Retail Product Manager

About the role

Ascend Federal Credit Union is the largest credit union in Middle Tennessee and one of the largest in the United States, with over $4 billion in assets and approximately 650 employees serving more than 260,000 members. The Retail Product Manager advances Ascend’s product strategy by leading the discovery, development, launch, and ongoing optimization of products that serve Ascend and its members. This role partners with stakeholders across the organization to identify opportunities, define business requirements, and deliver solutions that support member and organizational objectives. The position also utilizes data analysis, reporting, and business‑intelligence tools to evaluate product performance and strengthen Ascend’s overall product portfolio.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate on the strategy, development, implementation, and optimization of retail, business, and wealth‑management products throughout the product lifecycle.
• Develop product roadmaps, business cases, and recommendations that align with organizational goals, member needs, and market opportunities.
• Monitor product performance, member adoption, profitability, and key performance indicators; identify opportunities to improve product value and business outcomes.
• Partner with Operations, Risk, Compliance, Marketing, Technology, and other stakeholders to support product launches, enhancements, and operational readiness.
• Evaluate market trends, competitive positioning, pricing strategies, and member insights to inform product decisions and portfolio priorities.
• Develop and maintain dashboards, reports, and analytical tools using Power BI, Excel, SQL, and related technologies to support product‑management decisions and performance monitoring.
• Translate data and research into actionable insights and recommendations for business leaders and executive stakeholders.
• Manage relationships with vendors and third‑party partners that support product delivery and member experience.
• Facilitate cross‑functional initiatives, ensuring alignment on priorities, dependencies, risks, and execution plans.
• Mentor, train, and develop other team members to meet the needs of the organization.
• Provide guidance, subject‑matter expertise, and project leadership across cross‑functional teams and stakeholders.
• Conduct industry and market research to identify emerging trends, opportunities, and best practices relevant to Ascend’s product portfolio.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Finance, Marketing, or a related field (required).
• Master’s Degree in Business, Finance, Marketing, or a related field (preferred).
• 5–8 years of experience in Product Management, Strategy/Planning, Innovation, User Experience, Analytics/Reporting, Research/Testing, or related disciplines within a financial institution (required).

Skills

• Strategic product management: develop product strategies, roadmaps, and portfolio priorities aligned with organizational objectives, member needs, market trends, competitive positioning, and long‑term business goals.
• Product lifecycle management: apply product‑management practices across ideation, business‑case development, implementation, performance monitoring, and continuous improvement.
• Data analysis and business intelligence: proficient with Power BI, Excel, SQL, dashboards, reports, and related analytical tools to evaluate product performance and support data‑informed decision‑making.
• Business, market, and financial acumen: evaluate market conditions, pricing considerations, profitability, member adoption, portfolio performance, research findings, and business drivers to identify opportunities and inform recommendations.
• Cross‑functional leadership and stakeholder communication: lead product initiatives, align stakeholders, communicate complex business, digital, data, and technology concepts to diverse audiences, and coordinate with senior leaders, Operations, Risk, Compliance, Marketing, Technology, and vendor partners without direct supervisory authority.