How to Move Geographies as a PM

The Real Deal on Landing Tech Jobs Abroad: A No-BS Guide from Two PMs Who Did It

Landing a tech job in a new geography is an art of its own – whether you're moving from San Francisco to New York, London to Singapore, or Bangalore to Berlin.

I learned this firsthand when I moved from SF to Durham, while today’s co-author Dexter has done it twice - to Southeast Asia and Latin America.

Between us, we've discovered something fascinating: every tech hub has its own superpower.

The key isn't downgrading your ambitions – it's understanding how to leverage your experience in markets that might value different aspects of your skillset.

Why Listen to Us?

Most guides about working in new markets come from either recruiters or career coaches. Our perspective is different because we've actually navigated these transitions ourselves:

Dexter spent 6 years building products across Southeast Asia and Latin America after starting as a Growth PM at Dropbox.

He's helped dozens of professionals successfully land roles abroad and now runs Money Abroad. He also teaches the Part-Time Consulting Launchpad.

Aakash landed PM internships in India, and made a big pivot from work in San Francisco to Durham – each time discovering how different markets unlock different opportunities.

Today's Guide

We're here to share the strategies that actually work in a market transition:

• How to identify and target roles that maximize your unique experience

• Smart ways to research and understand new market dynamics

• Getting insider intel that actually matters

• The job search channels that yield results

• How to ace interviews in different cultural contexts

• Successfully navigating compensation across markets

Whether you're planning a move between major tech hubs or exploring emerging markets, this guide will help you turn your transition into an opportunity for growth.

1. Mapping Your Opportunities: The Smart Way to Target Roles

The most successful market transitions we've seen share one thing in common: being strategic about where and how you apply your skills.

(Duh, right? But there’s some texture we want to share about it…)

Let's be real - this often means rethinking your initial targets.

Real Stories of Strategic Pivots

When we made our moves, neither of our journeys were straight lines.

We each made strategic pivots:

Aakash → Durham:

• Initially targeted: Director of Growth roles at Series C-E companies

• Reality check: Found only 1-2 companies in that stage range hiring for that role

• Strategic pivot: Expanded search to broader product roles, leading to Lead PM role at Epic Games

• Key lesson: The best opportunity wasn't where I initially looked, but the skills translated perfectly

Dexter → Southeast Asia:

• Initially targeted: Product Leadership in Series B+ companies

• Reality check: Most B2B roles were too early-stage, with unclear product practices

• Strategic pivot: Found fintech companies needed PMs who understood global markets

• Key lesson: Market needs trumped my original company stage preferences

You’ll need to make a similar pivot or two yourself. And it’s borne out of how each market influences your results.

Market Dynamics Shape Opportunities

Every tech hub has its own DNA.

Understanding these patterns helps you target your search more effectively.

We’d broadly bucket the market into three types of places:

So how do you adapt to each and break in?