Manager of Product - Data

The Manager of Product - Data will create and own a product concept from definition to deployment; helping to maintain product focus and vision. Drive the overall product creation process from conception and business case through each phase until product launch. Work with cross-functional teams to keep needed creative, technical, and business focus. The Manager of Product is recognized as the principal resource and business owner for product strategy, information, and decisions.

Job Responsibilities

• Thoroughly understand the company's data assets, customer needs, and the market to create and drive effective product strategy to support the company's overall strategy and goals.
• Work with sales and marketing teams to develop product pricing and positioning strategies.
• Manage the product lifecycle from planning through development, launch, and ongoing product enhancements. Support the definition, development, and delivery of the product(s) following the RouteOne systems lifecycle process.
• Identify dealership and finance source problems through market research including visits to dealer and finance source customers. Communicate dealer and finance source needs via clearly defined and detailed problem statements.
• Translate dealer and finance source needs into clearly defined and detailed product requirements. Identify and resolve issues with key internal, customer, and partner stakeholders.
• Define the solutions for validated and known market problems by writing detailed requirements, user stories, and maintaining a product backlog.
• Work with development team(s) to groom and refine the product backlog to ensure the development team works on priority items from the perspective of the stakeholders.
• Interact with customers to deliver enhancements to their specifications when custom functionality is required. Work with user experience designer to define how users will interact with the product(s).
• Understand the competitive landscape and expectations of persons (users and buyers) interacting with the product.
• Ensure acceptance criteria are met.
• Coordinate, facilitate, and conduct regular product updates.
• Develop and maintain the long-term product roadmap.
• Create and maintain competitive / strategic analysis matrix for assigned products.
• Develop business plans for new products and product enhancements to ensure they align with the goals of the organization.
• Ensure profitable decisions for the organization by providing support for the financial aspects of product development.
• Ensure product objectives are met across organization through management of a team of Product Owners, including monitoring workflow, meeting deadlines, and addressing issues, as well as identifying and mitigating risks.
• Responsible for appropriate communication and coordination across products and departments and within the organization. Coordinate, facilitate, and conduct regular project reviews with each stakeholder across the organization.
• Coordinate with Legal and Security department to ensure any legal- or security- specific requirements are contemplated and addressed.
• Develop and implement go-to-market plan, coordinating with all departments to achieve a successful launch.
• Support dealer and finance source sales efforts as needed for assigned projects (including creation of sales materials and delivery of presentations).
• Manage vendor relationships and support contract negotiations when necessary.
• Act as subject-matter expert for functional product area(s).
• Maintain safety, security, and privacy standards throughout all areas of responsibility.

Knowledge

• Strong knowledge of automotive financing dealer and finance source processes.
• Knowledgeable in technology (specifically software).
• Familiar with agile software implementation methodologies.

Skills

• Proficient in Microsoft Office products including but not limited to Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and Visio.
• Experience with Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms.
• Familiarity with software mockup and prototyping tools such as Axure or Balsamiq.
• Familiarity with issue tracking tools such as JIRA.

Abilities

• Ability to think critically.
• Ability to work in a team environment.
• Time management.
• Experience in owning and managing projects as well as displaying strong leadership and facilitation skills.
• Ability to lead, mentor and develop team members.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills, including presentation skills.
• Problem solver with a strong solution / implementation focus.
• High degree of flexibility and adaptability and conflict management capability.
• Self-motivated, self-directed, and politically astute; able to communicate effectively with all levels of enterprise and partner organizations.

Other Essential Requirements

• Experience managing data products and/or SaaS analytics products.
• B.S. in Computer Science or related work experience in a software development environment.
• 7+ years of overall experience and 4+ years in Product Management.
• Sales and Marketing experience, specifically focused on new Product Development.
• Pragmatic Marketing certification a plus.
• Willingness to travel - This position requires occasional travel to customer sites in North America (10%).