Sr. Director, Product Management - AutoSMART

Origence; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 213,000; Full time

Job summary

Origence seeks a seasoned Senior Director, Product Management - AutoSMART to own the AutoSMART product strategy, backlog and roadmap. You will lead cross-functional teams across product, engineering, and partner relations to shape AI-enabled search, dealer engagement, and credit union programs.

You will drive strategic direction, governance, and budgets, while mentoring PM leaders and ensuring alignment with enterprise goals and regulatory requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; MBA preferred for senior PM leadership.
• 10–15 years of product management and program management experience.
• Direct experience with auto shopping, automotive retail, or dealer platforms.

Responsibilities

• Own AutoSMART product strategy, backlog and roadmap (1–3 year horizon).
• Lead cross-functional teams across product, engineering, marketing and finance.
• Drive platform architecture decisions and vendor integration strategy.

Skills

Product Management

Strategic Leadership

SAFe

AI-enabled search

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA

Job description

Origence is always looking for diverse, talented people to join our exceptional team. Current job opportunities are posted here as they become available.

Origence is aware of recent job posting and fake recruiter scams. Please note that communication with our recruitment team will come from “@origence.com” or “Clear Co”. Any questions, please email [e-mail] .

With 30 years of fintech leadership, Origence empowers credit unions with innovative SaaS lending solutions that make lending more accessible, efficient, and competitive. We invest in our people and foster a culture of innovation, ownership, and continuous improvement. As we help shape the future of lending, we're leveraging AI to enhance the way we work and create value for our clients, and we're seeking individuals who are excited by emerging technologies and eager to use them responsibly to solve problems and drive impact.

The Senior Director, Product Management - AutoSMART is the single accountable product leader for AutoSMART, Origence's national affinity auto shopping and financing platform for credit union members. AutoSMART gives members a credit-union-branded place to shop more than two million vehicles from more than 11,000 dealers, keeps the loan with the credit union, and is funded by dealers through preferred placement and spotlight advertising. This leader owns the AutoSMART product, the technology and partner platform behind it, the value proposition for credit unions, dealers and members, and the engagement of the credit union network, and leads the AutoSMART 2.0 reinvention: AI-assisted search, in-platform trade-in and sell-my-car tools, pre-approval connected to credit union rates, and lead-to-purchase visibility. Handles escalations and removes organizational blockers. Drives strategic direction and operational excellence. Shapes the product organization and develops PM leaders. Ensures teams are adhering to universal product management responsibilities.

The Origence Mindset

At Origence, we are self-aware, adaptable, and relentlessly focused on creating meaningful impact. We think like owners, embrace complexity and ambiguity, challenge conventional thinking, and continuously pursue smarter, more effective ways to solve problems and advance the business. If this mindset reflects who you are, you may be exactly who we're looking for.

How You'll Contribute:

The complete AutoSMART product line: member shopping experience, dealer products and monetization, credit union engagement and adoption, platform technology and third-party data and partner integrations; Strategic leadership; Organizational design; 1-3 year roadmap, including AutoSMART 2.0

Ownership Scope

Owns AutoSMART product strategy, delivery and outcomes across member experience, dealer value proposition, credit union program, platform architecture and partner technology, and program economics; ensures coordinated prioritization, architecture alignment, and execution across product areas and the credit union and dealer relationship teams.

Solves complex, ambiguous, multi-party challenges in a three-sided marketplace of credit unions, dealers and members: driving engagement across a large network of credit union sites, proving ROI to dealers, making build, buy and partner decisions for platform technology, and creating visibility from shopper lead through to funded loan; removes systemic blockers and creates frameworks for organizational problem-solving.

Operates with substantial autonomy over AutoSMART; sets direction and frameworks; identifies and escalates only strategic platform partnership decisions, material contract commitments, and budget decisions outside the approved plan.

Decision Authority

In alignment with approved business plan and budget and in accordance with Decision Making Framework, makes decisions independently on AutoSMART product strategy and roadmap, organizational structure, resource allocation, dealer product packaging, credit union program design, and portfolio prioritization.

Influence & Leadership

Drives alignment across the organization, product management, PMs, engineering directors, solution architects, Credit Union Relations, Dealer Relations, Marketing, Finance and external technology and data partners; mentors PM leaders; shapes organizational standards; represents AutoSMART with credit union executives and advisory groups.

Strategic Impact

Shapes AutoSMART, business line and business outcomes, including dealer program revenue, credit union loan growth through the CUDL / FI Connect lending rails, and member loyalty; influences cross-ART strategy, enterprise digital shopping strategy and platform partner investments.

Key Responsibilities

Own the AutoSMART vision, backlog and roadmap (1-3 year horizon), including the AutoSMART 2.0 reinvention; influence company-wide digital shopping and lending strategy

Own and continuously sharpen the value proposition for each side of the marketplace: for members, a trusted, credit-union-branded experience with member-only incentives, trade-in and sell-my-car tools, and pre-approval at their credit union's rates; for credit unions, loans that stay in-house, brand presence, and lead and loan insight; for dealers, qualified credit-union-ready leads with measurable ROI

Evaluate and develop business cases for AutoSMART initiatives, including build, buy and partner options; approve significant investment recommendations

P&L influence, management and resource allocation for AutoSMART, including dealer advertising and subscription revenue, credit union program fees, new transaction revenue, and third-party data, inventory and platform costs

Platform & Technology

Own the AutoSMART technology roadmap and platform architecture with Engineering and Enterprise Architecture, including inventory ingestion and syndication, vehicle data and valuation integrations, search and discovery, white-labeled credit union sites, and integration with credit union mobile and online banking

Lead AI-enabled capabilities such as AI-assisted vehicle search and recommendations, conversational assistant entry points, and lead scoring

Own build versus partner decisions for the platform; manage platform partner and data vendor performance, service levels, cost and exit options

Own platform reliability, performance, security and privacy requirements, including PII protection and SOC 2 compliance

Core Product Management

Define product solutions and establish solution definition governance

Develop epic-level business cases for Product initiatives analyzing enterprise ROI

Manage AutoSMART reporting, analytics and KPIs, including site traffic, engaged credit unions, leads per credit union, dealers receiving leads, lead-to-purchase conversion, and dealer revenue retention

Release management coordination across ARTs; own ART-level release governance

Solution Train leadership and cross-ART initiative management; drive PI Planning excellence; shape SAFe implementation

Credit Union Engagement & Adoption

Own the credit union engagement strategy for the AutoSMART network, including onboarding, activation and ongoing engagement, so that credit unions actively promote their AutoSMART sites and drive member traffic and leads

Partner with Credit Union Relations and Sales to build engagement playbooks, participation tiers, program terms and success metrics, and to manage change as program expectations evolve

Deliver credit union dashboards and reporting covering funnel metrics, leads, conversion to purchase, attribution and loan outcomes; lead credit union advisory and feedback forums

Connect AutoSMART to credit union rates, pre-approval and loan applications on the CUDL / FI Connect lending rails, and to credit union digital channels, LOS and CRM platforms

Own the dealer value proposition and dealer products, including Spotlight, Preferred Plus, the dealer control panel, lead delivery and performance insights

Give dealers clear attribution and ROI by showing leads and funded loans generated through AutoSMART; close awareness and lead-distribution gaps

Lead pricing governance, packaging and contract standardization for dealer products; develop new revenue streams such as trade-in transactions and advertising

Competitive Insights & Customer Discovery

Drive team insight programs across members, credit unions and dealers; support long-term strategy development

Lead customer interviews with credit union executives, marketing and lending leaders, dealers and members; translate research into strategic recommendations

Design, run, and analyze experiments that validate multi-year strategic hypotheses, such as trade-in adoption, member incentives and AI-assisted search

Analyze usage data and competitive intelligence to guide business line strategy

Monitor competitive releases from national marketplaces, online retailers and affinity programs; coach PMs on strategic positioning

Create, lead and manage a credit union advisory group focused on auto shopping, host reoccurring credit union roundtables, and participate in established Origence strategic advisory and client roundtables to drive engagement, insights, and validate strategic plans.

Compliance & Regulatory

Ensure product solutions and designs comply with applicable regulations (e.g., TILA, ECOA, FCRA, Fair Lending, UDAAP), including soft-credit-pull pre-qualification, advertising and pricing claims, and privacy of member data shared with credit unions, dealers and partners. Lead regulatory compliance strategy.

Integrations & Partnerships

Own integration strategy for AutoSMART, including platform technology partners, data providers for inventory, valuation, vehicle history and dealer ratings, the lending rails, and credit union digital channels; ensure alignment with enterprise objectives

Lead strategic partner selection, contracting and relationship management for the business line, preserving flexibility as partnership structures evolve

Manage strategic partner integrations to support cross-product capabilities

Budget & Resource Planning

Budget ownership and resource planning for AutoSMART, including third-party data, inventory, platform and maintenance costs; P&L influence and resource allocation

Revenue forecasting collaboration; product line revenue accountability across dealer, credit union and transaction revenue

Go-to-Market Readiness & Operations

Lead GTM strategy for AutoSMART with Marketing, Credit Union Relations and Dealer Relations; drive market positioning, credit union rollout of new capabilities, and dealer communications; own competitive response strategy

Partner with Sales leadership on strategy; lead strategic customer engagements with large credit unions and dealer groups

Own launch governance for AutoSMART releases; establish release gates and criteria

Board & Investor Relations

May contribute product updates for executive and board materials, and for credit union advisory presentations, upon request.

Universal Management Responsibilities

In addition to the level-specific responsibilities above, all Product Management leaders are responsible for:

Define and oversee product solutions through collaboration with engineering, design, and stakeholders

Lead and guide customer interviews and feedback gathering; translate research into prioritized requirements

Ensure solutions comply with applicable regulations (TILA, RESPA, ECOA, FCRA, Fair Lending, UDAAP)

Ensure security and privacy requirements including PII protection, SOC 2 compliance, and cybersecurity standards

Support Sales & Marketing with competitive positioning, demos, and enablement materials

Partner with Product Design, Engineering, QA, Support, Sales, Marketing, Credit Union Relations, Dealer Relations, Finance, Legal, and Compliance

What Makes You a Great Fit:

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Computer Science, Finance, Accounting, Engineering, or related field required
• MBA strongly preferred

Experience

• 10–15 years of product management and program management experience
• Proven record running multi-workstream programs with budget, timeline, and cross-functional accountability
• Direct experience with auto shopping, automotive retail, dealer platforms, digital marketplaces, consumer lending, or auto finance

Your Strengths & Expertise

10+ years in financial services, automotive finance or retail, fintech, or enterprise B2B software; experience with credit unions, CUSOs or indirect auto lending strongly preferred

Strong technical background with ability to discuss enterprise architecture, APIs, white-label or multi-tenant platforms, data integrations, and AI-enabled search and recommendations

Experience with major platform transformations, including build, buy and partner decisions and vendor transitions

Experience with digital retailing or auto marketplaces, dealer advertising products, or trade-in and vehicle valuation solutions

SAFe certifications (POPM, Agilist, SPC); Advanced certifications in product management

Bring your ideas, your curiosity, and your unique perspective. We'll provide the opportunities, tools, and support to help you succeed.

How We Invest in You:

• 401(k) with 8% Company Match
• Competitive Paid Time Off
• Microsoft Copilot and AI-Enabled Tools
• A culture of connection, celebration, and growth through employee-driven programs, company events, holiday celebrations (Star Wars Day), monthly town halls, quarterly company meetings, and team traditions like Bring Your Kid to Work Day

For this full-time role, the starting salary range is $170100 - $212600 per year. Our compensation is designed to be competitive and to reflect the value, experience, and contributions each team member brings to Origence. Offers are usually not made at the top of the range, and each compensation package is assessed carefully based on job-related factors such as relevant experience, skills, qualifications, and geographic location, in compliance with applicable laws.

Origence is an equal opportunity employer. All recruitment, hiring, training, compensation, benefits, discipline, and other terms and conditions of employment will be based upon an individuals’ qualifications regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, military service, marital status, pregnancy, age, protected medical condition, genetic information, disability or any other category protected by federal, state or local law.

With 30 years of fintech leadership, Origence empowers credit unions with innovative SaaS lending solutions that make lending more accessible, efficient, and competitive. We invest in our people and foster a culture of innovation, ownership, and continuous improvement. As we help shape the future of lending, we're leveraging AI to enhance the way we work and create value for our clients, and we're seeking individuals who are excited by emerging technologies and eager to use them responsibly to solve problems and drive impact.

The Senior Director, Product Management - AutoSMART is the single accountable product leader for AutoSMART, Origence's national affinity auto shopping and financing platform for credit union members. AutoSMART gives members a credit-union-branded place to shop more than two million vehicles from more than 11,000 dealers, keeps the loan with the credit union, and is funded by dealers through preferred placement and spotlight advertising. This leader owns the AutoSMART product, the technology and partner platform behind it, the value proposition for credit unions, dealers and members, and the engagement of the credit union network, and leads the AutoSMART 2.0 reinvention: AI-assisted search, in-platform trade-in and sell-my-car tools, pre-approval connected to credit union rates, and lead-to-purchase visibility. Handles escalations and removes organizational blockers. Drives strategic direction and operational excellence. Shapes the product organization and develops PM leaders. Ensures teams are adhering to universal product management responsibilities.

The Origence Mindset

At Origence, we are self-aware, adaptable, and relentlessly focused on creating meaningful impact. We think like owners, embrace complexity and ambiguity, challenge conventional thinking, and continuously pursue smarter, more effective ways to solve problems and advance the business. If this mindset reflects who you are, you may be exactly who we're looking for.

How You'll Contribute:

The complete AutoSMART product line: member shopping experience, dealer products and monetization, credit union engagement and adoption, platform technology and third-party data and partner integrations; Strategic leadership; Organizational design; 1-3 year roadmap, including AutoSMART 2.0

Ownership Scope

Owns AutoSMART product strategy, delivery and outcomes across member experience, dealer value proposition, credit union program, platform architecture and partner technology, and program economics; ensures coordinated prioritization, architecture alignment, and execution across product areas and the credit union and dealer relationship teams.

Solves complex, ambiguous, multi-party challenges in a three-sided marketplace of credit unions, dealers and members: driving engagement across a large network of credit union sites, proving ROI to dealers, making build, buy and partner decisions for platform technology, and creating visibility from shopper lead through to funded loan; removes systemic blockers and creates frameworks for organizational problem-solving.

Operates with substantial autonomy over AutoSMART; sets direction and frameworks; identifies and escalates only strategic platform partnership decisions, material contract commitments, and budget decisions outside the approved plan.

Decision Authority

In alignment with approved business plan and budget and in accordance with Decision Making Framework, makes decisions independently on AutoSMART product strategy and roadmap, organizational structure, resource allocation, dealer product packaging, credit union program design, and portfolio prioritization.

Influence & Leadership

Drives alignment across the organization, product management, PMs, engineering directors, solution architects, Credit Union Relations, Dealer Relations, Marketing, Finance and external technology and data partners; mentors PM leaders; shapes organizational standards; represents AutoSMART with credit union executives and advisory groups.

Strategic Impact

Shapes AutoSMART, business line and business outcomes, including dealer program revenue, credit union loan growth through the CUDL / FI Connect lending rails, and member loyalty; influences cross-ART strategy, enterprise digital shopping strategy and platform partner investments.

Key Responsibilities

Own the AutoSMART vision, backlog and roadmap (1-3 year horizon), including the AutoSMART 2.0 reinvention; influence company-wide digital shopping and lending strategy

Own and continuously sharpen the value proposition for each side of the marketplace: for members, a trusted, credit-union-branded experience with member-only incentives, trade-in and sell-my-car tools, and pre-approval at their credit union's rates; for credit unions, loans that stay in-house, brand presence, and lead and loan insight; for dealers, qualified credit-union-ready leads with measurable ROI

Evaluate and develop business cases for AutoSMART initiatives, including build, buy and partner options; approve significant investment recommendations

P&L influence, management and resource allocation for AutoSMART, including dealer advertising and subscription revenue, credit union program fees, new transaction revenue, and third-party data, inventory and platform costs

Platform & Technology

Own the AutoSMART technology roadmap and platform architecture with Engineering and Enterprise Architecture, including inventory ingestion and syndication, vehicle data and valuation integrations, search and discovery, white-labeled credit union sites, and integration with credit union mobile and online banking

Lead AI-enabled capabilities such as AI-assisted vehicle search and recommendations, conversational assistant entry points, and lead scoring

Own build versus partner decisions for the platform; manage platform partner and data vendor performance, service levels, cost and exit options

Own platform reliability, performance, security and privacy requirements, including PII protection and SOC 2 compliance

Core Product Management

Define product solutions and establish solution definition governance

Develop epic-level business cases for Product initiatives analyzing enterprise ROI

Manage AutoSMART reporting, analytics and KPIs, including site traffic, engaged credit unions, leads per credit union, dealers receiving leads, lead-to-purchase conversion, and dealer revenue retention

Release management coordination across ARTs; own ART-level release governance

Solution Train leadership and cross-ART initiative management; drive PI Planning excellence; shape SAFe implementation

Credit Union Engagement & Adoption

Own the credit union engagement strategy for the AutoSMART network, including onboarding, activation and ongoing engagement, so that credit unions actively promote their AutoSMART sites and drive member traffic and leads

Partner with Credit Union Relations and Sales to build engagement playbooks, participation tiers, program terms and success metrics, and to manage change as program expectations evolve

Deliver credit union dashboards and reporting covering funnel metrics, leads, conversion to purchase, attribution and loan outcomes; lead credit union advisory and feedback forums

Connect AutoSMART to credit union rates, pre-approval and loan applications on the CUDL / FI Connect lending rails, and to credit union digital channels, LOS and CRM platforms

Own the dealer value proposition and dealer products, including Spotlight, Preferred Plus, the dealer control panel, lead delivery and performance insights

Give dealers clear attribution and ROI by showing leads and funded loans generated through AutoSMART; close awareness and lead-distribution gaps

Lead pricing governance, packaging and contract standardization for dealer products; develop new revenue streams such as trade-in transactions and advertising

Competitive Insights & Customer Discovery

Drive team insight programs across members, credit unions and dealers; support long-term strategy development

Lead customer interviews with credit union executives, marketing and lending leaders, dealers and members; translate research into strategic recommendations

Design, run, and analyze experiments that validate multi-year strategic hypotheses, such as trade-in adoption, member incentives and AI-assisted search

Analyze usage data and competitive intelligence to guide business line strategy

Monitor competitive releases from national marketplaces, online retailers and affinity programs; coach PMs on strategic positioning

Create, lead and manage a credit union advisory group focused on auto shopping, host reoccurring credit union roundtables, and participate in established Origence strategic advisory and client roundtables to drive engagement, insights, and validate strategic plans.

Compliance & Regulatory

Ensure product solutions and designs comply with applicable regulations (e.g., TILA, ECOA, FCRA, Fair Lending, UDAAP), including soft-credit-pull pre-qualification, advertising and pricing claims, and privacy of member data shared with credit unions, dealers and partners. Lead regulatory compliance strategy.

Integrations & Partnerships

Own integration strategy for AutoSMART, including platform technology partners, data providers for inventory, valuation, vehicle history and dealer ratings, the lending rails, and credit union digital channels; ensure alignment with enterprise objectives

Lead strategic partner selection, contracting and relationship management for the business line, preserving flexibility as partnership structures evolve

Manage strategic partner integrations to support cross-product capabilities

Budget & Resource Planning

Budget ownership and resource planning for AutoSMART, including third-party data, inventory, platform and maintenance costs; P&L influence and resource allocation

Revenue forecasting collaboration; product line revenue accountability across dealer, credit union and transaction revenue

Go-to-Market Readiness & Operations

Lead GTM strategy for AutoSMART with Marketing, Credit Union Relations and Dealer Relations; drive market positioning, credit union rollout of new capabilities, and dealer communications; own competitive response strategy

Partner with Sales leadership on strategy; lead strategic customer engagements with large credit unions and dealer groups

Own launch governance for AutoSMART releases; establish release gates and criteria

Board & Investor Relations

May contribute product updates for executive and board materials, and for credit union advisory presentations, upon request.

Universal Management Responsibilities

In addition to the level-specific responsibilities above, all Product Management leaders are responsible for:

Define and oversee product solutions through collaboration with engineering, design, and stakeholders

Lead and guide customer interviews and feedback gathering; translate research into prioritized requirements

Ensure solutions comply with applicable regulations (TILA, RESPA, ECOA, FCRA, Fair Lending, UDAAP)

Ensure security and privacy requirements including PII protection, SOC 2 compliance, and cybersecurity standards

Support Sales & Marketing with competitive positioning, demos, and enablement materials

Partner with Product Design, Engineering, QA, Support, Sales, Marketing, Credit Union Relations, Dealer Relations, Finance, Legal, and Compliance

What Makes You a Great Fit:

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Computer Science, Finance, Accounting, Engineering, or related field required
• MBA strongly preferred

Experience

• 10–15 years of product management and program management experience
• Proven record running multi-workstream programs with budget, timeline, and cross-functional accountability
• Direct experience with auto shopping, automotive retail, dealer platforms, digital marketplaces, consumer lending, or auto finance

Your Strengths & Expertise

10+ years in financial services, automotive finance or retail, fintech, or enterprise B2B software; experience with credit unions, CUSOs or indirect auto lending strongly preferred

Strong technical background with ability to discuss enterprise architecture, APIs, white-label or multi-tenant platforms, data integrations, and AI-enabled search and recommendations

Experience with major platform transformations, including build, buy and partner decisions and vendor transitions

Experience with digital retailing or auto marketplaces, dealer advertising products, or trade-in and vehicle valuation solutions

SAFe certifications (POPM, Agilist, SPC); Advanced certifications in product management

Bring your ideas, your curiosity, and your unique perspective. We'll provide the opportunities, tools, and support to help you succeed.

How We Invest in You:

• 401(k) with 8% Company Match
• Competitive Paid Time Off
• Microsoft Copilot and AI-Enabled Tools
• A culture of connection, celebration, and growth through employee-driven programs, company events, holiday celebrations (Star Wars Day), monthly town halls, quarterly company meetings, and team traditions like Bring Your Kid to Work Day

For this full-time role, the starting salary range is $170100 - $212600 per year. Our compensation is designed to be competitive and to reflect the value, experience, and contributions each team member brings to Origence. Offers are usually not made at the top of the range, and each compensation package is assessed carefully based on job-related factors such as relevant experience, skills, qualifications, and geographic location, in compliance with applicable laws.

Origence is an equal opportunity employer. All recruitment, hiring, training, compensation, benefits, discipline, and other terms and conditions of employment will be based upon an individuals’ qualifications regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, military service, marital status, pregnancy, age, protected medical condition, genetic information, disability or any other category protected by federal, state or local law.

Join our team

Let's work together

Explore diverse career opportunities, a supportive culture, and the chance to make a lasting impact in the credit union industry.

Join a team dedicated to excellence, inclusivity, and transforming the lending experience for credit unions.

At Origence, we empower the credit union industry with cutting-edge solutions, and innovation and collaboration drive everything we do.