About the role
<gh-intro> <text> We are looking for a Principal Product Manager to join the Rides team at Bolt. In this role, you will be accountable for defining and executing the product strategy for our matching and dispatching engine, the core system linking rider demand to driver supply in real time. You will work on one of the highest-impact areas in the marketplace, delivering structural improvements that shape rider experience, driver earnings, and overall platform efficiency at scale. Are you ready to make a global impact? Join us! </text> </gh-intro> <gh-about-us> <title> About us </title> <text> With over 200 million customers in 50+ countries, Bolt is one of the fastest-growing tech companies in Europe and Africa. And it's all thanks to our people. We believe in creating an inclusive environment where everyone is welcome, regardless of race, colour, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, or disability. Our ultimate goal is to make cities for people, not cars, and we need your help to achieve this mission! </text> </gh-about-us> <gh-role-detail> <title> About the role </title> <text> At Bolt, every ride order flows through our matching system. The quality of each allocation shapes platform-wide outcomes, affecting how quickly riders are picked up, how efficiently drivers earn, and how well we manage supply and demand across dozens of markets. We are evolving our matching stack from a heuristic-based dispatch system toward a context-aware, probability-based allocation engine powered by machine learning and reinforcement learning. As Principal Product Manager, you will own this transition end to end. You will define the roadmap, build a cross-functional pod of engineers, data scientists, and specialists, and be accountable for both the performance of the existing system and the delivery of the next generation. This is a deeply technical role that also requires clear, precise communication with senior stakeholders. You will own the interface between matching and pricing, coordinate experiment rollout across markets, and set the direction for how Bolt allocates supply at scale. </text> </gh-role-detail> <gh-responsibilities> <title> Main tasks and responsibilities: </title> <bulletpoints> <point>Define the product strategy and roadmap for the dispatching engine, sequencing foundational ML/RL investments alongside near-term improvements to queue ranking, dispatch strategy, and retry governance.</point> <point>Coordinate the productionisation of machine learning and reinforcement learning models, from offline training through shadow mode, A/B testing, incremental rollout, and live monitoring across multiple markets.</point> <point>Own and improve the performance of the existing matching stack while the new engine is being built, maintaining stability and delivering incremental