Happiest Minds - Project Manager

Role Overview :

We are seeking an experienced and strategic Product Manager with 12+ years of experience in building and scaling products within the financial services domain. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in product strategy, stakeholder management, project execution, and team leadership. This role requires someone who can drive end-to-end product development while managing cross-functional teams and ensuring timely delivery of business-critical initiatives.

The candidate should possess a deep understanding of financial products, customer journeys, regulatory environments, and digital transformation initiatives across banking, fintech, lending, insurance, payments, wealth management, or related sectors.

Key Responsibilities :

- Define and execute product vision, roadmap, and strategy aligned with business objectives.

- Lead the end-to-end product lifecycle from ideation, requirements gathering, development, launch, and optimization.

- Identify market opportunities, customer pain points, and emerging trends in financial services.

- Work closely with business stakeholders, engineering, UX, compliance, operations, and leadership teams to deliver scalable solutions.

- Translate complex business requirements into clear product specifications and user stories.

Product Strategy & Ownership :

- Define and execute product vision, roadmap, and strategy aligned with business objectives.

- Lead the end-to-end product lifecycle from ideation, requirements gathering, development, launch, and optimization.

- Identify market opportunities, customer pain points, and emerging trends in financial services.

- Work closely with business stakeholders, engineering, UX, compliance, operations, and leadership teams to deliver scalable solutions.

- Translate complex business requirements into clear product specifications and user stories.

Financial Services Domain Expertise :

- Build and manage products across areas such as :

i. Digital banking

ii. Payments and cards

iii. Lending platforms

iv. Insurance products

v. Wealth management

vi. Risk and compliance solutions

vii. Fintech integrations

- Ensure products comply with regulatory, security, and data privacy standards.

- Understand customer behavior, transaction flows, risk frameworks, and operational processes within financial services.

Program & Project Management :

- Drive large-scale cross-functional programs and ensure successful delivery within scope, timeline, and budget.

- Establish execution frameworks, sprint planning, prioritization, and governance mechanisms.

- Monitor project progress, identify risks, and proactively resolve blockers.

- Coordinate with engineering and delivery teams to ensure high-quality execution.

- Track KPIs, delivery milestones, and product performance metrics.

Leadership & People Management :

- Lead and mentor product managers, business analysts, and cross-functional teams.

- Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.

- Manage stakeholder expectations across senior leadership and external partners.

- Drive decision-making through data, customer insights, and business impact analysis.

Stakeholder & Communication Management :

- Present product strategies, roadmaps, and business cases to executive leadership.

- Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders including technology partners, vendors, regulators, and clients.

- Ensure alignment between business goals and execution teams.

Required Qualifications :

- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Finance, Computer Science, or related field.

- MBA or equivalent advanced degree preferred.

- 12+ years of overall experience in Product Management, Program Management, or Digital Transformation roles.

- Strong experience in financial services, banking, fintech, insurance, or payments domain.

- Proven track record of launching and scaling digital products successfully.

- Experience managing large cross-functional teams and complex enterprise programs.

- Strong understanding of Agile, Scrum, and product delivery methodologies.

- Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.

- Exceptional communication and stakeholder management capabilities.

Preferred Skills :

- Experience with AI/ML-driven financial products or digital transformation initiatives.

- Familiarity with APIs, cloud platforms, data analytics, and modern technology architectures.

- Exposure to regulatory frameworks and compliance requirements in financial services.

- Strong understanding of customer-centric product design principles.

- Certifications such as PMP, Scrum Product Owner, SAFe, or Agile certifications are a plus.