Software Engineer
Senior Technical Product Manager (IntelliJ Kotlin Plugin)
Belgrade
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At JetBrains, code is our passion. The Kotlin plugin for IntelliJ IDEA is where language meets experience — it's how hundreds of thousands of developers write, navigate, refactor, and understand Kotlin code every day. Being able to continuously improve it means understanding the language deeply, using the product daily, and deeply caring about Kotlin developers.
We're looking for a Senior Technical Product Manager who will own the Kotlin-in-IDE experience end to end. This is a deeply hands-on role. You will experiment with Kotlin in IntelliJ based IDEs every day, maintain reference projects that double as regression canaries and demo showcases, build prototypes with AI coding agents, analyze users feedback and talk to users. You won't manage from slides — you'll manage from the editor.
In This Role, You Will
- Own the product vision for the Kotlin plugin: fast, correct, and trustworthy IDE support that evolves with the language.
- Use IntelliJ IDEA with the Kotlin plugin daily — dogfooding features, catching regressions, and validating the developer experience first-hand.
- Maintain and develop reference Kotlin projects that serve as showcases for new features, material for conference demos, and a living test bed for DX quality.
- Build prototypes and proofs-of-concept using AI coding agents to explore and validate new capabilities.
- Own and continuously adapt the plugin roadmap across short-term release goals, mid-term initiatives, and longer-term Kotlin ecosystem related projects.
- Align plugin planning with Kotlin compiler releases, IntelliJ IDEA release trains, and Android Studio constraints.
- Make explicit trade-offs and say "no" when cost, risk, or maintenance burden outweighs user value.
- Define problem statements, success criteria, and scope for features — then collaborate with engineers to validate and refine.
- Represent core Kotlin personas — JVM backend developers, library authors, Android and Multiplatform teams — and prioritize recurring pain points: false positives, slow analysis, unreliable refactorings, onboarding pain points, AI agents integrations.
- Run a consistent pipeline of monthly user interviews to ground decisions in real workflows.
- Coordinate with Kotlin language team, Developer Advocates, framework partners, Marketing, and other JetBrains teams.
- Create external visibility through what's-new posts, Kotlin User Groups meetup talks, and feature previews at events like KotlinConf, Spring I/O, Devoxx and others.
We're Looking For Someone Who
- Has professional software development experience in Java or Kotlin (this is a must).
- Has 5+ years of experience in technical product management or a comparable role in a complex technical domain.
- Is a hands-on product person who lives in the product, not someone who operates through reports and meetings alone.
- Has experience with AI coding tools and agents, and curiosity about how they reshape developer workflows.
- Can define clear roadmaps with problem statements, success criteria, and explicit trade-offs.
- Has strong communication skills in English — written and spoken — for both technical peers and executive audiences.
- Is ready to represent the product externally at conferences, in blog posts, and in community interactions.
- Takes developer experience personally — not as an abstract metric, but as something they feel in their own daily workflow.
We'd Be Especially Thrilled If You
- Have experience developing IntelliJ plugins or working with the IntelliJ Platform SDK.
- Have built or contributed to evaluation pipelines, benchmarks, or quality measurement systems.
- Have given technical talks or published content aimed at developer audiences.
Why join JetBrains?
- Strong base salary. We offer competitive pay that reflects your skills and experience.
- Flexible work location. Enjoy the freedom to work from home or from the office.
- Remote work. Spend up to 30 days per year working remotely from abroad.
- Extra time off. More days to relax, recharge, and do the things you love.
- Medical insurance allowance. Enjoy peace of mind for you and your family
- Learning and development opportunities. Access to conferences, courses, and language classes.
- Relocation support. We help make your move as smooth and stress-free as possible.
- Language classes. Pick up the local language or sharpen your English skills.
- Fuel your day. Enjoy a hot meal or receive a lunch allowance on workdays.
- Mental health support. To help you feel your best, we provide easy access to professional mental health services.
- Sports benefit. Enjoy an on-site gym or sports club stipend.
- Internal events. Join company-wide celebrations and team gatherings.
- Some benefits may vary depending on location.
We are an equal opportunity employer
We know great ideas can come from anyone, anywhere. That’s why we do our best to create an open and inclusive workplace – one that welcomes everyone regardless of their background, identity, religion, age, accessibility needs, or orientation.
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