We are Koru.
Koru is a first of its kind venture studio funded by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. We partner with OTPP portfolio companies to build and invest in businesses with a clear right to win.
Founded in 2019, our mission is to drive value creation aimed at growing the overall value of OTPP’s portfolio companies by partnering with them to identify, validate, build and oversee new disruptive businesses. We go from 0-1, building ventures that address customer frictions head-on — and we leverage our corporate partnerships to gain unfair advantages in the market.
We offer a unique balance of risk and reward where startup talent can build with the backing of a $250B pension plan and the ability to impact portfolio companies all around the world, explore disruptive new opportunities and share in the upside of every business we put into the market. We promote a truly entrepreneurial mindset and a culture of fearless reinvention.
As Senior Product Manager, you will have a unique opportunity to be exposed to a wide array of industries, and be a vital voice when it comes to product, but also around all areas of the businesses you’ll launch. Since 2019, we’ve launched 10 ventures across a broad array of industries and problem spaces. Take a look at our portfolio of ventures to see for yourself.
If you get excited by building innovative products that allow new entrants to disrupt existing industries, enjoy working in a collaborative and dynamic startup environment, have an entrepreneurial spirit, and have developed strong product leadership chops, then your place may be with us!
As Senior Product Manager you will:
- Work with multidisciplinary teams to identify and validate early-stage venture opportunities, and participate in pitching these opportunities to senior stakeholders.
- Work across a wide range of industries based on your venture or project assignment; gain a deep understanding of the industry you’re working in by leading and participating in a variety of research methods, including user interviews, subject matter expert interviews, market and competitive research, and more.
- In partnership with product & venture leadership, define MVPs and proof-of-concept builds, create product strategies and roadmaps, and drive the execution of their development to help bring the venture from 0-1.
- Effectively prioritize and define product features so that Engineering, Design, and the venture team can collaboratively & efficiently build and execute.
- Champion iterative product development in response to key customer & market insights, and feedback from engineering, business, design, and growth cohorts.
- Conduct user and market research, gather customer feedback and analyze data in order to make informed product decisions.
- Cross-pollinate good practices and insights between multiple ventures to drive continuous improvement of our product practice.
- Enjoy working in a diverse, dynamic, collaborative, and transparent environment where everyone's ideas and opinions are equally valued.
You should have:
- A minimum of 5 years of experience delivering successful and innovative products that customers love.
- Experience building full products, not just features, since you will need to go from 0 to 1 at Koru.
- Tech savviness with a strong understanding of new technologies and industry trends.
- A real passion for understanding and solving customer frictions through simple and effective products.
- An entrepreneurial spirit - you’re scrappy and comfortable wearing multiple hats to move your venture forward.
- Strong market and user research skills, from planning through to synthesis.
- A hypothesis-driven mindset. You’re curious, and know how to find the right insights to make an informed decision.
- A proven track record in building strong partnerships with cross-functional teams.
- Comfort working through ambiguity. You have the ability to embrace and reduce uncertainty through continual validated learning.
- A willingness to travel.
What happens next?
Once we review your application, if we’d like to move you forward in the process, here’s what you can expect:
Step 1: Functional 1 - Interview with the Hiring Lead (Virtual, 30-45 minutes)
Step 2: Functional 2 - Interview with a Cohort Team Member (Virtual, 30-45 minutes)
Step 3: Practical Challenge
- Presentation prep on your own time
- Presentation Delivery: 60 minutes total (Virtual or In-Person, 30 minutes presentation & 30 minutes Q&A).
- Team Interview: 3:1 interview with panel participants (Virtual or In-Person, 45 minutes).
Step 4: Candidate Debrief
Step 5: 1:1 Partner Interview (Virtual or In-Person, 30 minutes)
Step 6: Offer
Total Rewards at Koru.
Our total rewards package is balanced, flexible, inclusive, and fair which makes it a key part of our employer value proposition. We regularly review and update our total rewards, taking into account best practices, industry trends, and feedback from our team.
Currently, our total rewards package is inclusive of:
- Cash compensation made up of 1) competitive base salary 2) annual bonus 3) company-matched RRSP and 4) participation in our equity program
- Comprehensive health benefits, including:
- Group insurance
- A flexible healthcare spending account
- Fitness benefit
- Mindfulness benefit
- Generous paid time off including vacation, sick, and a parental leave top-up.
- Other benefits include, mobile phone reimbursement and education benefit.
Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Diversity of perspectives and experience is at the core of how we approach disruption and innovation. We believe in fostering an environment where team members of all backgrounds can feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to work every day. We aim to ensure all of our employees work in an environment that makes them feel valued, heard and supported while they strive towards career pursuits and their personal and professional growth.
We are committed to providing accommodations for all candidates that require them and in all aspects of the recruitment, selection, and/or assessment process. If you are selected to participate in any part of the selection and/or assessment process, please inform us of any accommodation(s) that you may require.
Our location.
Koru’s offices are located in downtown Toronto. We humbly acknowledge that Koru HQ is located on land that is the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the New Credit, Chippewa (Anishinaabeg), Haudenosaunee, and Wendat. This territory is covered by the ‘Toronto Purchase: Treaty 13’ which was the surrender of the lands from the Mississaugas of the Credit to the British Crown initially in 1787.
Koru staff and/or board members are made up of settlers, immigrants, descendants of immigrants, or a combination thereof. Our roots lie in continents across the world and we are grateful for the opportunity to share this land where we work and live.
Please note that this role is hybrid and requires the selected candidate to travel to Koru HQ in Toronto, Ontario as and when required by the company. Additionally, all individuals considered for this role are required to be legally eligible to work in Canada.
We’re flattered that you’d like to join our team, but only applicants selected to proceed in the hiring process will be contacted.
