Product manager a hit at IITs

New hirings for this position are being offered annual salaries in the range of ₹25-45 lakh by companies

- Devina Sengupta

 At the annual campus hiring ritual at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) this year, the rather ubiquitous profile of product manager stood out but with a more evolved job definition.

Software companies, consultancies, consumer firms and startups prowled premier engineering and business schools for potential product managers who can go beyond the traditional requirements of the role.

New product manager hires from the IITs are being offered annual salaries of ₹25-45 lakh, according to their placement officers. Companies hiring senior PMs from rivals or other sectors pay ₹1.5 crore, or even more, said executives at recruitment firms. What’s driving the increasing demand is that over the past coUPLe of years, companies have been pushed to come up with niche product lines that can help them stand apart in clogged markets, say recruiters.