What Does a Product Manager Do at Staples? 

Curious about the role of a product manager at Staples? Our product managers are essential in shaping and evolving the digital experience for our customers. With a focus on eCommerce, Staples' product managers oversee digital products from concept to launch, ensuring seamless user experiences across our mobile, desktop, and app platforms. Let’s explore what being a product manager at Staples entails and why it might be the perfect fit for you!

Defining Product Vision Aligned with Business Goals 

At Staples, product managers are responsible for defining and aligning the product vision with broader business strategies. This includes collaborating with leadership and stakeholders to ensure that all product goals support Staples’ overarching objectives and digital growth. From initial concept to long-term vision, our product managers play a pivotal role in setting strategic direction for products that enhance our customers' digital journey. 

Managing and Prioritizing the Product Backlog 

A crucial part of the product manager’s job at Staples is managing and prioritizing the product backlog. This includes: 

- User Stories: Crafting detailed user stories that represent customer needs and goals. 

- Bug Tracking and Fixing: Identifying and prioritizing bugs to ensure a seamless user experience. 

- Strategic Task Prioritization: Aligning tasks with business objectives, customer value, and team capacity. 

With a customer-centric approach, Staples’ product managers balance short-term fixes with long-term development goals to create a compelling and efficient digital experience for our users. 

Collaborating Across Teams to Bring Ideas to Life 

Staples product managers are the bridge between technology and business teams. They work closely with engineers, designers, and marketers, ensuring each team understands the product vision and objectives. From development to launch, product managers facilitate collaboration across sales, merchandising, finance, logistics, and marketing to deliver a product that meets customer needs and business goals.  

This cross-functional collaboration ensures Staples provides a holistic digital experience, making the product manager role an ideal fit for professionals with strong interpersonal skills and a customer-first mindset. 

Creating Detailed User Stories and Acceptance Criteria 

To drive development effectively, Staples’ product managers craft user stories and acceptance criteria to guide the engineering process. This documentation translates customer needs and product requirements into actionable tasks for the development team, ensuring everyone understands the project’s goals and expectations. 

By creating precise, detailed documentation, product managers empower developers to deliver high-quality, impactful solutions. 

Championing Continuous Improvement and Innovation 

Product managers at Staples are innovation champions who foster a culture of continuous improvement within their teams. They encourage experimentation with new ideas and approaches, helping the team adapt to customer needs and market changes. By leveraging customer insights, analytics, and market trends, product managers ensure Staples stays at the forefront of eCommerce innovation. 

Whether it’s optimizing existing features or introducing new digital tools, product managers are committed to delivering value and driving ongoing enhancements to the customer experience. 

Core Skills and Qualifications for Product Managers at Staples 

Successful product managers at Staples bring a range of skills and qualifications that enable them to lead and innovate effectively. Key qualifications include: 

- Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills: Product managers need strong analytical skills to make data-driven decisions and solve complex problems. 

- Communication and Interpersonal Skills: Clear, effective communication with both technical and non-technical teams is crucial. 

- Agility and Adaptability: Product managers must be flexible and proactive, ready to tackle new challenges as they arise. 

- Leadership and Mentorship: The ability to lead and inspire teams is essential, especially in a collaborative environment like Staples. 

Preferred qualifications include a Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Business, Technology, or a related field, along with experience in eCommerce product management and professional Agile experience or certifications (e.g., Certified Scrum Master or PMI-ACP). 

The End-to-End Product Lifecycle: From Concept to Launch 

Staples product managers oversee the end-to-end lifecycle of digital products, from initial conception through development, testing, launch, and ongoing iteration. This process involves: 

1. Conceptualization: Working with stakeholders to generate product ideas aligned with business objectives.
2. Development and Testing: Collaborating with engineering teams to bring ideas to life, ensuring quality and efficiency.
3. Launch and Market Entry: Overseeing the launch and initial deployment, while collecting early feedback to optimize performance.
4. Iteration and Improvement: Continuously improving the product based on customer feedback and performance data.

This lifecycle approach helps Staples consistently meet customer needs and adapt to the evolving digital landscape. 

Why Join Staples as a Product Manager? 

A career as a product manager at Staples offers a rewarding and dynamic work environment. At Staples, people are at the heart of what we do, and the company provides associate-led Business Resource Groups that foster a culture of inclusion and belonging. Plus, with a competitive PTO policy, 401(k) matching, and various health and wellness programs, Staples offers competitive benefits to ensure a balanced and fulfilling career. 

Ready to Shape the Future of eCommerce? 

If you’re passionate about product management and eCommerce, Staples could be the perfect place for you. Our product managers play a vital role in shaping innovative digital experiences that our customers love, backed by a collaborative and growth-focused work environment.  

Explore opportunities in product management at Staples and join a team dedicated to delivering excellence in digital experiences.