Product Management Practice Coach

Introduction

IBM Infrastructure is a catalyst that makes the world work better because our clients demand it. Heterogeneous environments, the explosion of data, digital automation, and cybersecurity threats require hybrid cloud infrastructure that only IBM can provide.

Your ability to be creative, a forward-thinker and to focus on innovation that matters, is all support by our growth minded culture as we continue to drive career development across our teams. Collaboration is key to IBM Infrastructure success, as we bring together different business units and teams that balance their priorities in a way that best serves our client's needs.

IBM's product and technology landscape includes Research, Software, and Infrastructure. Entering this domain positions you at the heart of IBM, where growth and innovation thrive.

Your Role And Responsibilities

The PM Practice Coach is an individual contributor role responsible for coaching multiple product teams on product management best practices in alignment with IBM’s Product Management framework, “Winning Products.” This role works across organizational and team boundaries, partnering with product managers, product leaders, and cross-functional stakeholders to strengthen product thinking, execution, and outcomes. You will be working with a team of other coaches as an extended member of our Product Excellence Office.

As a PM Practice Coach, you will act as a trusted advisor, coach, and change agent—supporting teams as they adopt and mature product management practices while balancing consistency with business-unit autonomy. Success in this role requires deep product management expertise, strong coaching and influencing skills, and the ability to build credibility and relationships quickly in a matrixed environment.

In this role you will be responsible for the following:

Product Management Coaching and Enablement

• Coach multiple product teams on product management best practices aligned to the Winning Products framework.
• Provide hands-on, contextual coaching to individual product managers and product teams across varying levels of maturity.
• Observe team rituals, artifacts, and decision-making practices and provide clear, actionable feedback.
• Help teams translate product management principles into day-to-day execution, including discovery, prioritization, roadmapping, and outcome measurement.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to product leaders, offering guidance on strengthening product operating models and team effectiveness.
  
  

Education, Training, and Activation

• Design, deliver, and continuously improve product management training and educational sessions, including instructor-led training for audiences of up to 100 people.
• Tailor training and coaching approaches to meet the needs of diverse audiences, from new product managers to experienced practitioners.
• Work with our Product Excellence Office to reinforce consistent understanding and application of product management concepts, language, and artifacts.
• Support the activation of new practices through follow-up coaching and reinforcement.
  
  

Practice Adoption and Continuous Improvement

• Support the adoption and refinement of product management practices by identifying patterns, gaps, and opportunities across teams.
• Influence without authority to drive behavioral change and sustained practice adoption.
• Provide feedback to the Product Excellence Office on where guidance, artifacts, or enablement need improvement.
• Balance standardization with flexibility, helping teams apply the framework in ways that fit their product and business context.
  
  

Stakeholder Partnership and Influence

• Build strong, trust-based relationships with product managers, engineering, design, and business stakeholders.
• Work effectively across organizational and team boundaries in a highly matrixed environment.
• Communicate clearly and persuasively, adapting messaging for different stakeholder groups.
• Act as a consultant to teams and leaders, helping them navigate local challenges and trade-offs.
  
  

Technology and Product Expertise

• Apply prior experience in technology-driven products, preferably involving hardware, software, or integrated systems.
• Help teams navigate product management challenges specific to complex, technical products and platforms.
• Bring practical, real-world product experience to coaching conversations to ensure guidance is grounded and credible.
  
  

Preferred Education

Bachelor's Degree

Required Technical And Professional Expertise

• 5–8 years of total professional experience, with significant experience in Product Management.
• Demonstrated experience coaching individuals and teams, ideally within product management or adjacent disciplines.
• Strong working knowledge of modern product management practices, frameworks, and tools.
• Proven ability to influence and drive change without direct authority.
• Experience designing and delivering training or educational sessions, including large-group presentations (up to 100 people).
• Strong consulting skills with the ability to diagnose problems and tailor guidance to context.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills that bring clarity to complex topics.
• Ability to work independently and effectively across a matrixed organization, managing multiple teams and priorities.
• A proactive, “get it done” mindset with a passion for helping teams succeed.
  
  

Preferred Technical And Professional Experience

• Background in technology-focused environments, preferably hardware, software, or integrated systems.
• Experience supporting product teams through transformation or practice adoption initiatives.
• Familiarity with product led growth, design thinking, and modern product management frameworks.
• Experience working within large-scale or enterprise product organizations.