Director of Products

PLS^®: People. Location. Service 

PLS—which stands for People – Location – Service—is a leading retail provider of alternative financial services.  The PLS Group, headquartered in Chicago, is comprised of over 200 financial service centers in 12 states.  Through our check cashing stores, we provide consumers with convenient financial products and services to help them manage their day-to-day financial needs. Although many of our customers have banking relationships, we believe that our customers use our financial services because they are convenient, transparent, and frequently more affordable than available traditional alternatives. PLS was founded in 1997 by Bob and Dan Wolfberg, who serve as Co-Presidents.

Position Overview: 

PLS is at an exciting juncture. A pioneer in offering financial products to underserved customers, PLS has built a successful storefront model focused on a superior customer experience. The competitive landscape is now crowded and many competitors have expanded their businesses. PLS seeks an innovative product leader, who also possesses solid product management skills to completely reimagine its suite of products and distance itself from the competition.  Responsibilities include revamping existing products, exploring new channels and markets, developing new products and cross-selling.

Job Responsibilities:

• Systematically assess and enhance all products within the PLS portfolio
• Build Product scorecards and manage Product Profit and Loss (P&L) by conducting detailed financial reviews of current products and identifying opportunities to improve the customer experience and bottom-line performance
• Benchmark PLS’s products against the competition, identifying improvement opportunities across several dimensions including product features, pricing, and customer experience
• Identify gaps in the product line or in the features of existing products. Implement new innovative products or product improvements to close those gaps for both consumers and small businesses
• Maintain a strategic product roadmap to drive priorities for the team and the larger PLS organization
• Be a strategic thinker, passionate about your product yet tactical enough to implement solutions and understand the details well enough to work closely with the team. Manage, mentor, and develop team members.
• Work closely with the Marketing team to develop a robust customer lifecycle platform and product marketing plan for PLS products
• Partner closely with  Store Operations and Customer Financial Solutions teams
• Act as the Product Owner to drive Product & Point of Commerce (PoC) enhancements
• Maintain excellent communications and collaboration with the Development Teams, customers, store operations and other stakeholders
• Own and prioritize the Product Backlog, answer questions and make decisions about priorities and tradeoffs
• Engage in Scrum events (Sprint Planning, Sprint Reviews and Product Backlog Refinement as appropriate)
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• Manage Vendor relationships, negotiate contracts and identify new 3^rd party partners to enhance existing products
• Design and implement a robust Cross-Sell strategy
• Develop and prioritize requirements for new products to meet changing business, market and customer needs

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree required, MBA preferred
• 8+ years of experience in a product management, product development and/or managing financial services products within the retail, digital, and payments space
• Distinctive problem solving, organizational, and analytical skills with the ability to evolve strategy based on research, data and industry trends
• Previous experience as a product owner, business analyst, or in a related field
• Strong understanding of Agile methodologies, technical understanding of products, and up-to-date experience with industry standards and best practices
• Ability to build strong interpersonal relationships within business units, store operations, and external stakeholders
• Exceptional presentation and communication skills
• Proven problem solver with the ability to leverage analytics and consumer knowledge to identify opportunities
• Exceptional customer focus with the ability to utilizes customer insights and feedback to drive decisions
• Work well with ambiguity and changing/shifting priorities

Physical Requirements:

• Must be able to sit and/or stand for long periods of time
• Ability to lift 15 lbs.
• Must be able to travel up to 10%

Benefits:

Benefits for eligible employees include medical/dental/vision, 401k, vacation, opportunities for advancement, on-going training available.

We strive to demonstrate our Core Values in all positions at PLS:

Communication ● Customer Focus ● Integrity and Trust ● Teamwork ● Results

PLS Financial Services is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, marital status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. PLS Financial Services is a drug-free workplace. PLS provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify your Recruiter or a member of our Human Resources