Product Manager

About the company

Chalk provides a real-time data platform for ML and LLM inference that compiles Python feature definitions into high-performance Rust/C++ pipelines, unifying feature store, vector storage, monitoring, and experiment branches.

About this role

About Chalk Chalk is building the data platform that powers the future of machine learning applications. We tear down complexity, latency, and scale barriers that have traditionally constrained ML capabilities. Our platform combines Rust-speed performance with elegant tools that developers love to use. Leading companies depend on Chalk for everything from stopping fraudulent credit card swipes, verifying identities, and maximizing clean energy capture. We've recently raised a $50 million Series A https://www.reuters.com/business/databricks-competitor-chalk-raises-50-million-series-2025-05-28/, led by Felicis. ABOUT THE ROLE We are hiring a Product Manager in San Francisco to join Chalk as an early employee and make a large impact. You will work with a high degree of autonomy and ownership, working closely with our VP of Product, co-founders, and engineering team to ship product in a fast-moving environment. We are looking for someone who is scrappy, low ego, and very technical — someone who will dive into details and drive outcomes. The role includes both product management and project management responsibilities. We’re in the office 5 days a week. When unavoidable conflicts come up, we’re flexible. This is not a hybrid role. WHAT YOU WILL DO - Work directly with Chalk’s VP of Product and co-founders to define and execute product priorities - Develop a clear understanding of user needs across data and AI/ML teams; translate customer feedback into product requirements - Drive end-to-end delivery for product initiatives, including scoping, milestones, project management, and release coordination - Partner deeply with engineering on technically complex areas (developer experience, performance, reliability, integrations) - Write product specifications and make tradeoffs aligned with business outcomes and customer impact - Define success metrics, evaluate results using data, and iterate quickly - Support strategic initiatives such as pricing analysis, packaging, and feature scoping as the company scales   WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR - 5+ years of product management experience on technical products (developer-facing tools, platforms, infrastructure, data systems) - Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a quantitative discipline - Strong technical acumen and the ability to engage in-depth with engineering teams on architecture, tradeoffs, and system constraints - Demonstrated ability to ship complex products in a fast-paced environment with ambiguity - Willingness to take on both product management and project management responsibilities to ensure delivery - Low ego, high ownership, and a bias toward execution - Strong written and verbal communication skills; able to articulate product strategy to technical and non-technical audiences BONUS POINTS - Ability to write Python for analysis, prototypes, or debugging - Experience with data science, analytics, experimentation, or performance/benchmark-driven products - Familiarity with distributed systems, query engines, compilers, or data infrastructure - Experience building for enterprise customers and balancing platform integrity with customer needs BENEFITS ⚕️Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance 🏦 Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Health Savings Account (HSA) 🦮 Expert Healthcare Guidance 💵 Retirement savings 🎄15 company holidays each year 🏖️15 days of personal time off each year 🚌 Flex Commuter Benefits 🌮 Daily lunch and dinner on Chalk 🥤Office is fully-stocked with drinks and snacks to fuel your work day. 🍽️ Staying late? Dinner is on us 🚖 Staying even later? Grab an Uber / Lyft home on Chalk COMPENSATION Chalk offers early team members a generous salary + equity package based on experience and competitive benefits. Actual compensation awarded to successful candidates will be based on several factors, including but not limited to: market, location, scope of the position and individual qualifications objectively assessed during the interview process. Our comprehensive total package plays a major role in how we recognize individuals for the impact they will have on Chalk’s growth and us achieving our goals. INCLUSIVITY Chalk is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and inclusion and provide reasonable accommodations to anyone in need of individualized support.