Director of Product Management

Independence Pet Holdings, established in 2021, is a corporate holding company managing a diverse portfolio of modern pet health brands and services—including insurance, pet education, and lost recovery services—throughout North America. We believe pet insurance is more than a financial product and build solutions to simplify the pet parenting journey and improve pet well-being. As a leading authority in the pet category, we operate with a full stack of resources, capital, and services to support pet parents through a multi-brand, omni-channel approach, including our own insurance carrier, insurance brands, and partner brands.

PetPlace, a subsidiary of Independence Pet Holdings, is building a digital-first pet e-commerce platform aimed at connecting key market services such as adoption, lost pet recovery, and insurance to make pet care easy.

About the role

PetPlace is seeking a Director of Product Management to lead the strategic direction, vision, and execution of our Animal Shelter software. Reporting to the Senior Director of Product, you will oversee a team of product managers and partner closely with engineering, design, and operations to deliver compelling products that improve the lives of pets, shelter staff, and adopters. This high-impact leadership role is responsible for scaling the product organization, building a customer-obsessed product culture, and defining cross-functional roadmaps that align with company goals. The ideal candidate brings a blend of strategic thinking, strong execution, and experience building scalable software for operational, workflow-heavy users.

Location: Remote – USA, with preference for NYC and Chicago.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the product strategy and roadmap across PetPlace's portfolio of three Animal Shelter solutions, aligning with business goals and the needs of shelters, rescues, and adopters.
• Manage and mentor a team of high-performing product managers. Foster a collaborative, data-driven product culture focused on rapid learning and continuous improvement.
• Drive cross-functional execution of new features and experiences, ensuring timely delivery, clear requirements, and high-quality outcomes.
• Use market research, shelter and rescue customer feedback, analytics, and testing to guide product direction. Champion the voice of the shelter in every decision.
• Work closely with Engineering, Design, Marketing, CX, and Business Development to deliver value across the entire shelter and adopter lifecycle.
• Establish best practices for product planning, documentation, experimentation, and measurement of success metrics (shelter adoption, engagement, retention, revenue impact).
• Stay informed on animal welfare, shelter operations, and pet care technology trends to identify opportunities and shape differentiated product experiences.

Requirements

• 10+ years of product management experience, with at least 5 years managing product teams.
• Demonstrated success in building and scaling digital platforms, ideally B2B/SaaS, workflow, or operational software, in pet, animal welfare, or health tech sectors.
• Strong understanding of agile methodologies, product discovery frameworks, and full product lifecycle management.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional teams and senior stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and prioritization skills; experience using data to inform decisions and validate hypotheses.
• Proven experience in customer journey design, market segmentation, and outcome-driven product planning.
• Bachelor's degree required; MBA or advanced degree a plus.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with animal shelters, rescues, veterinary, or adjacent industries.
• Familiarity with UX design and experimentation tools (e.g., Figma, Amplitude, Optimizely).
• Experience with multi-tenant SaaS platforms and subscription-based product models.
• Startup or scale-up experience, especially in fast-paced, mission-driven environments.
• Experience with Scaled Agile a plus.

Benefits

• Comprehensive full medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Basic Life Insurance at no cost to the employee.
• Company-paid short-term and long-term disability.
• 12 weeks of 100% paid Parental Leave.
• Health Savings Account (HSA).
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA).
• Retirement savings plan.
• Personal Paid Time Off.
• Paid holidays and company-wide Wellness Day off.
• Paid time off to volunteer at nonprofit organizations.
• Pet-friendly office environment.
• Commuter Benefits.
• Group Pet Insurance.
• On-the-job training and skills development.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP).