This month in Product, Data & Delivery -
May 2026
By Liam Pietzka | CEO/Founder, Brightbox Consulting
The PM brief has changed. Most companies haven't updated it yet.
Product hiring is up. The roles are there.
Katie, who places product and delivery talent across our markets, has been saying this for months. “The candidates I’m putting forward are strong, but the briefs they’re walking into were written for a different version of the role.”
And she’s right.
Roles that would have been filled in six weeks a few years ago are sitting open for months. The talent is there. The disconnect is in the brief.
The execution-focused product manager, the person who manages the backlog, runs the ceremonies, and keeps the roadmap tidy, is no longer what most businesses are paying a premium for.
What they actually want is someone who can think at a systems level.
Who can connect product, data, engineering, and AI into something coherent?
Who understands how AI is reshaping the operating model, not just the feature set?
This shift from feature delivery to system orchestration is real.
I’m seeing it consistently across the businesses we work with.
The PM who can only talk about what they shipped is struggling.
The PM who can talk about how they redesigned how their team worked, how they connected decisions across functions, how they navigated genuine ambiguity, that’s who’s getting the offer.
There’s a commercial dimension to this that’s become non-negotiable too.
Businesses have moved hard toward revenue and profitability targets.
Product managers who can’t speak to business impact in clear terms, not just product metrics, not just delivery velocity, are being screened out earlier in processes than ever before.
AI fluency is also now a baseline expectation.
Businesses are hiring for people who understand how AI reshapes operating models, not just people who have used AI tools. The bar is higher than most briefs currently reflect.
If your product brief is still built around delivery capability, it’s worth revisiting. The market has moved.
Thinking about a product hire this quarter? Book a meeting.
Top 10 market signals - across design, marketing, product & engineering
Quick intel from the ground
Ten things I’m seeing across the market this month, in 30 seconds or less.
1. The junior pipeline has dropped across every discipline
Entry-level roles are the hardest to fill in design, product, marketing, and engineering right now. Expect the flow-on effect to shape hiring in 2027.
2. AI fluency is now a baseline in interviews
Candidates who can clearly articulate where AI fits in their work are standing out. Vague answers are getting people screened out earlier than ever.
3. Hiring timelines are longer than internal processes can handle
Strong candidates are in active processes within two to three weeks. Most internal processes can’t move that fast, and businesses are losing people because of it.
4. The execution-only specialist is under more pressure than the generalist
Lean teams want depth in one area plus breadth across the broader function. Pure specialists are finding it harder.
5. Commercial fluency is now a non-negotiable in senior hiring
Across every discipline, businesses want candidates who can articulate the commercial impact of their work clearly. Product or campaign metrics alone aren’t enough.
6. Salaries at senior level have held firm
According to the 2026 Brightbox Salary Guide, senior salaries across our four markets have remained stable. Strategic, AI-fluent senior hires still command a premium.
7. Contract demand is increasing
Businesses are using contract talent to pilot new functions before building permanent headcount. Research, service design, marketing automation, AI engineering, and CRO are all moving this way.
8. Cross-functional thinking is showing up in briefs everywhere
PMs who can speak engineering. Engineers who understand customer problems. Designers who can hold a strategy conversation. The shift is consistent and accelerating.
9. Soft skills are being assessed more formally
Communication, stakeholder management, and the ability to navigate ambiguity are being tested through structured assessments rather than assumed from credentials.
10. The candidates getting offers don’t always have the best CVs
Work samples, structured interviews, and systems-level conversations are increasingly what decides hires. CV screening alone is missing strong people.
Back with more next month.
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About Brightbox Consulting
Brightbox Consulting is a specialist recruitment partner working across AI, Data and Emerging Tech, Product and Delivery, Design and Creative, Digital Marketing, and Engineering.
We hold a 100% five-star rating on Google and a 100% client return rate. Our clients include Qantas, Telstra, Macquarie, Bupa, Vodafone, and WooliesX, as well as a long list of scale-ups and high-growth businesses across Australia.
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2026 Salary Guide
The 2026 Brightbox Salary Guide covers salaries, market trends, what motivates people to move, and what keeps them from leaving across design, product, data, digital marketing, and engineering.
