Lead Product Manager, Strategy & Innovation

Ascensus; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Sick leave

Job summary

Ascensus is seeking a Lead Product Manager, Strategy & Innovation to drive the product vision and 1Y/3Y roadmaps for the Ascensus suite. You will collaborate with capability leaders, design, technology, and scrum teams to deliver data-driven, outcomes-based products that improve participant experiences and enterprise value.

The role oversees 4 direct reports and requires strategic thinking and hands-on leadership.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of product leadership experience.
• Strong understanding of retirement industry and competitive dynamics.
• Experience partnering with design, technology, and scrum teams.
• Ability to develop multi-year product visions and roadmaps.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the product vision and roadmap for Ascensus capabilities.
• Collaborate with design, technology, and scrum teams to execute roadmaps.
• Identify data-driven opportunities leveraging firm data assets.
• Support go-to-market with sales and marketing alignment.
• Develop multi-year strategic roadmaps and board-level narratives.
• Act as a trusted SME for product capabilities.

Skills

Product leadership

Roadmap ownership

Agile product development

Leadership

Communication

Stakeholder management

Integrity & ethics

Self-motivated

Prioritization

Job description

Ascensus is the leading independent technology and service platform powering savings plans across America, providing products and expertise that help nearly 16 million people save for a better today and tomorrow.

Position Summary

Under the direction of the Head of Product (and/or other product leaders as appropriate), the Lead Product Manager, Strategy & Innovation will assist the product leaders in driving the development of the product vision and roadmap for the Ascensus suite of products, features, and/or capabilities. The individual is expected to work with a great deal of autonomy and independence, be a subject matter expert regarding existing capabilities, have a comprehensive understanding of our competitive positioning, and partner closely with Product Owners and scrum teams regarding roadmap execution. The Lead Product Manager will have 4 direct reports in this position. This role will drive the establishment of a durable product vision, operating model, and roadmap that enables sustained participant experience innovation and long-term enterprise value creation.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Product vision and roadmap: partner with Capability Leaders and product team to clearly articulate the objectives of the product, feature, and/or capability set and the path towards achieving them
• Client experience: deep understanding of the manner in which the target audience engages with us and a continued focus on intuitive and delightful interactions across their entire journey
• Maximize the value of assigned products, features and/or capabilities: partner with the Product Lead to maximize the value of the capability set across the business
• Roadmap development and execution: partner closely with product owners and scrum teams to develop tactical 1Y roadmap development, with a particular focus on data-driven decisioning and outcomes-based roadmaps. Work with the Head of Product to develop an overarching 3Y strategic roadmap.

Main Responsibilities

Product vision and roadmap

Clear articulation of the objectives of the assigned product, feature, and/or capability set and the path towards achieving them:

• Develop the product vision for the applicable capabilities — with a focus on the outcomes we are trying to deliver
• Lead the development of roadmaps for the capability set in partnership with design, technology, and scrum teams
• Identify and advance data and AI-enabled product opportunities by leveraging existing firm data assets to unlock new value propositions and growth opportunities
• Partner with sales and marketing to translate our roadmap into an external message that allows for “selling futures”
• Stay abreast of industry and competitor dynamics — including our positioning relative to key competitors
• Identify new opportunities and areas of differentiation and growth
• Work with the Head of Product to develop multi-year product vision and roadmap

Client experience

Deep understanding of the manner in which the target audience engages with us and a continued focus on intuitive and delightful interactions that consider their entire journey:

• Define and own the end-to-end view of the customer journey and their comprehensive set of interactions
• Partner with the design/UX team to develop a plan for engagement with customers and gathering their feedback regarding high-value interactions
• Oversee customer research and engagement for gathering feedback and determining product requirements
• Relentless focus on customer ease of use through identifying and resolving their key problems

Maximize the value of assigned products, features and/or capabilities

Partner with the capability leads to maximize the value of the capability set across the business:

• Establish and manage key metrics and measures of success for the capability set and take responsibility for delivery against goals
• Partner with segment leaders and other shared services to drive adoption of capabilities across our client base
• Create and/or enhance documentation for internal and external audiences that demonstrates our comprehensive offering
• Serve as the internal and external subject matter expert for the applicable product, feature, and/or capability set
• Operationalize product management best practices, including OKRs, release planning, and execution playbooks, and ensure sustained adoption and effectiveness across teams

Roadmap development and execution

Partner closely with product owners and scrum teams regarding roadmap development — with a particular focus on data-driven decisioning and outcomes-based roadmaps:

• Lead the development of multi-year strategic roadmap for retirement
• Partner closely with Product Owners and scrum teams to translate client insights, desired outcomes, and business problems into optimal roadmaps
• Act as a trusted strategic partner to senior leadership, providing additional support on board-level materials, strategic narratives, and cultural alignment as‑needed

Key Skills

Skills / Capabilities

• Demonstrated ability to create a compelling product vision, including key measures of success
• Experience owning and driving product roadmaps and knowledge of Agile product development methodologies and practices
• Strong leadership skills, including driving results through other groups
• Demonstrated ability to operate and create results with limited oversight
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to lead diverse groups to consensus
• Strong stakeholder management; able to partner across business segments
• An effective team player, who can work with people at all levels
• High level of self-motivation, with strong integrity and ethics
• Highly organized with the ability to effectively prioritize key issues and deliverables

Experience

• A minimum of 10 years of product leadership experience / expertise is required
• Deep understanding of the retirement industry and competitive dynamics

Personal Qualities

• Adaptable and resilient
• Committed and energetic
• Decisive, able to operate independently

• High personal and professional integrity
• Results-oriented with a commitment to excellence; willing to roll up his/her sleeves
• Proactive self-starter, resourceful, and flexible

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