Lead Product Marketing Manager, Connect AI

At CData, we believe data should work for people—and that starts with the team building the technology behind it. In a world where data is increasingly complex and distributed, we’re helping organizations bring clarity and connection through real-time data integration. Our products make it easier to access and work with data anywhere, empowering teams to focus on innovation instead of infrastructure.

More than 10,000 organizations worldwide rely on CData to power their most important business decisions. Behind that impact is a global team of passionate problem-solvers, engineers, and innovators who are redefining what’s possible in data connectivity.

Headquartered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, CData has over 500 team members, with offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. We take pride not just in what we build, but in how we build it: together, with curiosity, creativity, and a shared drive to push boundaries.

As we look ahead, AI has become a central pillar of what we do. CData is evolving to be AI-native: we’re embedding advanced AI tools into our platform, including semantic layers that let the business side and technical side speak the same language, AI connectivity that enables real-time access to data from across your enterprise, and user-friendly, governed ways for teams to ask and act on business questions with conversational tools and intelligent agents.

If you want to work somewhere where your engineering, data, or product work directly enables organizations to turn ambiguous, siloed data into trusted intelligence—and where AI is not just hype, but deeply woven into our mission—CData is the place for you.

About the role

CData is building the data layer between AI and ROI. Our Connect AI platform is the first managed MCP (Model Context Protocol) solution for enterprise AI—delivering live connectivity to 350+ data sources, source-level semantic intelligence, and passthrough security in a single governed layer.

Only 6% of enterprises are satisfied with their current AI data infrastructure. This is an opportunity to define how enterprises connect AI to the data that makes it actually useful.

We're looking for a Lead Product Marketing Manager who can translate deep technical capabilities into clear, differentiated value for Directors of Architecture, CIOs, and enterprise IT leaders who personally test every platform and low tolerance for marketing fluff.

The Lead PMM will own end-to-end product marketing strategy for Connect AI, serving as a strategic partner to Product, Sales, and Marketing leadership. This role shapes GTM direction, defines competitive positioning, and leads the creation of content and enablement that helps technical buyers say yes across product-led and sales led motions.

What you'll do

• Own Connect AI positioning across use cases like conversational AI (ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot) and agentic build (n8n, Copilot Studio)
• Overhaul and uplift CData’s brand presence (collateral, sales enablement tools, website) with exciting new AI-oriented visual identity and brand voice created by a top-tier design agency (in process, Q’1-2 timing).
• Define competitive strategy with differentiation that can withstand technical scrutiny from hands-on evaluators
• Lead market development for the managed MCP category, establishing CData as the thought leader in AI data infrastructure
• Partner cross-functionally to define and execute quarterly and annual GTM strategies, owning overall growth performance for Connect AI

• Create technical content that passes the "hands-on validator" test—architecture guides, security reference docs, and deployment playbooks that Directors of Architecture actually use during evaluation
• Develop clear value narratives for the three pillars of our overall messaging framework: Connectivity (live access to 350+ sources), Context (semantic intelligence), and Control (passthrough security with audit trails)
• Serve as the subject-matter expert for Connect AI, enabling Sales, Customer Success, and Marketing teams with use case articulation and competitive positioning
• Lead customer, market, and buyer research to uncover insights that inform positioning, messaging, and differentiation

• Translate customer feedback and competitive insights into roadmap recommendations—particularly around MCP adoption, semantic modeling, and governance features
• Partner with Product on launch strategy for new capabilities, AI platform integrations, and enterprise capabilities
• Plan, organize, and execute complex marketing initiatives end-to-end, including multi-product launches and major GTM programs

• Stay up-to-date on the latest market developments around AI and Agent platforms to inform our strategy
• Conduct first-party research with trialers, prospects, and customers to form a perspective on our go-to-market and validate our messaging
• Monitor competitive activity and proactively develop strategies to counter threats and capitalize on market opportunities

• Track and analyze key business performance metrics to assess GTM effectiveness, market adoption, and growth trends
• Adopt AI tools and processes to optimize your own productivity (with a budget to support it) and help lead projects to rollout AI to the Marketing team
• Provide guidance, review, and informal mentorship to other Product Marketing Managers to elevate overall team effectiveness

Qualifications

Required:

• 7+ years of product marketing experience in data infrastructure, integration platforms, or developer tools—bonus points for iPaaS, ETL/ELT, or API platform experience
• Track record of marketing to technical buyers (architects, platform engineers, IT leadership)
• Demonstrated ability to create content that establishes technical credibility—not just feature lists, but architecture guides, security whitepapers, and implementation playbooks
• Familiarity with the AI/ML infrastructure landscape: LLMs, RAG architectures, agentic AI, MCP
• Experience with complex, multi-persona buying processes involving technical evaluators, security teams, and executive sponsors
• Strong competitive positioning skills with an emphasis on factual accuracy over marketing hyperbole
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills
• Comfortable operating autonomously in a fast-paced, high-growth environment
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail and ability to manage complex initiatives

Preferred:

• Experience marketing to enterprise IT (1,000–10,000+ employees) with complex system landscapes (ERP, CRM, financial systems)
• Background in or exposure to data integration technologies (Snowflake, Databricks, Azure, AWS data services)
• Experience with Product-led growth motions
• Cross-functional leadership skills with the ability to influence without direct authority

Why This Role 

• Category-defining opportunity: Connect AI is the first managed MCP platform. You're pursuing startup-like growth with the resources of a scaled, profitable business.
• Market timing: 71% of AI teams spend more than a quarter of implementation time on data integration. The pain is real, the urgency is now, and enterprises are actively seeking solutions.
• Technical credibility matters: Our buyers are sophisticated—they read documentation before talking to sales, test platforms personally, and respect substance over spin. If you're tired of marketing to personas who don't exist, this is different.
• Cross-functional impact: You'll work directly with Product on roadmap, with Sales on technical enablement, and with executive leadership on GTM strategy.

 Occasional travel for customer meetings, industry events, and team collaboration (estimated 10–15%).