Leasing Product Stratgey & Preformance Specialist Sr

Brief Role Description

This position is Career Level 20P and located in Reston, VA, with a Role Classification of Hybrid.

Base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is established within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay for this position will fall within the pay range listed below and is determined based on job-related factors including, but not limited to, skills, experience, qualifications, work location, and market conditions. Base salary is localized according to an employee’s work location. Ranges are market-dependent and may be modified in the future.

This position is located in Reston, VA. The pay range for this location is $111,000 - $199,800 annually.

Benefits for this position include:

• Eligibility for annual performance bonus
• Healthcare benefits
• 401(k), with company match
• Defined contribution retirement program
• Tuition reimbursement
• Company lease car program
• Paid time off

Role Summary

The Senior Product Specialist sits within the Strategy, Product and Portfolio Team at VW Credit, and would be joining the team at a pivotal moment in the automotive industry. In this role you’ll help identify, test and bring to market new products to support the future of personal mobility, the roll out of autonomous vehicles and adoption of new business models for the industry. We are looking for a Product Specialist to help VCI meet this moment with experience in product development and a passion to bring new concepts to life. A good fit for this role would be an experienced, energetic, and entrepreneurial Product Specialist; able to think (and operate) strategically but also lead tactical execution.

The Senior Product Specialist will be the champion for customer driven product development and lifecycle management for the Product Team. This Specialist will be responsible for conceptualizing, testing, and executing new product ideas in the marketplace, as well as continuously improving existing products. This function will be closely aligned with our brand partners and the overall VCI Mobility 2030 strategy.
The Senior Product Specialist will be the champion for customer driven product development and lifecycle management for the Product Team. This Specialist will be responsible for conceptualizing, testing, and executing new product ideas in the marketplace, as well as continuously improving existing products. This function will be closely aligned with our brand partners and the overall VCI Mobility 2030 strategy.

This role will have high visibility to the senior management teams of VCI, Audi, Volkswagen, and Ducati so it will be critical for this Specialist to have exceptional communication and influence skills.

Responsibilities will include:

• Participating in user interviews, focus groups, surveys, and design thinking to understand consumer preferences and develop new product concepts
• Building/evaluating business cases for existing and new product concepts
• Leading the planning, execution, reporting, and other tactical components of VCI’s Retail Finance products, pilots and new product launches
• Work collaboratively with key stakeholders to identify, map, and align business needs (e.g., operations, sales, marketing, finance, IT and logistics)
• Perform industry research via news, related events, publications, and announcements to track competitors, trends, and new developments in Mobility and Fintech
• Manage partnerships by drafting agreements, leading day-to-day interactions, and tracking SLAs in close partnership with legal counsel as needed
• Report and present regularly on KPI progress, success stories, and opportunities for improvement
• Contribute to the overall new product development strategy and roadmap for VCI

Responsibilities within this Role

• Product Management (70%) – This role will manage our core products and launch new products. Key responsibilities include evaluating VCI’s core products, lifecycle management and delivering new functionalities for existing products. This role will also explore new products in the leasing, retail and mobility space including creating the strategy, execution plan, and metrics for success.
• Strategy (15%) – This role is responsible for supporting the Sr. Director in the definition, execution, and adaptation of VW Credit’s product strategy.
• Ideation and Problem Solving (15%) – This role will apply creative thinking and sensitivity to considerations like timing, expense, and company risk when prioritizing development needs and resolving roadblocks.

Qualification requirements

Years of Relevant Experience:

• 7-10 years of relevant experience in product management, business consulting, business development, strategy, financial services, customer experience, or a related field
• 7+ years of experience taking new product concepts, product enhancements, or business solutions from concept through implementation
• 7+ years of experience analyzing data and building financial models
• 7+ years of experience leading cross-functional initiatives and influencing outcomes within a matrixed organization

Required Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Economics, Computer Science, Engineering or related area

Skills: General skills needed to perform the job

• Ability to take end-to-end ownership of a product, business problem, or strategic initiative from initial assessment through implementation and performance monitoring
• Excellent organizational skills, with the ability to prioritize opportunities in highly ambiguous contexts
• A bias to action and a proven track record of delivering both minimum viable products and scaled solutions within a matrixed organization to market at rapid speed
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and influence outcomes across multiple levels of a matrixed organization without direct authority
• Strong analytical mindset and ability to use data and logic to build robust economic analyses of new business concepts
• Passion for identifying and solving real consumer and business problems
• Customer driven approach to identifying needs, evaluating solutions, and continuously improving products and customer experiences
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, tailoring the delivery and message to the audience
• Intellectual curiosity for the underpinnings of new product concepts (e.g., tech stack, operations, financials, etc.)

Required Skills: Knowledge or certifications unique to this role

• Expertise in combining customer insights, performance data, market research, and stakeholder input to identify product and business opportunities
• Ability to build robust financial models to estimate the value of new business and product concepts
• Success in developing strong working relationships across many layers of an organization, outside agencies and suppliers
• Experience in user-centered problem solving and storytelling
• Comfortable working with tight deadlines; must be proactive and able to multi-task
• Experience managing a product, business solution, or strategic initiative through its lifecycle, including assessment, planning, implementation, performance monitoring, and continuous improvement
• Ability to translate business needs into clear objectives and requirements for technical, operational, and delivery teams
• Ability to rapidly research unfamiliar topics, evaluate alternatives, challenge assumptions, and develop a defensible point of view
• Working knowledge of Agile product-development concepts and experience collaborating with Product Owners, Project Managers, Business Analysts, developers, and delivery teams