Lead / Group Product Manager (Microtransaction Products)

About Lokal:

In 2018, we began with a WhatsApp group with a simple hypothesis: people in tier-2/3 towns weren’t really using the internet meaningfully yet. We believed that if we started with local content in their own language, they’d come back every day; once there was a habit and trust, that same space could naturally grow into classifieds and, eventually, something they used for almost everything online.

This spark became Lokal. Our first instinct was to put everything in one place & one app - local updates, classifieds, jobs, matrimony and more. It worked, till it stopped working. Users gave us the insight - when one use case outweighs the others, everything else seems like noise. We listened. Like how Craigslist quietly seeded a generation of focused companies & marketplaces, we began unbundling and verticalising.

Today, Lokal is a house of focused apps, many products, one mission:
to connect Tier-2/3+ India to the Knowledge, opportunities, tools and experts they’ve always deserved.

We now operate dozens of live apps across categories like:

• Emotional Well-being & Peer Support – safe spaces to talk and feel heard (Dostt & Eaze)
• Astrology & Guidance – instant access to trusted Astrologers via chat and voice (AstroLokal)
• Edutainment & Skill Learning – practical skills and learning in regional languages (GyanTV)
• Matrimonial Matchmaking – hyperlocal, compatibility-first partner search (Lokal Matrimony)
• Agri Consulting – farmer-first advisory in local languages (AgriLokal)
• Local Jobs – blue- and grey-collar opportunities close to home (Lokal Jobs, Sahi Jobs)
• Social & Community – Place to find & post social updates (Lokal app)
• Advisory Services – early bets in legal help, financial guidance, career counselling, and more

Under the hood, Lokal is a discovery and access platform: local-language internet + deep Bharat insight+ AI. When someone opens a product we’ve built, they don’t wade through clutter; they get a straight line to what they came for.

This is the story new teammates walk into:
a company that started as a whatsapp group, became a family of focused apps, and kept one belief at the centre — access changes lives.

We ship fast. We learn fast. We build for Bharat.

We are backed by leading global and domestic investors including Y Combinator, Sony, Global Brain, India Quotient, and 3one4 Capital

About the Team:
The Product Team at Lokal operates as the engine driving our “house of apps” model. We work at the intersection of deep Bharat user insights, cutting-edge AI, and business strategy. As a Group Product Manager, you will lead a squad of Product Managers and Product Analysts, taking end-to-end ownership of a major product vertical or portfolio of apps to scale engagement, monetization, and user retention.

Role Overview:

As a Group Product Manager (GPM), you will own the end-to-end strategy, roadmap, and execution for one or more key product verticals (e.g., Emotional Well-being/Social, Monetization & Marketplace Services, or Growth & Retention). You will mentor and manage a team of PMs, collaborate with engineering, design, marketing, and data teams, and directly influence business P&L and company-wide strategy.

Responsibilities:

• Portfolio & Business Strategy: Define the 12–18 month vision, strategy, and roadmap for a cluster of products, aligning product metrics directly with overall company business outcomes and P&L targets.
• Team Leadership & Mentorship: Hire, lead, and grow a team of high-performing Product Managers and Associate PMs. Foster a culture of rapid experimentation, high speed, and data-backed decision-making.
• Growth, Retention & Monetization: Lead core growth loops, pricing models (cohort-based pricing, subscriptions, micro-transactions), payment funnel optimizations, and gamification mechanics across the portfolio.
• Cross-Functional Execution: Partner closely with Design, Engineering, UX Research, Analytics, Marketing, and Operations to deliver high-impact features with speed and quality.
• Bharat-First User Discovery: Deep-dive into Tier 2/3+ user behavior through qualitative research and quantitative analytics to unearth local nuances, trust barriers, and high-value use cases.
• AI & Platform Strategy: Integrate AI-driven personalization, recommendations, and local-language audio/chat workflows to reduce friction and improve discovery across apps.

What We’re Looking For:

• 6–10+ years of product management experience in high-growth consumer tech, marketplace platforms, or digital content/social apps.
• 2+ years of direct experience managing, mentoring, and scaling a team of Product Managers.
• Analytical & First-Principles Thinking: Mathematically sharp, highly investigative with data, and capable of structuring complex problems systematically.
• Educational Background: Degree from top-tier institutes (IIT, BITS, NIT, IIM, or equivalent) preferred but not restricted to.
• Track Record of Scale: Proven experience driving business growth ($/monetization, retention, or viral acquisition loops) at scale (millions of DAUs/MAUs).
• Execution & Ownership: High bias for action, comfortable moving fast in ambiguous environments, and willing to balance strategic alignment with hands-on execution.
• Bharat/Local Insight: Deep empathy for Tier-2+ Indian users and appreciation for regional nuances, local-language internet, and community trust dynamics.

• At Lokal, we act like owners who take initiative beyond job descriptions, get things done despite obstacles, and maintain a growth mindset focused on learning. We're outcome-driven with bias for action, believing speed matters in building products for billion Indians. Decision-making involves open debate followed by full commitment, and we operate on context rather than control - managers share the "why" while you own execution. We aim to be an all-star team that thinks big and takes calculated risks to achieve ambitious goals.
• Be part of a fast-growing startup with 100M+ downloads and a footprint across 1000+ towns & 250+ districts - huge scope for impact and learning.
• Opportunity for fast growth, professionally and personally, as you help expand into new areas and build things from scratch.
• Access comprehensive benefits, including insurance coverage, generous leave policies, ESOP buybacks, flexible work-from-home options, and more.