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What is an international product manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted experts
Andrew Spicer,
Sachin Tuli

International product managers are responsible for the development, management, and implementation of product marketing activities on an international scale. Their role is essential in maximizing marketing efforts and increasing revenue as much as possible, which are imperative in the growth and development of a company.

The duties of an international product manager usually revolve around developing marketing campaigns, overseeing the implementation of various marketing activities, directing marketing staff, and communicating with key stakeholders on the performance of international campaigns. They may also be in charge of finding and negotiating business opportunities from different parts of the globe.

An international product manager is typically a degree holder in marketing, business, or another similar field. They also have extensive industry experience, usually at least five years or more, depending on their company. When it comes to skills, a successful international product manager is an excellent communicator, collaborator, leader, and negotiator all in one.

Because of the crucial function of this role, an international product manager takes home an average of $94,000 per year or about $46 an hour.

What general advice would you give to an international product manager?

Andrew Spicer

Associate Professor, Website

Resiliency is a particularly important skill for international business and career progression. Resiliency – the ability to recover quickly in the face of obstacles and failures – has always been a critical part of successful international assignments. The only constant of working abroad is that there will be miscommunication and mistakes. Successful international business careers depend on the ability to learn from these inevitable setbacks to improve over time. The constant change in the global business environment also leads to the demand for resiliency among international business specialists. An important role for those with a global mindset is to help companies adapt to the massive disruption to the global business environment for international trade and investment presently taking place across the world.
ScoreInternational Product ManagerUS Average
Salary
7.6

Avg. Salary $101,301

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.5

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.1
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 8.15%

Black or African American 3.04%

Hispanic or Latino 8.67%

Unknown 5.32%

White 74.58%

Gender

female 37.66%

male 62.34%

Age - 38
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38
Stress level
7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
9.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.5

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

International product manager career paths

Key steps to become an international product manager

  1. Explore international product manager education requirements

    Most common international product manager degrees

    Bachelor's

    72.8 %

    Master's

    20.8 %

    Associate

    3.3 %
  2. Start to develop specific international product manager skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Product Management15.24%
    Market Research12.86%
    Product Development9.06%
    International Business6.69%
    R6.20%
  3. Complete relevant international product manager training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New international product managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an international product manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real international product manager resumes.
  4. Research international product manager duties and responsibilities

    • Identify and manage OEM partnerships including software modification to meet a variety of hardware and market specifications.
    • Lead cross-functional team in pioneering the application/game download ecosystem with the implementation of Java games and generating significant new revenue stream.
    • Analyze feasibility of products, run ROI scenarios to determine strategic goals for portfolio.
    • Contribute to preparation and distribution of product proposals, optimizing portfolio ROI.
  5. Apply for international product manager jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an international product manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first international product manager job

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Average international product manager salary

The average international product manager salary in the United States is $101,301 per year or $49 per hour. International product manager salaries range between $66,000 and $153,000 per year.

Average international product manager salary
$101,301 Yearly
$48.70 hourly

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International product manager reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2023
Pros

Solve tough problems, work on agile teams, outlet for creativity,

Cons

high expectations, constantly evolving technology, broad range of topics to learn (product management specifics, industry, technology, software development methods


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020
Pros

Its not a specific job, As a product manager your job responsibilities cover many different areas and that's what i love about it.

Cons

all other teams think that they are doing a task for you instead of thinking that they are part of a team on a project


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019
Pros

B2B Communication and Building Relationships, Product\Strategy Development and Implementation, Solving Problems


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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