Apprentice Product Manager - Spring Cohort 2024

Opportunity is not evenly distributed. Shopify puts independence within reach for anyone with a dream to start a business. Since 2006, we’ve grown to over 10,000 employees and generated over $496 billion in sales for millions of merchants in 175 countries.

This is life-defining work that directly impacts people’s lives as much as it transforms your own. This is putting the power of the few in the hands of the many, is a future with more voices rather than fewer, and is creating more choices instead of an elite option.

Moving at our pace brings a lot of change, complexity, ambiguity—and a little bit of chaos. We thrive on that and are comfortable being uncomfortable. That means Shopify is not the right place for everyone.

Before you apply, consider if you:

• Care deeply about what you do
• Excel by seeking professional and personal hypergrowth
• Are resilient and resourceful in face of ambiguity and thrive on (rather than endure) change
• Bring critical thought and opinion
• Embrace differences and disagreement to get s**t done and move forward
• Work digital-first for your daily work

Shopify’s Apprentice Product Manager (APM) role is a paid 12 month position, with the goal of creating product opportunities for a diverse community of early talent, and developing the next generation of product leaders. Our 12-month rotational program aims to help aspiring product talent improve the skills they need to become a Product Manager through hands-on real world product ownership, and with a supportive working community of peers and full time PM’s to learn from and grow alongside.  

As an APM you will be thrown into the deep end of product at Shopify, with the support of a dedicated lead, mentor, and learning curriculum to help you along the way. You will have the opportunity to work with and learn from industry expert product managers, engineers, designers, and data scientists who have built world class products.

You will have the opportunity to work on, and build, real world impactful products that enable entrepreneurs around the world to exist and thrive- there are no “side projects”, you’ll be working on mission critical projects.

If you are new to the product workforce, or an aspiring product person looking to switch careers, this is a great opportunity for you! We are a passionate and entrepreneurial group - come join us to do your life's best work

The Opportunity:

• You will be given the resources and opportunities to build foundational knowledge of the product management craft. This program is a blend of formal learning through our curriculum, and hands on, on the job training with full-time Product teams.
• Complete two (2) rotations where you will be ingrained as a PM on full-time Shopify Product teams, with a dedicated Senior Product Manager to guide and coach you through your journey.
• Join a small cohort of aspiring product managers aimed at being the next generation of Product Leaders with a community of supportive peers. 
• Have a dedicated full-time Product Manager to act as your mentor and an additional learning resource.
• At the end of the program, successful APMs will be eligible to continue as a full-time Product Manager at Shopify!

This program holds a high bar for graduates, there is no guarantee of full time conversion, but those who reach our high bar of excellence will be eligible to join Shopify as a full time PM! We expect participants to learn fast, iterate fast, and deliver results within the 12-month timeframe.

High trust and flexibility have always been a part of our culture, and if you’re expecting to be told exactly what to do, this program may not be the place for you. We don’t claim to have all the answers, and that’s why we look for independent thinkers, collaborators, and people hungry to grow alongside their team.

Shopify’s APM program has 2 streams of APM’s: technical, and non-technical. Both go through the same program with the same learning curriculum and real world project opportunities. The only difference is that technical APM’s are placed on a technical team for one of their rotations. We will have an equal amount of technical and non technical APM’s in this cohort. 

When applying, you only have to meet the requirements of one of the two streams; not both. 

Qualifications for all APMs

• An entrepreneurial mindset - you must be comfortable rolling up your sleeves, thriving in ambiguity, and getting the work done
• A love of storytelling
• A genuine excitement for solving merchant problems and a strong sense of empathy for the merchant and their buyers
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work across multiple projects, align on goals, and deliverables
• Excel by seeking professional and personal hypergrowth
• Keep up with an unrelenting pace; we will be throwing a lot at you over 12 months! 
• Be resilient and resourceful in face of ambiguity and thrive on (rather than endure) change
• Bring critical thought and opinions — and embrace differences and disagreement to move forward
• Strong interpersonal and team collaboration skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• A desire and aptitude to solve problems
• A desire to work in an agile environment
• A broad experience in technology would be beneficial, but not required
• Be located, and legally able to work from the USA or Canada by April 1, 2024
• Be available to work 40 hours per week as of April 2024. This is not a part time opportunity

Qualifications for technical APMs

• Can articulate/demonstrate why product management is the next logical step in your career and why you are passionate about the space
• Strong programming skills, including the ability to write and debug code in one or more programming languages.
• Experience working with databases and knowledge of SQL.
• Understand, research, and follow technical trends in the industry
• Willing to sharpen your technical skills and dive deep into technical concepts
• In lieu of formal technical training, you have built something cool from scratch

This posting will close on Tuesday January 16, 2024 at 11:59PM EST. Applications will be reviewed and interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis. Applications will not be accepted after the deadline.

This posting is for our April 2024 cohort, with an April 1 start date.

This post is highly encouraged reading.

The Hiring Process:

1. Once all applications have been screened, successful candidates will be invited to a “Mini Case Study” interview where you will go through a small Product related case with a Shopify Product Manager. 

2. Candidates who move on from the Mini Case Study interview will then be invited to a larger Case Study interview with a Shopify Product Manager. You will be informed in advance of the interview of what to prepare and expect.

3. After the case study interview, successful candidates are placed on teams based on their interests, skills and experience. Each placement is done individually and with significant consideration.

We know that looking for a new role can be both exciting and time-consuming, and we truly appreciate your effort. We're looking forward to learning more about you and your interest in joining the team.