SVP - Product Development & Management

Summary

The Senior Vice President of Product Development & Management is the enterprise leader responsible for defining, building, and optimizing the institution’s product portfolio across deposits, lending, payments, digital banking, and emerging financial services. This leader owns the full product lifecycle—from strategy and ideation through launch, growth, measurement and retirement—and ensures products meet member needs, regulatory expectations, and financial performance goals.This role sets the vision for product strategy, leads cross‑functional execution, and establishes clear “lanes” between Product, IT, Operations, Risk, Marketing, and other partners. The SVP ensures that product teams operate with discipline, member‑centricity, and accountability, consistent with best‑in‑class practices at major U.S. financial institutions.

Duties & Responsibilities

Product Strategy & Portfolio Leadership

• Define the enterprise product strategy aligned to corporate goals, market trends, and customer needs.
• Own the product roadmap across all business lines, ensuring prioritization based on value, risk, and feasibility.
• Lead competitive analysis, market research, and customer insights to identify new product opportunities.
• Establish product performance targets (P&L, adoption, retention, NPS, operational efficiency).
• Drive modernization of legacy products and sunsetting of underperforming offerings.
• Ensure product strategy aligns with regulatory expectations (FDIC, OCC, CFPB, state regulators).

Product Development & Lifecycle Management

• Lead end‑to‑end product development using structured methodologies
• Translate member and business needs into clear product requirements and user stories.
• Oversee product design, pricing, feature definition, and go‑to‑market planning in partnership with key stakeholders (i.e., Finance, Marketing, IT, Operations)
• Ensure products are delivered on time, within scope, and compliant with all regulatory requirements.
• Monitor product performance and continuously optimize features, pricing, and member experience.
• Maintain ownership of product documentation, business cases, and lifecycle governance.

Cross‑Functional Leadership & Governance

• Chair or co‑chair product governance committees, ensuring alignment across IT, Operations, Risk, Compliance, Finance, and Marketing.
• Establish clear decision rights and accountability frameworks for product initiatives.
• Serve as the executive sponsor for major product programs and regulatory remediation efforts.
• Partner with Finance to forecast product revenue, cost, and profitability.
• Partner with Marketing to develop positioning, messaging, and customer education.

Customer Experience & Innovation

• Champion customer‑centric design and ensure products deliver differentiated value.
• Lead innovation initiatives, including digital transformation, embedded finance, and new delivery channels.
• Evaluate fintech partnerships, vendor solutions, and emerging technologies.
• Drive simplification of product offerings to reduce customer friction and operational complexity.

Team Leadership & Talent Development

• Build and lead a high‑performing product organization, including product managers, analysts, and UX partners.
• Establish career paths, training programs, and performance standards for product roles.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Product Team Responsibilities

• Product vision, strategy, and roadmap
• Business requirements, user stories, and acceptance criteria
• Member research, competitive analysis, and market insights
• Product design, features, pricing, and value proposition
• Business case development and financial modeling
• Regulatory interpretation from a business perspective
• Go‑to‑market strategy and member experience design
• Product performance monitoring and optimization
• Prioritization of technology work based on business value
• Vendor selection from a product‑fit perspective
• Lifecycle management (launch, enhancement, retirement)

IT Responsibilities

• Technical architecture, system design, and integration
• Development, configuration, and coding
• Platform selection from a technical feasibility perspective
• Cybersecurity, data protection, and infrastructure management
• Quality assurance, testing frameworks, and defect resolution
• Release management and deployment
• Technical vendor management
• Ongoing system maintenance and support

Operations Responsibilities

• Operational process design and execution
• Back‑office workflows, servicing, and fulfillment
• Fraud operations and transaction monitoring
• Operational risk controls and quality assurance
• Training for frontline and support teams
• Capacity planning and workforce management
• SLA management and operational reporting
• Business continuity and disaster recovery execution

Risk, Compliance & Legal Responsibilities

• Regulatory interpretation and compliance requirements
• Risk assessments (credit, operational, compliance, model, third‑party)
• Policy creation and enforcement
• Audit and exam management
• Complaint oversight and fair banking reviews

Marketing & Member Experience Responsibilities

• Branding, messaging, and campaign execution
• Member education and communication
• Digital and branch channel marketing
• Member insights and segmentation
• Analytics on member behavior and acquisition

Requirements

• 15 years of product management experience in banking or financial services
• Proven leadership of multi‑state or multi‑segment product portfolios
• Deep understanding of retail and commercial banking products
• Strong knowledge of regulatory requirements and risk frameworks
• Demonstrated success leading cross‑functional teams