Job Description: Head Research & Products

Role: Head Research & Products

Industry: Fintech

Experience: 10+ Years

Employment Type: Full-Time

Location: Mumbai (On-site)

Education: MBA / Masters Degree in Business, Finance, Technology, or related field from a reputed institute preferred

Role Overview:

We are looking for an experienced and strategic Head Research & Products to lead the research and product function for a high-growth fintech organization. The ideal candidate will be responsible for driving product vision, research strategy, innovation, and execution across the fintech ecosystem. This leadership role requires deep expertise in financial products, market intelligence, customer behavior, and regulatory frameworks to build scalable and impactful digital solutions. The candidate will work closely with leadership, engineering, analytics, and business teams to identify market opportunities, define product strategies, and deliver best-in-class fintech products that drive growth and customer engagement.

Key Responsibilities:

- Define and drive the overall product and research strategy aligned with business objectives and long-term growth plans.

- Lead end-to-end product lifecycle management from ideation and research to development, launch, and optimization.

- Conduct in-depth market research, competitive benchmarking, and customer analysis to identify emerging trends and opportunities.

- Build and manage a robust product roadmap based on market demand, customer feedback, and business priorities.

- Collaborate with engineering, data science, design, compliance, and business teams to ensure successful product delivery.

- Drive innovation by identifying new product opportunities in lending, payments, wealth-tech, insur-tech, or other fintech segments.

- Ensure product design and functionality comply with regulatory requirements and industry standards.

- Monitor product performance using data analytics and user insights to optimize adoption and engagement.

- Lead product innovation for digital platforms serving retail, institutional, and enterprise customers.

- Manage and mentor high-performing product managers, researchers, and cross-functional teams.

- Establish frameworks for research methodologies, product experimentation, and decision-making.

- Present strategic recommendations and product insights to senior leadership and stakeholders.

Key Result Areas (KRA):

- Product strategy development and execution.

- Research-driven innovation and market expansion.

- Product roadmap planning and delivery.

- Customer experience enhancement and engagement growth.

- Revenue growth through new product initiatives.

- Product adoption, retention, and usage metrics improvement.

- Cross-functional collaboration and execution efficiency.

- Regulatory compliance and risk mitigation in product design.

- Team leadership, capability building, and performance management.

- Competitive positioning and market differentiation.

Required Skillsets:

- Strong experience in fintech product management and strategic research.

- Proven track record of building and scaling digital financial products.

- Deep understanding of fintech domains such as payments, lending, wealth management, banking, or insurance.

- Strong knowledge of the Indian fintech ecosystem, market dynamics, and regulatory environment.

- Expertise in market research, consumer behavior analysis, and product-market fit evaluation.

- Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with a data-driven mindset.

- Experience working with product analytics, customer insights, and business intelligence tools.

- Excellent stakeholder management and leadership skills.

- Strong communication and presentation abilities with executive-level influence.

- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced and high-growth environment.

- Strategic thinking with strong execution capability.

- Experience in Agile product development methodologies.

Preferred Qualifications:

- Experience working in high-growth fintech startups or established financial institutions.

- Exposure to AI-driven products, automation, or data-led financial solutions.

- Strong understanding of digital transformation and emerging fintech trends.

- Prior experience in leading large product and research teams is highly preferred.