Product Development Consultant

Lake Michigan Credit Union; Texas; On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Weekly pay

Retirement savings options

Health coverage

Job summary

Lake Michigan Credit Union is seeking a strategic Product Development Consultant to drive product and service development, evaluation, and strategic alignment across the organization. You will partner with multiple business units to identify opportunities, build business cases, and support prioritization within Strategic Operations.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years in product management, business analysis, or related fields, with lean/agile insight and a track record of influencing stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in business, marketing, finance, management, product management, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in product management, product development, business analysis, strategic planning, consulting, or related field.
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead discovery efforts to evaluate new products, services, and member experiences.
• Develop business cases, value assessments, and recommendations for leadership review.
• Collaborate with business units, technology teams, risk, compliance, operations, marketing, and stakeholders.

Skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical thinking

Stakeholder engagement

Communication skills

Microsoft 365

Education

Bachelor's degree in business/related field

Tools

Microsoft 365

Job description

Job Title: Product Development Consultant Primary Location: Grand Rapids, MI Employee Status: Full-Time Salaried Estimated Hours/Week: 38

Who We Are: As Michigan's largest credit union, we strive to deliver exceptional service to our members while fostering a culture built on curious minds, collaborative hearts and continuous excellence.

If you're looking for your next opportunity to grow your career and broaden your experience within LMCU, we encourage you to apply.

About this position: LMCU is seeking a strategic and analytical Product Development Consultant to support the development, evaluation, and evolution of products, services, and member experiences across the organization. This role serves as a strategic partner to business units by helping identify opportunities, conduct research, develop business cases, and support enterprise prioritization efforts. As part of a newly established Strategic Operations function, this position will help shape and advance LMCU's approach to evaluating new opportunities, developing products and services, and aligning strategic initiatives with member and organizational needs. Working within Strategic Operations, the Product Development Consultant helps establish a consistent and disciplined approach to product and service development that aligns member needs, operational capabilities, and organizational objectives. This role focuses on moving ideas from concept to approved initiative by ensuring opportunities are well defined, data informed, and aligned with enterprise strategy. The ideal candidate brings experience in product management, business analysis, strategic planning, consulting, or financial services and enjoys collaborating with stakeholders to evaluate opportunities that create value for both members and the organization.

What you'll do:

• Product & Service Discovery: Lead discovery efforts to evaluate new products, services, member experiences, and operational opportunities. Conduct market, competitive, member, and internal research to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities. Gather and document business requirements, use cases, and stakeholder needs. Facilitate discussions to help define and evaluate new opportunities.
• Opportunity Assessment & Business Case Development: Facilitate evaluation of ideas, opportunities, and strategic initiatives. Develop business cases, value assessments, and recommendation materials for leadership review. Support prioritization activities by assessing strategic alignment, member impact, operational feasibility, and expected outcomes. Present findings and recommendations to stakeholders and leaders as appropriate.
• Strategic Alignment & Cross Functional Partnership: Ensure proposed initiatives align with enterprise strategy, business objectives, and member experience goals. Support intake, governance, and portfolio management processes. Collaborate with business units, technology teams, risk, compliance, operations, marketing, and other stakeholders. Facilitate workshops, interviews, and working sessions to build consensus and clarify requirements. Support vendor evaluations, demonstrations, and capability assessments as needed.
• Product Lifecycle Support: Assist with product and service launch planning activities. Partner with Business Integration and other stakeholders to support successful transitions from planning to implementation. Monitor outcomes and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Adhere to and champion our core values of curious minds, collaborative hearts and continuous excellence.

What You'll Bring:

• Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, finance, management, product management, or a related field
• Five or more years of experience in product management, product development, business analysis, strategic planning, consulting, project leadership, financial services, or a related field
• Experience leading cross functional initiatives preferred
• Credit union or financial services experience preferred
• Lean, Agile, Six Sigma, Business Analysis, or Product Management certification preferred

Knowledge & Skills:

• Experience with product operating models, portfolio management, or strategic planning
• Experience evaluating vendor solutions and business capabilities
• Knowledge of member experience, journey mapping, or design thinking methodologies
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills
• Ability to assess opportunities and translate concepts into actionable recommendations
• Experience conducting research, discovery, and requirements gathering
• Strong business case development and presentation skills
• Facilitation and stakeholder engagement expertise
• Ability to influence without direct authority
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 applications

What You’ll Get:

• All Employees: weekly pay and retirement savings options.
• Full-Time Employees: comprehensive health coverage including medical (with prescription), dental, vision, HSA match, paid parental leave, and tuition reimbursement.
• To see a full list of our benefit offerings, check out this helpful guide!

LMCU is an Equal Opportunity Employer Lake Michigan Credit Union is fundamentally different than a bank, both in our structure and mission. Our goal has always been to do what is best for our members. This approach guides every decision we make and every service we offer. As a credit union, our goal isn't to generate profits for shareholders, it's to improve the lives of our members. LMCU is consistently rated in the top ten in the nation for Return of the Member by Callahan & Associates, meaning we give back more to our members in the form of higher rates when they save and lower rates when they borrow. At LMCU, the emphasis on delivering real value to our members has been job one, since day one. As one of the largest credit unions in the nation for several years running, LMCU has earned many awards and accolades such as inclusion as one of the 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For Nationally and being recognized by Forbes as a Great Place to Work. As an employee, you'll enjoy a stimulating, professional atmosphere, supported by the latest technology, training, and development. We recognize that a healthy balance between work, home life, and play is essential to our employees and our success. We offer a friendly, respectful and inclusive work environment, fun employee activities and rewarding community involvement opportunities. You'll love working here at Lake Michigan Credit Union!

LMCU is an Equal Opportunity Employer