Head of Product
Location: Berlin/Oslo/Madrid (Hybrid) · Full-time · Competitive compensation
Shape the Future of Marine Navigation
Orca is building the modern navigation platform for recreational boating.
Our mobile product is used by hundreds of thousands of boaters worldwide. Alongside it, we design and manufacture dedicated hardware devices that extend the Orca experience by integrating with onboard systems on the boat. Orca’s product surface spans mobile, embedded systems, mapping and routing, and is used from the couch and in demanding situations at sea.
As adoption grows, the complexity of the product increases. Orca’s next stage of growth requires stronger product execution, clearer prioritization, and tighter coherence across hardware, software, and services.
We’re looking for a Head of Product to help shape the future of Orca.
Your Mission
You will build and operate a coherent product system across hardware, software, and services — and over time evolve into a product leader capable of shaping Orca’s product strategy.
You will start by owning execution: translating founder direction into product decisions, driving prioritization, and ensuring Orca’s product system works end-to-end for boaters worldwide. .
Product strategy will initially be defined at the founder level in Orca. You will operate within this framework while influencing it through data, user research, and build proposals for where to take the Orca product. You will translate this into product decisions and progressively contribute to shaping it over time. Over time, you are expected to grow into a strategic role, contributing to and potentially owning parts of Orca’s product direction.
Within the first 12–18 months, success looks like:
Product decisions are faster, clearer, and consistently executed
System coherence improves. We have fewer inconsistencies, need for rework and edge-case failures
Teams operate with clearer priorities and reduced ambiguity
User insights systematically inform product changes
You demonstrate the ability to form and defend product direction
Your product proposals influence roadmap decisions
What You’ll Do
Product System Ownership - Own the end-to-end product system across mobile, hardware, and services.
Ensure coherence across app, onboard devices, and backend services
Define and drive product priorities across teams
Own trade-offs between usability, performance, technical constraints, and business impact
Execution & Prioritization - Translate direction into structured execution.
Turn high-level goals into clear product decisions and roadmaps
Drive prioritization across competing initiatives
Ensure teams are aligned and unblocked
User Insight & Signal Integration - Build a strong understanding of users and usage.
Lead user research and direct engagement with boat owners
Analyze product usage, purchase, and behavioral data
Convert insights into concrete product decisions and improvements
Product Development & Delivery - Work closely with Engineering and Design during development.
Drive iterative product development cycles
Validate solutions during implementation
Ensure shipped features meet real-world requirements
Role Evolution
This role is designed to evolve as you build context and experience in the industry.
Initial phase: Own execution and product system coherence.
Mid phase: Move from execution to shaping direction
Form explicit product hypotheses and proposals
Challenge and refine product direction with evidence
Contribute to roadmap shifts and new product bets
Later phase (12–18 months): Potentially take ownership of defined strategic areas
Lead product direction within defined domains
Influence broader company strategy through product insights
May take on higher-level decision-making responsibility as trust and capability are demonstrated
Who are you
You are a product operator capable of navigating complexity and making high-quality trade-offs. You form opinions, challenge assumptions, and drive decisions grounded in constraints and evidence.
You are comfortable owning execution in a system that spans hardware and software, while also having the ambition and ability to grow into a strategic role.
What You’ll Bring
You bring strong experience owning product execution and contributing to product direction in a product company.
Experience owning product decisions in a consumer product company
Proven ability to operate across complex systems
Strong product judgment under a combination of hard constraints and ambiguity
Experience working closely with engineering and design teams
Ability to translate user insights into product decisions
Clear thinking, structured communication, and decision-making rigor
Bonus experience:
Experience with products combining hardware and software
Experience with complex products used in demanding environments.
Experience in navigation, mapping, or real-time operational environments
Experience scaling products from early stage to growth stage
Experience influencing or defining product strategy
Why This Role Is So Exciting
You operate at system level. You will work across hardware, software, and a demanding outdoor environment.
You bring structure and clarity to a critical area of operation. The company is at a stage where product market fit is met, but improved product structure, prioritization, and decision-making are critical for future growth. .
You have a path to strategic ownership. The role is designed to grow into broader responsibility as trust and capability are demonstrated.
Compensation & Benefits
Competitive salary and meaningful equity. We’re building something big and want you to share in the upside.
Learn to sail. Not a sailor? While we don’t expect you to buy a boat, we cover sailing lessons so you can better understand our users and have some fun along the way.
Annual team offsites. We gather each year in a warm place to plan, have fun, reflect, and go sailing together.
Apply Now
Send your CV to careers@getorca.com.
Include a short note on a product problem you’ve owned end-to-end and how you approached it.
