Lead Product Manager (PDM)

Lead Product Manager (PDM)Location: Baltimore MD, Wilmington DE, or Irving TX - Candidates must live within 50 miles of client’s corporate officePosition is HYBRID - onsite 2-3 days per weekRate: $55Candidates must live within 50 miles of client’s corporate office (we need local candidate who is local to Baltimore MD, Wilmington DE, or Irving TX location)Top skills: Product Discovery/Product Execution/Strong partnership with engineeringJob Description:We are seeking a Lead Product Manager to drive the evolution of a portfolio of modernizing capabilities aligned to a common set of objectives that drives core lending business forward. The role is responsible for creating and executing the product roadmap that achieves business objectives, such as growth in new money, reduction in costs, and transition to a modernized, scalable target-state tech platform. Consistent engagement and clear communication with senior executives and front-line stakeholders are paramount to building consensus and driving decisions. The role will partner with Engineering Leads who will drive the technical agenda and workforce in delivering against the Product roadmap. By building strong relationships and fostering open dialogue, the Lead Product Manager will drive informed decisions that align with business objectives and improve the overall performance of their cross-functional team.Responsibilities:Work with business and engineering leadership to develop, document, and communicate OKRs, ensuring alignment with the broader business strategy.Create and maintain a clear and actionable product roadmap that balances short-term objectives with long-term goals while prioritizing initiatives based on impact, feasibility, and level of effort.Manage the software development life cycle for respective team by creating high-level themes/epics, developing detailed product requirements via user stories, manage the product backlog, plan feature/product releases, and ensure that work is aligned with delivery of the OKRs. Proactively manage and mitigate risks.Be an active party in a high performing product organization, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and accountability.Collaborate cross-functionally, have a deep understanding of competitive dynamics and ensure product development is aligned with market needs and capabilities.Regularly update executive teams on product performance including challenges and successes using key performance indicators. Make data-driven recommendations for product enhancements to business and technical stakeholders as needed.Key Skills:Strategic Thinking: Strong understanding of business strategy and how to align product initiatives to drive company success. Curiosity to explore and uncover areas of opportunity.Cross-Functional Communication: Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders ranging from executives to business partners and technical teams.Analytical & Data-Driven: Skilled in using data to inform decisions, measure success, and iterate on the product with a focus on continuous improvement.Customer-Focused: Passion for understanding customer pain points and solving them through innovative product solutions.Problem-Solving: Ability to navigate complex problems, manage competing priorities, and make tough decisions.Change Management: Ability to manage change in a dynamic environment and lead teams through periods of transition while constantly re-evaluating priorities as situations evolve.Domain Expertise: Experience in building modern consumer facing products in financial technology organizations.Experience: 5+ years of progressive experience in a plan, build and/or product/operation role in a high-performing, technology-powered product organization. Bachelor’s degree in engineering or equivalent practical experience.Mandatory Skills:5-7 years of product management experience, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education.Experience working in agile operating models.Analytical mindset: ability to turn findings from data into executable plans that meet business objectives.Working with distributed teams and using agile delivery tools (i.e. JIRA, Confluence).Demonstrated experience working with lending products, understanding of platform functionality, processing flows, APIs/data transmission technology, and/or new business integration services.Experience leading scrum team(s) through an end-to-end program of work via SDLC.