Product Manager, Tailscale-Native Apps - Tailscale

About Tailscale

Tailscale is making safe connection effortless by delivering software that makes it easy to securely interconnect people and their devices. We're building a future for the Internet that's easy, sensible, and safe. Founded in 2019 and fully distributed, we're backed by Accel, CRV, Insight, Heavybit, and Uncork Capital.

About the Role

We're hiring a Product Manager to own the experience of building Tailscale-native applications—software with Tailscale connectivity and identity built in from the start. You will own the developer journey for our core primitives, including TSNet, our Rust-based SDK family, the Tailscale CLI, and our client libraries.

Your goal is to transform the developer on-ramp from a friction-heavy process into a seamless, "golden path" experience for thousands of applications.

Key Responsibilities

• Roadmap Ownership: Define the strategy for TSNet, tailscale-rs, and the Tailscale CLI.
• Developer Experience: Own the end-to-end journey, from initial documentation and API ergonomics to error handling and upgrade paths.
• Reference Architectures: Define what it means to be "Tailscale-native" through sample apps, patterns, and clear documentation.
• SDK Strategy: Set the direction for the Rust SDK family and determine feature prioritization.
• CLI as a Product: Improve scripting ergonomics, automation surfaces, and the experience for SRE/Platform teams.
• Internal Dogfooding: Collaborate with internal teams (Aperture, Tailscale PAM) to turn their friction into product improvements.
• Community Engagement: Engage with developers via GitHub, Discord, and office hours to understand real-world needs.

What We Are Looking For

• 6+ years in product management or a software engineering background transitioning into product.
• Proven experience shipping developer-facing products (SDKs, APIs, CLIs, or developer tools).
• Ability to read Go and/or Rust to hold credible technical conversations about API/SDK design.
• Strong "taste" in developer experience: opinions on API ergonomics, documentation, and getting-started flows.
• Ability to conduct effective customer research within developer communities.
• Experience turning ambiguous scope into shipped, high-impact increments.

Nice to Have

• Hands-on Go or Rust development experience.
• Experience at a developer platform company (e.g., Stripe, Twilio, Vercel, HashiCorp).
• Open-source community contribution experience.
• Familiarity with networking, zero-trust, or VPN concepts.
• Experience designing CLIs for platform and SRE teams.

Benefits

• Competitive total compensation (base salary + equity).
• Comprehensive group benefits with no waiting period.
• Remote-first culture with annual company retreats and team off-sites.
• $1,500 USD annual professional development stipend.
• Flexible paid time off and parental leave program.
• Home office setup support, including laptop and monthly internet reimbursement.