This is a remote-flexible role, and our headquarter is located in Silver Spring, MD. Currently, our employees are based in one of the following states: District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina or Virginia. As such, we will prioritize candidates from locations stated above, but we remain open to considering the right candidate from anywhere within the US.
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ABOUT ESCALATE

We are an impact-focused, early-stage startup building a better way for large corporations to reduce the high turnover of their frontline employees. By reducing turnover, we save companies millions of dollars. At the same time, we provide the training and support employees need to both succeed in their current jobs and advance to new jobs where they double their salary.

Leveraging our unique technology, our training and support can be accessed anytime and anywhere. Our product is built to scale, using the learnings from Escalate’s founders decades of experience in workforce development. We’re building a product designed to eliminate user acquisition costs, train hundreds of thousands of employee learners per year, and provide a cost-effective safety net of support to entry level workers across the country.

As a Techstars 2023 portfolio company, we have experienced major traction and are gearing up for growth. 

WHY ESCALATE?

Two problems cost retail companies $40B each year.

The first is turnover of frontline employees. 76% leave their jobs within the first 120 days.

The second is the lack of qualified candidates for middle-skill jobs. 75% of employers say they can’t find people for these jobs. They consider them unfillable.

Escalate leverages these problems in a new way.

70% of those retail employees, who are disproportionately women and people of color, say they would stay with their current employer if they were shown a path to advance.

We create that path. Our mission is to provide frontline workers a clear path to economic self-sufficiency that is not reliant on traditional post-secondary education while engaging employers by impacting their bottom line.

ABOUT THE ROLE

As an early stage startup, we are looking for an experienced Product Manager to join the team. This individual will manage the day-to-day technology execution, provide hands-on product leadership, and own  product management and product development for Escalate. 

As the first product team member, you will engage with investors and advisors as required. You will work closely with the CEO and President. 

This is a fully remote position. 

RESPONSIBILITIES 

Important consideration: As a member of our early-stage start-up team, you won't just be an employee, you'll be a key stakeholder—instrumental to our success. Your role will be dynamic and evolving, and you must be prepared to adapt and expand as our company grows. This means wearing multiple hats, taking on tasks that will not be explicitly listed in your responsibilities below, and being willing to roll up your sleeves to build from the ground up. 

By joining us early on, you'll have the opportunity to shape your role, develop new skills, and take on leadership responsibilities. 

Working in an early-stage startup can be demanding and unpredictable, however, if you're someone who thrives on change and innovation, continue reading!

As Product Manager, you will spend the first year:

• Fostering a culture of exploration of new ideas and experimentation, leading to innovative features that will disrupt the space
• In collaboration with other organizational leaders, defining and executing on the vision, strategy, and roadmap for the business
• Collaborating with leadership across the organization to influence cross-departmental strategy and priorities
• Complementing the CEO, and other senior executives, in strategic decision making and other key roles
• Ensuring our MVP product is performing for our participants and customers and delivering our desired outcomes
• Providing deep analysis of usage of our MVP product and undertaking optimization to improve performance
• Contributing to the product roadmap and own voice of the participants and customers

After our pilot year, we anticipate the second year to focus on executing the product roadmap including: 

• Leading development of product priorities in the roadmap for this year
• Continuing to ensure that the product is performing and optimize it as needed

In the third year, and beyond, the focus will shift to:

• Building and scaling he product team and processes across the organization through strategic resourcing and prioritization
• Fostering a culture of exploration of new ideas and experimentation, leading to innovative features that will disrupt the space

ABOUT YOU

You are a visionary, strategic and passionate product manager energized about the early-stage startup environment who cares deeply about improving economic mobility for frontline workers. You have an entrepreneurial mindset and know how to deliver valuable outcomes for Escalate, our customers and our participants. You care deeply about people and are interested in building teams with a high level of trust and collaboration. 

Specific requirements include, but not limited to:

• Demonstrated passion for Escalate's mission
• Experience in B2B startups, education, workforce and/or working with adults 
• Strong product background, with 5+ years of product leadership, including delivery of 0 to 1 to scale products 
• A deep understanding through previous startup experience of what’s required at each stage of a company’s growth and ability to meet the business needs 
• An entrepreneurial spirit that thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic start-up, and ever-changing work environment (i.e. willing to roll up sleeves)
• Ability and capacity to communicate about technical, architectural, and organizational problems and propose thorough iterative solutions clearly and concisely
• Possess expert knowledge in performance, scalability, and product best practices
• Ability to build, coach, and nurture teams and lead products through high-pressure launches
• Leading teams to iterate on products in a lean way
• A growth mindset; self-reflective and open to frequent feedback from learners, clients and team member

ESCALATE CARES ABOUT YOU

Escalate is a people-first company. We are committed to providing benefits that allow our employees to take care of themselves and their families. 

• Comprehensive and premium medical, dental, vision insurance 
• Flexible paid time off

COMPENSATION

We are dedicated to building a team of talented individuals who share our vision. As an early-stage startup, our resources are limited, and our compensation may not match what you might find at larger, more established companies. We firmly believe that the value of joining Escalate extends beyond just financial compensation. By becoming a part of our mission-driven team, you'll have the opportunity to be part of a journey that has the potential for substantial growth and impact.

At this time, the base salary for this role is $85,000-$105,000. 

CURRENT STAGE AND MILESTONES

• We were accepted as a Techstars portfolio company and part of the 2022-2023 Workforce Development Accelerator 
• We oversubscribed our pre-seed funding round, closing at $1.26M on a $7M valuation and backed by top investors, including ECMC Foundation, Gurtin Ventures, Potencia Ventures, Rock Creek Ventures, Techstars, and TEDCO
• We secured our first contract to train 1,000 employee learners in 2024 at $2M in revenue 

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Escalate an equal opportunity employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment.