Director of Product Management

Established in 2021, Independence Pet Holdings is a corporate holding company that manages a diverse and broad portfolio of modern pet health brands and services, including insurance, pet education, lost recovery services, and more throughout North America. We believe pet insurance is more than a financial product and build solutions to simplify the pet parenting journey and help improve the well-being of pets. As a leading authority in the pet category, we operate with a full stack of resources, capital, and services to support pet parents. Our multi-brand and omni-channel approach includes our own insurance carrier, insurance brands, and partner brands. PetPlace is building a digital-first pet e-commerce platform with the aim of connecting key market services such as adoption, lost pet, and insurance to make pet care easy.

About the role

PetPlace is seeking a Director, Product Management to lead the strategic direction, vision, and execution of our Animal Shelter software. Reporting to the Senior Director of Product, the Director 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 is a high-impact leadership role 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.

Job Location: Remote – USA, preference to NYC and Chicago.

Responsibilities

• Product Strategy & Vision: 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 the adopters they serve.
• Team Leadership: Manage and mentor a team of high-performing product managers. Foster a collaborative, data-driven product culture focused on rapid learning and continuous improvement.
• Execution & Delivery: Drive cross-functional execution of new features and experiences, ensuring timely delivery, clear requirements, and high-quality outcomes.
• Customer-Centric Innovation: Use market research, shelter and rescue customer feedback, analytics, and testing to guide product direction. Champion the voice of the shelter in every decision.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with Engineering, Design, Marketing, CX, and Business Development to deliver value across the entire shelter and adopter lifecycle.
• Product Operations & Measurement: Establish best practices for product planning, documentation, experimentation, and measurement of success metrics (shelter adoption, engagement, retention, revenue impact).
• Market Intelligence & Competitive Analysis: Stay informed on animal welfare, shelter operations, and pet care technology trends to identify opportunities and shape differentiated product experiences.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications

• 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)