Freelance Product Manager (US)

Location: United States

Department: Production

Workplace: remote

Employment Type: contract

Description

At AREA 17, we believe we can help the world be more open, resilient, and optimistic. We work with clients we trust and admire across various industries, including Saint Laurent, OpenAI, the International Energy Agency, Fondation Louis Vuitton, and The New York Times. We build long-term partnerships by delivering value through brand, experience, and technology.

We are seeking an experienced Freelance Product Manager to join us on a temporary contract basis to support our portfolio of projects. 

Engagement details

• Type: Temporary contract
• Commitment: 25%-100% weekly commitment, depending on project assignments.
• Location: Remote, Europe. Paris-based candidates are preferred.
• Working hours: Paris time zone

About the role

As a Product Manager, you lead delivery on client engagements, spanning both digital product builds and brand projects. Working closely with our Brand, Experience and Technology teams, you’ll bring structure to ambiguity, keep teams and clients aligned, and make sure projects ship on time, on budget, and at a high standard of quality. You’ll often join projects already in motion, so you’ll need to ramp up quickly and lead from day one.

Responsibilities

• Own delivery planning: scope, milestones, sequencing, and priorities
• Translate experience strategy and technical architecture into clear backlogs the team can execute
• Make timely trade-offs across scope, timeline, and quality, escalating risks when needed
• Serve as the client’s day-to-day delivery partner, keeping them aligned on progress, risks, and decisions
• Lead demos, working sessions, and feedback reviews, and document outcomes
• Identify risks and dependencies early and drive mitigation with the team
• Run delivery rituals and maintain artifacts that keep priorities and ownership visible

Requirements

Required skills and experience

• 4+ years delivering complex digital products in agency, consultancy, or product-led environments
• Strong project management skills: planning, scheduling, budget tracking, and managing multiple workstreams at once
• Proven client management experience, including leading meetings, managing expectations, and communicating changes with confidence
• Comfortable making decisions on scope and trade-offs in ambiguous situations
• Pragmatic grasp of agile practices and fluency in Jira and Confluence
• Solid understanding of web technologies and APIs, enough to assess feasibility with engineering
• A strong eye for design and product quality
• Clear communicator with technical and non-technical audiences

Benefits

• Rate: $75-115 per hour, depending on seniority
• Remote work, with access to our New York studio if you'd like to work on-site
• Part of our AREA 17 Talent Community, where you are a part of extended team with access to internal programming, events, and learning opportunities