Lead a product area and develop both people and business

IST is looking for an experienced Product Area Manager who thrives at the intersection of product strategy, people leadership, and business impact—and who is ready to take ownership of a product area and drive it forward.

IST is mid-transformation. We are moving from legacy product lines built over decades toward a unified modern platform that already serves millions of users across the Nordics and Germany — and that we are building to scale further. We know where we are heading, and we are building it now.

This role sits at the intersection of that platform work and the products we are bringing to market on top of it. You will lead our platform team while simultaneously owning a product area that represents the leading edge of what IST is taking to market — products designed to exploit the full capacity of the new platform and define what a new generation of IST solutions looks like.

Role overview

As a Product Area Manager you are responsible for the strategy, roadmap, and delivery of a defined product area. You will lead product owners, business analysts and work closely with business stakeholders to understand customer needs and turn them into actionable plans.

You ensure that we build the right things, in the right order, aligned with both business goals and market demands.

Key responsibilities

Define, prioritize, and continuously evolve the product area roadmap.
Lead and coach Product Owners and Business Analysts.
Set goals, follow up on progress, and develop team and individual performance.
Balance short-term delivery with long-term product strategy.
Own the financial performance of the product area.
Collaborate with business regions to gather market, customer, and competitor insights.

Role Qualifications

We are looking for an experienced and confident leader with a strong product and business mindset.

You have:

A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a relevant field
At least 5 years of experience in product management or a similar leadership role
Proven experience in leading and developing teams
Strong understanding of Agile ways of working
A strategic and analytical mindset with data-driven decision-making skills
Experience from B2B or public sector software is an advantage
Strong communication skills, with the ability to engage both senior stakeholders and engineering teams.
Fluency in English is required; Scandinavian language skills are a plus

About IST

IST builds digital tools that connect schools, teachers, students, and families across the Nordics and Germany. Our buyers are municipalities and public authorities. Our users are educators, administrators, and families. We operate across multiple markets with different regulations, procurement frameworks, and user behaviors — and we build products that serve all of them from a shared foundation.

What we offer

In this role, you will have a central position with real influence on both product and people. You’ll build and develop high-performing teams while working in an environment where strategy, customer value, and innovation go hand in hand.

This is a full-time, permanent position, based at our HQ in Växjö. At IST, we apply an office-first policy, as we believe physical presence fosters collaboration, innovation, and a strong team spirit. At the same time, we understand the importance of flexibility—if you live farther away, a hybrid setup with three days per week in the office may be possible.

In Scandinavia, our offices are located in Stockholm, Växjö, Roskilde, and Oslo.