Product Hiring Managers Meetup #2

Judgement, Not Headcount: Why the best PMs in 2026 own more and manage less, and what get's you in.

The traditional PM career ladder: IC > manager > Group PM > Head of Product is quietly contracting.

VP, Director, and Manager-level PM roles have seen significant deceleration, while Senior/Staff-level ICs have held on far better. Some companies have even opened up Director level PM roles, but ICs.

What's replacing "manage more people" as the mark of seniority isn't well understood yet, even by the people doing the hiring, but the PMs actually getting hired and promoted right now share something specific in common.

This event is built to surface that, directly from the people making the calls:

What hiring managers are actually screening for in 2026.

Why AI absorbing more of the "execution" side of the PM job is raising the bar on judgment, ownership, and product sense, and how that's showing up in interviews

How did PMs who got offers navigated this path.

🌟 Our Speakers and Mentors

Deepak Nautiyal - Moderator, ex-Head of Product, Zalando.

Arindam Pal - VP Product, BestSecrets Group

Marina Pai - Group Product Manager, Bolt ride sharing

Saumya Vasuthevan - Product Manager, Hygraph

Vamsi Varanasi - ex-Principal PM, DeliveryHero

🌟 What you can expect

Hear directly, and candidly, from hiring leaders and senior PMs on what actually gets a candidate hired or promoted in 2026.

Hear experiences of PM candidate on how they navigate the interview landscape and what they see in their new role.

Understand why judgment and ownership are becoming the real differentiator

Ask questions.

Network with panelists and other product mentors at open networking.

🗓️ Agenda

18:00 - Gates Open, Check-Ins
18:20 - Opening activity and introductions
18:40 - Talk: The New Shape of the Product Career
19:00 - Panel discussion: What is judgement and why it matters for PM hiring in 2026.
19:50 - Audience Q&A
20:00 - Open Networking
21:00 - Wrap up!

If you would like, we will be happy to setup a formal mentoring and coaching session for you with one of the mentors.

This meet up is sponsored by The Delta Campus Berlin.

Employed.world is a Berlin-based community for designers, product people, and tech folks navigating the current job market. We connect you with mentors, coaches, and hiring experts - UX, Engineering, Product, Data and AI - for honest feedback and career support.

About Employed.world:
We support the design and product community in Berlin by connecting them with empathic mentors, job coaches, and professionals who are currently working - or have worked - in companies across the city and have been involved in hiring. We also connect you with current hiring managers, giving you the chance to receive guidance and feedback tailored to your personal challenges. From speaking with job seekers, we’ve learned that many lack clear, honest feedback on their profiles and applications. Some need help identifying their strengths so they can stand out among hundreds of candidates. Others feel there just aren’t enough relevant opportunities and wonder: what’s the strategy to find—or even create—the right role for you?
We also offer a 1:1 mentorship program funded by the Agentur für Arbeit/Jobcenter, through the job center.

We want to support people affected by layoffs by offering them free tickets. Please note, these have to be approved by admins, which can take some time. In case you haven’t heard from us, just send us a message on LinkedIn.

Photos at the event:
There will be photos taken during the event. If you don't wish to be photographed, just let us know when checking in.