Executive Director, Slate Product Strategy Director

Job description

Job Summary / PurposeThe Director will lead end-to-end marketing and portfolio growth strategy for a credit card portfolio, translating business goals into customer-centric plans across acquisition, engagement, spend, retention, and profitability. This role requires superior analytical skills and a deep, practical understanding of credit risk management to ensure growth strategies are both impactful and responsibly managed—particularly across mass-market credit products, including poor-to-fair credit segments. The Director partners closely with Product, Analytics, Finance, Risk, Compliance/Legal, Brand/Creative, Channel owners, and Operations to develop strategies, identify growth opportunities, and drive integrated go-to-market and lifecycle initiatives. Key ResponsibilitiesPortfolio strategy & planning: Own annual/quarterly portfolio marketing strategy (target segments, value propositions, offers, channel mix, messaging frameworks) aligned to P&L, credit performance, and product roadmap.Risk-informed growth strategy: Partner with Credit Risk and Analytics to ensure acquisition and lifecycle strategies are aligned to risk appetite, underwriting, line management, and loss/profitability outcomes—especially for mass-market and poor-to-fair segments.Lifecycle marketing leadership: Develop strategies across the lifecycle—prospecting/acquisition, onboarding, activation, engagement/spend growth, retention, hardship-aware retention where applicable, and win-back.Customer & market insight: Lead insight-driven strategy using customer behavior, credit performance signals, competitive landscape, and market trends; translate findings into actionable plans and positioning.Offer & value proposition strategy: Shape offer strategy (e.g., rewards, pricing, benefits, promos) with strong understanding of economics and risk trade-offs; partner with Finance/Risk to build business cases.Go-to-market (GTM): Lead integrated GTM plans for new features/benefits and major campaigns; align cross-channel execution (digital/owned/paid/partner channels as applicable).Performance management & analytics: Define KPIs and measurement plans; monitor performance (including credit and profitability metrics), diagnose results, run test-and-learn agendas, and iterate strategy based on outcomes.Cross-functional leadership: Drive alignment across Product, Risk, Compliance/Legal, Analytics, Brand/Creative, Tech, and Channel teams; manage governance, approvals, and delivery timelines.Executive communication: Build crisp narratives for senior stakeholders—strategy decks, business cases, results readouts, and roadmap updates.Required QualificationsMBA or equivalent graduate degree (or commensurate strategic/portfolio leadership experience in lieu of a formal MBA-equivalent program, if your posting standards allow).8+ years of experience in product marketing, portfolio marketing, lifecycle marketing, or growth marketing, with substantial experience in credit cards and/or mass-market consumer credit products.Extensive experience serving mass-market credit customers, including poor-to-fair credit segments (e.g., near-prime/subprime populations), with demonstrated ability to drive growth while managing risk and economics.Superior analytical skills with demonstrated ability to translate complex data into strategy and action; experience partnering with analytics teams on segmentation, experimentation, and optimization.Very extensive understanding of credit risk management, including how underwriting, risk appetite, loss dynamics, and portfolio controls interact with acquisition and lifecycle marketing.Proven ability to influence stakeholders and lead in a highly matrixed environment; strong written and verbal executive communication.Preferred QualificationsExperience operating within regulated financial services and navigating Risk/Compliance/Legal review processes for marketing.Familiarity with rewards economics, pricing/fee structures, and profitability drivers for credit cards across mass-market segments.Experience launching new products/features and leading high-visibility portfolio initiatives.People leadership experience (if role includes direct reports) or strong track record of mentoring and leading through influence.Success Metrics (examples)Growth outcomes: booked accounts, activation, spend/engagement lift, retention/win-back performanceEfficiency outcomes: acquisition efficiency, channel mix optimization, test-and-learn velocityRisk/economics outcomes: credit quality mix within appetite, loss/profitability impact, sustainable contribution margin, offer ROI, account NPVs, OSDelivery outcomes: on-time, compliant delivery of GTM and lifecycle programs