Product Manager II

Cox Communications; Carmel (IN); Hybrid; USD 89,000 - 134,000; Full time

Job summary

Cox Automotive's NextGear Capital seeks a Product Manager II to drive strategic product initiatives. You will translate business strategy into actionable plans, own the backlog, and collaborate across product, engineering, and operations to deliver valuable capabilities.

You will define requirements at epic/feature levels, prioritize work, and maintain alignment with organizational goals while leveraging data and AI-driven insights for continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Strong product ownership and backlog management skills.
• Experience translating business needs into actionable product outcomes.
• Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration.
• Familiarity with AI tooling and analytics is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide Product Management support for assigned products, capabilities, and strategic initiatives within NextGear Capital.
• Leverage feedback from stakeholders, users, and partners to identify opportunities that improve outcomes.
• Represent business and customer requirements to cross-functional teams (engineering, architecture, etc.).
• Collaborate with stakeholders to evaluate opportunities, define priorities, and align investments.
• Define and maintain understanding of target users, their needs, workflows, and challenges.
• Develop business cases, product strategies, and recommendations for enhancements.
• Analyze product KPIs, user engagement, and operational metrics to ensure success.
• Identify opportunities for experimentation and continuous improvement.
• Support resolution of product and process challenges with root-cause analysis.
• Facilitate communication across business, product, and technology teams for alignment.
• Use AI to accelerate discovery, experimentation, development, and improvements.
• Adopt AI tooling to enhance decision-making, collaboration, and delivery in the PDLC.

Skills

Product ownership

Backlog management

Stakeholder engagement

Requirements gathering

Prioritization

Communication

AI tooling awareness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline

Job description

Company Cox Automotive - USA Job Family Group Engineering / Product Development Job Profile Product Manager II Management Level Individual Contributor Flexible Work Option Hybrid - Ability to work remotely part of the week Travel % No Work Shift Day Compensation Compensation includes a base salary in the range of $89,400.00 - $134,000.00. The base salary may vary within the anticipated base pay range based on factors such as the ultimate location of the position and the selected candidate’s knowledge, skills, and abilities. Position may be eligible for additional compensation that may include an incentive program.

Job Description As a Product Manager II within NextGear Capital, you will play a key role in supporting strategic business and technology initiatives that drive value for our customers, partners, and internal teams. You will collaborate with business stakeholders, technology teams, and product leadership to identify opportunities, define solutions, and deliver capabilities that improve operational effectiveness and business outcomes. In this role, you will translate business strategy and stakeholder insights into actionable product plans, define and prioritize requirements at the epic and feature level, and maintain a well-groomed product backlog. You will partner closely with cross-functional teams across product, engineering, operations, and business functions to ensure the successful delivery of solutions that align with organizational priorities and strategic objectives. Your responsibilities will span product discovery, backlog management, stakeholder engagement, roadmap planning, and identifying opportunities for future enhancements based on customer needs, operational challenges, and business goals. Success in this role requires strong product ownership, excellent communication skills, and the ability to navigate ambiguity while driving alignment and execution across diverse stakeholders.

• Provide Product Management support for assigned products, capabilities, and strategic initiatives within NextGear Capital.
• Leverage feedback from business stakeholders, users, operational teams, and technology partners, along with company strategy and customer needs, to identify opportunities that improve business outcomes and user experiences.
• Represent business and customer requirements to cross-functional teams, partnering closely with engineering, architecture, and other stakeholders to deliver valuable product capabilities.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to evaluate opportunities, define priorities, and align product investments with organizational objectives.
• Define and maintain a deep understanding of target users, their needs, workflows, and challenges to inform product decisions and prioritization.
• Partner with business and technology leaders to develop business cases, product strategies, and recommendations for new capabilities, enhancements, and process improvements.
• Leverage standard techniques and tools to analyze and monitor product KPIs, user engagement, operational metrics, and business outcomes to ensure achievement of success measures.
• Identify opportunities for experimentation, continuous improvement, and product enhancement through analysis of customer feedback, business needs, and performance data.
• Support the resolution of product and process challenges, partnering with stakeholders to identify root causes, evaluate solutions, and drive implementation of improvements.
• Facilitate communication and collaboration across business, product, and technology teams to ensure alignment, transparency, and successful execution of strategic initiatives.
• Use AI to accelerate discovery, experimentation, development, and recommend improvements.
• Adopt AI tooling and employ a mindset and focus on how AI can enhance decision-making, collaboration, and delivery throughout the Product Development Lifecycle (PDLC).

Who You Are Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline and 2 years’ experience in a related field. The right candidate could also have a different combination, such as a master’s degree and up to 2 years’ experience; or 14 years’ experience in a related field Foundational skills in managing multiple priorities, gathering and analyzing requirements, translating business needs into actionable product outcomes, and working across cross-functional teams to deliver solutions.

Experience collaborating with business stakeholders and technology teams to drive alignment, solve problems, and support successful execution of product initiatives. Demonstrates strong ownership, accountability, and an ability to operate effectively in environments with evolving priorities and ambiguity. Acts with integrity and has foundational skills in building partnerships, driving innovation, and balancing strategic objectives with execution and delivery.

Preferred Experience within financial services, lending, fintech, automotive finance, or related industries. Experience working closely with software engineering teams in an Agile environment. Familiarity with product management practices including roadmap planning, backlog prioritization, user story development, stakeholder management. Technology savvy in emerging areas such as AI-enabled products, automation, analytics, and digital transformation. Experience driving innovation, continuous improvement, and adoption of new capabilities while maintaining focus on delivering measurable business value.

Drug Testing To be employed in this role, you’ll need to clear a pre-employment drug test. Cox Automotive does not currently administer a pre-employment drug test for marijuana for this position. However, we are a drug-free workplace, so the possession, use or being under the influence of drugs illegal under federal or state law during work hours, on company property and/or in company vehicles is prohibited.

• The Company offers eligible employees the flexibility to take as much vacation with pay as they deem consistent with their duties, the company’s needs, and its obligations;
• seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year;
• and up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually for their own wellness or that of family members;
• Employees are also eligible for additional paid time off in the form of bereavement leave, time off to vote, jury duty leave, volunteer time off, military leave, and parental leave.

About Us Through groundbreaking technology and a commitment to stellar experiences for drivers and dealers alike, Cox Automotive employees are transforming the way the world buys, owns, sells – or simply uses – cars. Cox Automotive employees get to work on iconic consumer brands like Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book and industry-leading dealer-facing companies like vAuto and Manheim, all while enjoying the people-centered atmosphere that is central to our life at Cox. Benefits of working at Cox may include health care insurance (medical, dental, vision), retirement planning (401(k)), and paid days off (sick leave, parental leave, flexible vacation/wellness days, and/or PTO). For more details on what benefits you may be offered, visit our benefits page.

Cox is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer – All qualified applicants/employees will receive consideration for employment without regard to that individual’s age, race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, physical or mental disability, veteran status, genetic information, ethnicity, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Cox provides reasonable accommodations when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with disability, unless such accommodations would cause an undue hardship.

EOE, including disability/vets Applicants must currently be authorized to work in the United States for any employer without current or future sponsorship. No OPT, CPT, STEM/OPT or visa sponsorship now or in future.

Cox brings together the world’s greatest minds to help breathe life into new possibilities – and drive innovation for a better future. That’s why we look for individuals who share our pioneering spirit, have imaginative ideas and are fearless when it comes to tackling the world’s biggest challenges. Our people love technology – and they love making a difference. They have a passion for finding new solutions and working with brilliant colleagues. Every day they dedicate themselves to a huge range of exciting projects, contributing to the Cox vision around the globe. From engineering new sustainability solutions that conserve water and energy to creating the infrastructure for the smart cities of tomorrow, there’s no challenge too great for our pioneers. And there’s no shortage of opportunities for you to make a difference. Come and experience the dynamic, collaborative and creative environments where your ideas are welcome and new discoveries are waiting. To help you grow to your full potential, we strive to support our employees in their career aspirations and promote the freedom to explore new horizons.