Senior Product Manager, Product Operations and Portfolio Management

Overview The Senior Product Manager, Product Operations and Portfolio Management professional is a highly skilled, strategic, and execution-focused individual responsible for driving operational excellence, business alignment, and performance accountability across the product portfolio.   In this capacity, the role serves as a key partner to Product Strategy, Product Management, Client Delivery, Finance, Marketing, Analytics, and Technology leadership, ensuring that strategic initiatives are translated into actionable operational plans. The role also oversees the development, tracking, and monitoring of critical internal OKRs and KPIs, as well as external and client-facing performance metrics, while managing vendor partnerships and monitoring Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to ensure quality and compliance.   This is a high-impact, business-led, product-centric role suited for a strong executor who excels at bringing structure, organization, accountability, and momentum to complex initiatives.   Key Responsibilities Portfolio & Product Planning & Alignment Own day-to-day support of portfolio management activities across products, platforms, and client programs Maintain detailed, accurate portfolio documentation including scope, priorities, dependencies, risks, sequencing, and decisions Ensure the portfolio backlog remains organized, current, and aligned to strategic priorities Support prioritization sessions, roadmap planning, and cross-functional reviews with data, documentation, and recommendations Project Management & Execution Discipline Act as a hands-on business project lead for assigned initiatives, ensuring discipline in timeline management, dependencies, deliverables, and escalation Build and maintain detailed project plans, milestone tracking, workback schedules, risk logs, and action-item registers Drive follow-up, accountability, and closure of assigned tasks and deliverables Ensure governance, process adherence, and documentation standards are consistently followed Requirements & Use-Case Development Lead the development of business and functional requirements, use cases, workflows, acceptance criteria, and success metrics Translate ambiguous or high-level inputs into clear, structured, actionable documentation Partner with Product, Client teams, Finance, Risk, Data & Analytics, Marketing, and Technology to validate requirements Support UAT planning, test case definition, and business validation   Data & Analytics Partnership Partner closely with Data & Analytics to support KPI development, reporting needs, and insight generation Translate portfolio and product questions into clear analytical and reporting requirements Ensure metrics and reporting align with Finance, Product, and Analytics standards Use data to identify trends, risks, bottlenecks, and opportunities within the portfolio Support interpretation and communication of insights for business decision-making Vendor & Partner Coordination Support tracking of vendor deliverables, milestones, and SLA commitments Prepare materials for partner business reviews and escalation discussions Track and follow up on action items, risks, and remediation efforts Operational Excellence & Issue Coordination (Business-Led) Act as a business-side coordination point for production and portfolio-related issues Partner with Technology to communicate business impact, urgency, and status Ensure incident documentation, follow-ups, and lessons learned are recorded and shared Design and implement scalable operational frameworks to streamline workflows between Product, Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success teams. Audit existing business processes to identify bottlenecks; drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance speed-to-market and operational efficiency. Establish governance standards for project execution and documentation to ensure consistency and quality across the organization. Communication & Stakeholder Engagement Prepare concise, structured, executive-ready materials including status reports, dashboards, and summaries Support communication for launches, incidents, and portfolio decisions Maintain strong, proactive relationships with cross-functional stakeholders   Essential Skills and Experience Bachelors degree required, advanced degree a plus. 5- 7+years of product management, business analysis, or related experience, ideally within loyalty, rewards, payments, or financial services. Hands-on experience in writing user stories, test cases, detailed requirements, and acceptance criteria. Demonstrated ability to conduct end-to-end testing (unit and client acceptance) for product features. Strong customer-facing skills to gather requirements, clarify needs, and translate them into actionable deliverables. Understanding of financial services and processor-level ecosystems (e.g., issuer processing, settlement, payment flows). Familiarity with UI/UX design processes and building consumer-facing digital experiences. Analytical and detail-oriented with strong technical aptitude. Experience with agile methodologies and backlog management. Strong written and verbal communication skills.   Key Competencies and Attributes Project execution and delivery leadership Requirements definition and use-case development expertise Portfolio organization and prioritization discipline JIRA and Agile workflow management Data-informed decision-making Cross-functional influence and partnership Operational readiness, accountability, and follow-through Strong communication and documentation capabilities Passion for consumer-first experiences in loyalty and payments Innovative thinker with the ability to contribute new ideas and enhancements Comfortable working in a fast-paced, matrixed environment with multiple priorities Exposure to AI, Machine Learning, or personalization use cases in consumer engagement Collaborative team player with the ability to influence without direct authority   Work Arrangement Based at ampliFI’s Naperville, IL Corporate office, this hybrid role requires onsite reporting Tuesday-Thursday weekly. National remote opportunities require residency in one of the following states AZ, CO, FL, GA, IL, IN, MA, MT, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA or WI.   Physical Requirements This role involves sitting or standing for extended periods, using computers, phones, and other office equipment. Visual acuity and manual dexterity are needed for reading documents and handling materials. Occasional lifting of items up to 20 lbs. and frequent phone communication is required.   Other Duties  Duties, responsibilities, and activities are not all encompassing and may change at any time with or without notice. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to satisfactorily carry out each essential duty.  Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions   The compensation range listed below represents the potential salary for this role at the time of posting. However, the final salary may be higher or lower than the stated range, and this range may be adjusted in the future. An employee’s placement within the salary range will depend on various factors, including but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, shift, travel requirements, sales or revenue-based metrics, any applicable collective bargaining agreements, and the needs of the business or organization. The salary range for this role is $95,000 to $105,000 per year.     About ampliFI  At ampliFI Integrity guides every decision, Curiosity drives innovation, and Advocacy ensures we always put our clients and teammates first. We foster a supportive, fun workplace where your contributions are valued, and your growth is encouraged.   ampliFI provides fully outsourced, customized credit and debit card loyalty programs exclusively focused on banks and credit unions nationwide. For nearly two decades, we have delivered compelling rewards programs, unique earn and burn opportunities and card-linked programs to leverage merchant funded offers. Here at ampliFI, we are always looking for more great people to be a part of the relentless pursuit of excellence in everything we do.   Benefits and Perks Competitive pay plus 401(k) with employer match Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance Voluntary café plans, including voluntary life, accident, hospital, critical care, and parking/transit options Tuition Reimbursement Paid time off, company holidays, and parental leave Employee Assistance Program Hybrid work environment with flexible hours Onsite perks including gym access and snacks Employee recognition programs celebrating milestones and achievements Growth opportunities within a supportive, team-oriented environment   ampliFI Loyalty Solutions embraces diversity and equal opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills because we believe that the more inclusive we are, the greater impact we can make together.