Vice President Product Management - FinTech

at  HRS

City: Berlin
Job Function: Product
Job Area: Product & IT
Seniority Level: Director
Date: Aug 21, 2024

BUSINESS UNIT

HRS’ Product Management department is a critical function in driving the success of the company’s Lodging-as-a-Service (LaaS), Meeting-as-a-Service (MaaS) and Workforce-as-a-Service (WaaS) solutions. The department collaborates with cross-functional teams to define the product vision, roadmap, and strategy, and prioritizes features using analytics and data to meet business goals and deliver an exceptional experience for stakeholders.
Product Managers at HRS own the program backlog, define product increments and releases, and are responsible for the product vision, roadmap, pricing, licensing, and ROI. They possess strong business and technical knowledge, as well as excellent communication and prioritization skills.
The department operates based on HRS’ leadership principles, putting the customer view first and striving for customer success over commercial success. They think and act big, challenging the status quo, and constantly leaving their comfort zones to achieve growth. As coaches, they hire the most likely to win and help develop team members to become the best through radical candid feedback.
Our Product Managers are learning pioneers, continually seeking to improve processes, products, commercial models, technologies, and ways of working. They take ownership of the entire customer experience, seeking truth and committing to decisions once they are made.
To succeed in the role, candidates must possess strong business and technical know-how, prioritize tasks accurately, and have excellent communication skills. They must also have an up-to-date knowledge of the latest trends and technologies and be comfortable presenting their ideas to internal stakeholders.

POSITION

We are looking for a VP of Product Management FinTech (all genders) to join the product leadership team. In your proactive nature, you lead the product strategy, design and implementation of HRS’ fin-tech offerings, lead day-to-day product development and support our global team to deliver relevant and high-quality product experiences to our demanding customer base.
12-Month Strategic Responsibilities:
Platform Expansion: Transform the platform into a modular, API-driven, and cloud-based finance services platform, integrating innovative and differentiating payment, billing, and tax optimization features.
Workflow Automation: Develop and implement a state-of-the-art data mesh architecture to enhance workflow automation. This will enable the effective use of essential data for decision-making, planning, forecasting, and compliance.
Payment Hub Scaling: Scale the payment hub to integrate with over 100 issuers and payment and banking providers, ensuring robust and diverse payment options.
Direct Payment Enablement: Facilitate and enable direct payments to streamline transactions and improve efficiency.
Tax Reclaim Automation: Expand the tax reclaim service into a fully automated solution, reducing manual intervention and improving accuracy.
AI-Enabled Insights: Launch an AI-enabled solution to extract and analyze consumption behaviors from payments and invoices, providing valuable insights for customers.
AI Operational Excellence: Enhance operations and claims processes using AI capabilities to provide a customer-centric, no-touch experience, achieving maximum automation and efficiency.
Developer Hub and Marketplace: Launch a developer hub and marketplace, enabling third-party vendors to offer business components and apps within the platform, fostering an ecosystem of innovation.
Billing Automation: Facilitate the automation of HRS’ commission billing based on customer and supplier payments and billing, improving accuracy and reducing administrative overhead.
Wallet Solution for MaaS and WaaS: Supporting out-of-pocket expenses with meeting and event attendees under HRS’ Meeting-as-a-Service offering as well as for working project travelers under HRS’ Workforce-as-a-Service offering, launch a tap-to-pay wallet solution featuring advanced budget controls, instant receipt collection and automated settlement to the corporate ERP.
Wallet Solution for BTC: Supporting lifetime value of unmanaged business customers in the HRS Business Travel Club (HRS.com), launch an expanded FinTech offering allowing to HRS to tap into ancillary spending of such customers aside their hotel booking with HRS.

HARD SKILLS:

• Product Strategy: Expertise in developing and executing a product vision and roadmap.
• Technical Knowledge: Proficiency in API-driven platforms, cloud solutions, AI technologies, and workflow automation.
• Market Research: Ability to conduct thorough market analysis, understand economic buyer needs, and navigate relevant regulations.
• Analytical Thinking: Strong skills in data analysis, decision-making, planning, forecasting, and compliance.
• Industry Experience: Extensive experience in the payments and broader FinTech industry, with a firm grasp of regulations related to payments and tax.

SOFT SKILLS:

• Leadership: Ability to think strategically, inspire teams, and drive transformative growth.
• Collaboration: Strong interpersonal skills to work effectively with cross-functional teams and stakeholders, spanning business and product in Europe with engineering in Vietnam.
• Customer Focus: Deep understanding of regional and market-specific customer needs related to payments and FinTech, prioritizing customer success and enhancing user experience.
• Adaptability: Comfortable with ambiguity, resilient in the face of challenges, and committed to continuous improvement.

Platform Leadership: Oversee the development of HRS’ platforms for payments, billing, tax, and compliance management.
Product Vision: Own and drive the FinTech product vision, value proposition, and roadmap, focusing on digital automation for efficiency, cost reduction, and decision-making for multi-national clients.
Strategic Development: Lead the evolution into an AI-based lodging and meetings finance automation platform, ensuring a scalable and commercially viable SaaS offering.
P&L Accountability: Manage the platform’s P&L, making strategic investment decisions to achieve significant growth.
Collaboration: Work closely with product marketing, UX design, product operations, and technical architects to scale the platform globally, leveraging advanced technology.
Roadmap Adaptation: Continuously align the product strategy with the roadmap, adjusting team priorities to meet strategic deliverables on time, within budget, and with high quality.
Ambassadorship: Represent the FinTech platform within the company and in the market through presentations, product announcements, and participation in industry events.
Operational Excellence: Collaborate with operations teams to integrate deeply into customer and partner ecosystems, delivering exceptional product experiences.
Cross-Platform Development: Engage in strategic initiatives with ProcureTech, TravelTech, and BPATech to enhance the HRS procure-to-reclaim value proposition.
Industry Knowledge: Keep clients, partners, and teams informed with the latest industry trends and competitive intelligence.
Global Team Integration: Connect development teams across hubs in India, Vietnam, and Europe, fostering a social contract in their collaboration and ensuring clarity on purpose, direction, and strategy.
Culture Building: Foster an organized, motivated culture using S.M.A.R.T. metrics and a Kaizen mindset to drive continuous improvement.
Team Development: Utilize your product and sales expertise to hire top talent and coach the team to excel.
Risk Management: Develop and implement strategies to mitigate potential risks associated with product development and market deployment.
Customer Engagement: Actively engage with key clients and stakeholders to gather feedback and insights, ensuring the product meets their evolving needs.
Financial Planning: Oversee budgeting and financial planning for the product team, ensuring resources are allocated effectively.
Vendor and Partner Management: Establish and maintain relationships with key vendors and partners for seamless integration of third-party solutions.
User Experience Focus: Advocate for superior user experience across all product offerings, ensuring design and functionality meet the highest standards.