Product Management in the Dynamic World of Data Streaming

A year in at Confluent, Product Manager Surabhi Singh has learned a lot about data streaming—and even more about herself. In this fast-paced environment, Surabhi is highly motivated and committed to her work strategically planning, coordinating, and delivering product improvements for customers whose business operations depend on Confluent Platform.

Find out how she’s grown and what she’s learned in this role, as well as how she recommends others find a similarly supportive professional environment where they can thrive.

Product management can look very different depending on the company or industry. How would you describe your role and its responsibilities on the Confluent Platform team? How do you know when you’ve succeeded?

As a product manager on the Confluent Platform team, I collaborate closely with cross-functional teams across departments like engineering, sales, and marketing to build solutions that give our users the ability to monitor, diagnose, and optimize their infrastructure, ensuring the health and reliability of their data streams. The most critical part of the role is deeply understanding our customers’ needs and pain points, especially in industries where data availability and real-time performance are nonnegotiable.

Success in this role is defined by how effectively we enable our customers to maintain smooth, uninterrupted streaming operations. If our customers can confidently monitor their workloads, detect anomalies early, and make informed decisions to ensure data is continuously available, then we have succeeded. I measure this by tracking customer adoption of new features, improvements in platform stability and performance, and positive customer feedback.

How have you grown or changed since joining Confluent? What skills or technologies have you learned since joining? What are you looking forward to learning next?

At Confluent, I’ve deepened my understanding and intricacies of data streaming and open source technologies. The reality is that the world of data streaming is ever-evolving—filled with complexities and unprecedented challenges.

So, working as a product manager in this constantly changing landscape has taught me how to adapt quickly and strategically plan for whatever comes now. That’s how we ensure we remain innovative and foster responsive product evolution to adjust to what our customers need and what the market demands.

Specifically, I’ve learned a great deal about Apache Kafka®, which is fundamental to the data streaming landscape, and I continue to learn something new each day. I’m eager to explore the full spectrum of our data streaming platform that comprises connect, processing, and governance—particularly, Apache Flink® and the emerging new use cases from our customers. I truly believe that as we continue to innovate, data streaming will be at the heart of how companies operate. Exciting times are ahead for data streaming!

What motivates you to excel in your role and how does Confluent support your ambitions?

Confluent is on a mission to solve complex, large-scale business challenges with data streaming. As a product manager, I am constantly focused on how we can improve our product so it can help solve the increasingly complex and impactful paint points that customers report.

That’s no simple or straightforward task, and my day-to-day work is never quite the same. But the leadership here fosters a supportive environment and provides the guidance I need to think comprehensively about my approach to new challenges and act strategically. This environment and the growth I’ve experienced aligns with my professional ambitions, keeping me motivated, engaged, and focused on excellence no matter the project or task in front of me.

What's unique about Confluent's company culture? What’s one question you would tell people to ask about the culture during their interview?

Confluent is a remote-first company, which really encourages every team member to have a sense of integrity and accountability for the things we do and build together. But how that looks in practice really depends on what your team’s responsibilities are, how much collaborative versus independent work everyone needs to contribute, and what hard and soft skills are involved in the day-to-day work.

A great question to ask would be, “How does Confluent foster collaboration and accountability in a remote-first environment?”

This question will help the interviewee get a practical understanding of the team they’re engaging with. The ability to collaborate, stay aligned, and maintain a standard of excellence across distributed teams is critical, so I think understanding the culture and habits of the company as well as the department and team you’re joining is essential.

I’d also recommend asking about the support systems and processes Confluent has in place to keep communication and productivity seamless. It is important to value, adjust, and accommodate the talents and needs of incoming team members.

How does Confluent encourage diversity, equity, and inclusion?

At Confluent, diversity, equity, and inclusion are embedded in our culture through intentional hiring, inclusive leadership, and company-wide incentives that heavily encourage participation.

In my one year at Confluent, I have been involved in community-building initiatives, mentorship programs, tree planting on volunteering days, and ongoing learning and development training. All of these experiences have empowered me to contribute authentically to things I believe in. At the same time, everyone is given resources—e.g., on-demand courses, mentorship opportunities, or cross-functional initiatives—that can help them expand their skills and pursue stretch opportunities as they grow in their current role.

I admire how leadership support and company initiatives set us up for success and constantly strive for inclusion to be a core part of how we approach our everyday work.

Rapid fire questions:

1. What job did you want to have when you were a child?

   1. A professional dancer—I wanted to open my own dance studio and teach hip-hop dance!

2. What’s the best decision you’ve made in your career?

   1. Pursuing an MBA from Indian School of Business significantly enhanced how I look at problems and shaped my leadership thinking.

3. What’s your favorite TV show set in an office?

   1. Suits—suit up!

4. What’s your work-from-home must-have?

   1. My Spotify playlist for deep focused work!

5. If you could have your team offsite anywhere in the world, where would it be? 

   1. London, it’s a perfect backdrop for creative brainstorming and collaboration.

6. What’s your favorite way to unwind after work/on the weekends? 

   1. Ginger-infused evening tea followed by a long walk with my husband is my perfect work-from-home break!