Remote Senior Director, Product Management — Returns

Avalara, Inc.; United States; Remote; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus eligible

Private medical insurance

Life and disability insurance

Diversity and inclusion

Job summary

Avalara is seeking a Senior Director of Product Management, Returns, to lead a global Returns portfolio and set multi-year roadmaps with an ambitious team. You will align strategy with Returns, Property Tax, and Excise and drive cross-functional collaboration across engineering, UX/design, Compliance Operations, Marketing, and Sales.

You will define metrics for customer satisfaction, accuracy, efficiency, and revenue, and mentor a team to deliver cohesive, scalable product experiences globally.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of related product management experience and 5+ years of leadership and management experience.
• Track record of leading a team of 5–10 directs or matrixed employees, and experience influencing product, design, and engineering teams of 40–200+.
• Demonstrated success leading products and product teams from inception through launch for solutions that target small, mid, and enterprise-level businesses.
• Deep domain expertise in tax compliance, specifically in one or more of the following: Managed Returns (U.S. or EMEA), Property Tax, Excise Tax, Lodging/Hospitality, DAVO, VAT Reporting.
• Broad understanding of global tax compliance frameworks, financial technology, and SaaS environments.
• A problem-solving mindset with a demonstrated appetite for AI experimentation — applying emerging tools and agentic systems to reimagine product delivery.
• Experience with agile development methodologies and commonly used tools such as Jira, Confluence, etc.
• Experience with customer journey maps to define end-to-end customer experiences.
• Demonstrated experience partnering cross-functionally and integrating diverse product portfolios.
• Strategic thinking with the ability to go deep when necessary.
• Hands-on experience analyzing data and deriving actionable outcomes.
• Team player able to drive results through influence and enthusiasm.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills, with experience conducting briefings and demos.
• Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field (accounting, business, or computer science); MBA desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead high-ownership, high-accountability product teams across a broad global portfolio — setting the standard for deep knowledge of the business and ownership of the customer and product experience.
• Motivate, inspire, and grow your people. Consistently hire A-players, earn their loyalty, and grow their careers.
• Champion the transition from discrete, single-product tasks to agentic cross-product workflows.
• Drive strong cross-functional partnerships with Engineering, Compliance Operations, and Sales to deliver reliable, scalable, and market-leading products.
• Ensure accountability across the entire product lifecycle — from discovery through launch, adoption, and ongoing improvement.
• Represent the voice of the customer at every stage; ensure product decisions are grounded in data, customer evidence, and market insight.

Skills

Product management

Leadership

Cross-functional leadership

Strategic thinking

Data analysis

AI experimentation

Agile methodologies

Jira

Confluence

Education

Bachelor's Degree in a relevant field

MBA desirable

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Job description

Avalara is seeking a Senior Director of Product Management, Returns, to lead a global Returns portfolio and set multi-year roadmaps with an ambitious team. You will align strategy with Returns, Property Tax, and Excise and drive cross-functional collaboration across engineering, UX/design, Compliance Operations, Marketing, and Sales.

You will define metrics for customer satisfaction, accuracy, efficiency, and revenue, and mentor a team to deliver cohesive, scalable product experiences globally.