Senior Manager, Product Management – Cards

About the role

CSI is seeking an experienced and strategic Senior Manager, Product Management – Cards to lead the vision, strategy, and execution of our Cards product portfolio. This leadership role will oversee a team of Product Managers responsible for delivering innovative payment solutions supporting Commercial Cards, Prepaid Cards, Secured Cards, and emerging payment technologies. As a key member of the Payments leadership team, you will help shape product strategy, mentor product professionals, drive portfolio execution, and partner with cross-functional teams to deliver market-leading payment solutions. This role combines people leadership, strategic planning, market expertise, and product execution to support CSI's continued growth and innovation within the payments industry.

What You'll Do

• Lead the execution of CSI's Cards product strategy and roadmap.
• Lead the execution of various card operations initiatives across the Payments organization.
• Define the vision, direction, and long-term strategy for Commercial Card, Prepaid Card, and Secured Card solutions.
• Drive product innovation by identifying market opportunities, customer needs, and competitive trends.
• Partner with Product Managers, Product Owners, Engineering, Architecture, Operations, Marketing, and Sales teams to deliver strategic initiatives.
• Develop business cases, pricing strategies, ROI analyses, and profitability models to support investment decisions.
• Manage the full product lifecycle, including strategy, prioritization, development, launch, adoption, and optimization.
• Ensure product documentation, roadmaps, positioning statements, and other strategic artifacts are maintained and current.
• Support go-to-market initiatives and product launches while partnering with Product Marketing on positioning and messaging.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Product Managers and Product Analysts.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Provide coaching, guidance, and professional development opportunities for team members.
• Establish priorities, allocate resources, and ensure team alignment with organizational goals and objectives.
• Drive execution of departmental objectives and key results (OKRs).
• Manage departmental performance within approved budgets and operational targets.
• Serve as a trusted advisor and subject matter expert to customers, prospects, and internal stakeholders.
• Conduct consultative discussions with financial institutions regarding card products, payment strategies, and market opportunities.
• Support strategic customer engagements, demonstrations, and cross-sell opportunities.
• Represent CSI at conferences, industry events, webinars, and customer forums.
• Monitor market trends, payment technologies, and regulatory developments to influence product direction.
• Ensure Agile, Scrum, and Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) processes are effectively implemented and consistently followed.
• Drive product execution and delivery excellence across the organization.
• Collaborate with executive leadership to prioritize initiatives and align product investments with business objectives.
• Support strategic planning activities and help guide the future direction of the Payments organization.

Required Experience

• 10+ years of professional experience in Product Management, Payments, Financial Services, or related industries.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience leading Product Management teams and developing high-performing product organizations.
• Proven success defining product strategies, roadmaps, feature prioritization, and lifecycle management.
• Experience leading complex payments or financial technology initiatives from concept through execution.
• Strong people leadership experience, including coaching, performance management, and talent development.

Cards & Payments Expertise

• Deep expertise in the card payments industry, including: Commercial Cards, Prepaid Cards, Secured Cards, Card Issuing Platforms, Card Program Management, and Payment Networks.
• Hands-on Commercial Card product management experience required.
• Strong understanding of: Commercial payment workflows, Spend controls and card program administration, Virtual card capabilities, Card lifecycle management, and Card network rules and operating regulations.
• Experience supporting or managing Prepaid Card and Secured Card programs.

Risk, Compliance & Operations

• Knowledge of: Card network compliance requirements, Fraud prevention and mitigation strategies, Risk management frameworks, and Regulatory and operational requirements for card programs.
• Experience navigating customer escalations and complex operational challenges.

Strategic & Analytical Skills

• Strong market research and competitive analysis capabilities.
• Ability to identify customer pain points and translate them into innovative product solutions.
• Experience developing business cases, pricing models, and financial analyses.
• Strong executive communication and stakeholder management skills.

Client Relationship Management

• Experience working directly with banks, credit unions, fintechs, or financial institutions.
• Ability to build trusted relationships with customers and key stakeholders.
• Proven ability to influence decisionmakers and successfully manage complex customer situations.

Technical & Product Management Skills

• Experience working in Agile environments.
• Familiarity with product management and delivery tools such as: Aha!, Jira, Confluence, and similar product management platforms.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with technical teams, Product Owners, Engineering, and Architecture.

Preferred Qualifications

• Pragmatic Institute Certification Level II or higher.
• Experience with payment modernization initiatives or digital transformation efforts.
• Community bank or credit union industry experience.
• Experience with card processing platforms and payment ecosystem integrations.
• Strong understanding of emerging trends within digital payments and embedded finance.