What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director, Product Management position at Desert Financial Credit Union?
The Director of Product Management leads and inspires a team of product managers responsible for the strategic direction, development, and lifecycle management of Desert Financials’ product portfolio, which includes deposit accounts, lending products, debit and credit cards, and business banking solutions. The Director oversees the product roadmap and annual planning process ensuring that pricing and fee structures are competitive, compliant, and aligned with Member value objectives, while managing the day-to-day operations of the product management team to drive timely execution and delivery of initiatives.
What you will do here:
Product Leadership & Team Management: Lead, develop, and mentor a team of Product Managers and related roles responsible for executing product builds, enhancements, and implementation activities. Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the product development function. Provide coaching and support to ensure high-quality execution, awareness of emerging practices, and adherence to delivery standards.
Strategic Product Execution: Translate product strategy and roadmaps into actionable development plans, ensuring alignment with business goals, Member needs, and enterprise priorities. Partner closely with leadership to ensure the development roadmap reflects organizational strategy, pricing strategy, and long-term vision. Serve as a key decision-maker in the prioritization of development work, assessing value, risk, effort, and dependencies.
Team Operations Management: Oversee the day-to-day activities of the product management team, ensuring effective prioritization, resource allocation, and timely execution of product initiatives. Including oversight of Go To Marketing process for Desert Financial.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Digital Product Management, Payments Programs and Operations, Business Banking and Lending teams to deliver integrated solutions. Work closely with Marketing, Compliance, and Member Experience teams to ensure successful product launches and ongoing engagement.
Portfolio Management: Manage the full suite of consumer and business products, including deposits, loans, debit and credit cards, and related services. Monitor product performance, profitability, and Member adoption; recommend enhancements or retirements as needed. Reinforce the Voice of the Member (VOM) throughout the development lifecycle by integrating direct Member feedback, analytics, and competitive insights into product execution decisions. Identify opportunities to innovate and modernize product capabilities by monitoring trends, technology advancements, and emerging Member expectations.
Governance & Intake Management: Work with cross-functional leadership team for all new, urgent, or unplanned product development requests to evaluate impact, scope, and prioritization. Drive and maintain structured intake, assessment, and prioritization processes that support rapid decision-making and transparency. Ensure all development requests and changes are properly documented, vetted, and routed through the appropriate governance channels.
Perform other job-related duties as assigned.
What you will need:
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Technology, Product Management, or related field required required.
Master's degree preferred.
8 years of progressive experience in product management within financial services, banking, or credit union environments, or in retail leadership or strategic consulting for these areas required.
5 years of leadership experience required.
Proven track record of managing diverse product portfolios and/or delivering measurable results. Experience managing multiple priorities at a time while paying strict attention to detail. Excellent stakeholder-management abilities. Strong multi-tasking and the ability to meet deadlines required.
Strong analytical, strategic thinking, and communication skills required.
Ability to influence and collaborate across multiple lines of business required.
Deep understanding of product lifecycle management, agile methodologies, and requirements definition required.
Strong leadership, coaching, and team-building skills required.
Strong presentation, planning, problem solving, creative and organizational skills required.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Analysis skills required.
Critical thinking and systems thinking skills required.
Financial acumen required.
Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) due diligence, product assessment, and integration planning required.
We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing.
For additional information about our organization, careers, and benefits visit: http://www.desertfinancial.com/careers.