. Director of Product Management. Cockroach Labs is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer building a diverse and inclusive workforce. If you need additional accommodations to feel comfortable during your interview process, please email us at accessibility@cockroachlabs.com. Cockroach Labs has a hybrid work model, with Roachers that are local to one of our offices coming in on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays and working flexibly the rest of the week. While we’ve learned valuable lessons working remotely, nothing can replace the connection, creativity, and fun that occurs when Roachers get together and we are committed to fostering a workplace that encourages collaboration and allows us all to do our best work. Benefits Stock Options Medical Insurance Vision Insurance Dental Insurance Life and Disability Insurance Professional Development Funds Flexible Time Off Paid Holidays Paid Sick Days Paid Parental Leave Retirement Benefits Mental Wellbeing Benefits And more! The annual anticipated base salary range for U.S. candidates for this role is listed in USD below. Salary is one component of the Cockroach Labs’ Total Rewards package, which also includes, for each employee: stock options, medical insurance, vision insurance, dental insurance, life and disability insurance, funds towards professional development resources, flexible paid time off, 11 paid holidays a year, 10 paid sick days a year, paid parental leave, a 401(k) plan, and wellbeing benefits. We set standard ranges for all U.S.-based roles based on function, level, and geographic location, benchmarked against similar stage growth companies. Actual salaries may vary and fall outside of this range depending on factors such as a candidate’s qualifications, geographic location, skills, experience, and competencies. In addition, we are often open to a wide variety of profiles, and recognize that the person we hire may be less experienced (or more senior) than this job description as posted. Salaries for candidates outside the U.S. will vary based on local compensation structures. This position will remain posted until filled. Applicants should apply via our Careers Page. Annual Anticipated Base Salary Range (U.S) $185,000—$238,100 USD