Principal Product Manager, Growth

The Principal Product Manager, Growth at Upstart is responsible for defining and executing strategies to drive growth in loan originations, focusing on enhancing the customer experience across multiple credit offerings. This role involves collaborating across teams to ensure cohesive processes, leveraging data-driven insights to make informed product decisions, and establishing success metrics to evaluate the impact of product initiatives. Additionally, the manager is tasked with identifying optimization opportunities and making smart trade-offs to inform the product roadmap.

Candidates for the Principal Product Manager, Growth position at Upstart should have a minimum of 8 years of experience in product management, specifically focused on consumer growth. Proven success in leading a team to achieve specific KPIs is essential, along with strong prototyping and experimentation skills. Furthermore, the ideal candidate will possess the ability to build relationships effectively across all organizational levels and should have experience building consumer products in regulated industries, like financial services.

The Principal Product Manager, Growth plays a pivotal role in driving Upstart’s overarching strategy by creating compelling product experiences that encourage customer engagement and loyalty. Through building a cohesive multi-product marketplace, the manager will help optimize loan originations and enhance customer satisfaction. Their decisions directly influence the growth metrics that shape the future success of Upstart’s products and services, aligning with company goals.

The environment for a Principal Product Manager, Growth at Upstart is collaborative and inclusive, emphasizing teamwork across various departments, including engineering, design, marketing, and analytics. The Growth team is dedicated to creating a seamless product experience for customers. Regular on-sites and team events foster strong relationships and a sense of community, even in a remote setting. This supportive culture ensures every team member can contribute effectively and feel their efforts have a meaningful impact.

Upstart embraces a 'digital first' philosophy, allowing the Principal Product Manager, Growth to work remotely from anywhere in the United States. While most tasks can be completed online, the company encourages employees to engage in regular in-person collaboration through quarterly on-site meetings. This balance allows for flexible working arrangements while maintaining a strong team connection.

Prioritizing features involves evaluating each one based on its potential ROI, customer impact, and alignment with our strategic goals. I often utilize a data-driven approach, conducting A/B tests and gathering insights from user feedback to inform my decisions.

In my previous role, I spearheaded a project that enhanced our credit product offerings. By collaborating closely with marketing and engineering teams, I utilized consumer insights to significantly improve our cross-sell and upsell strategies. The project ultimately resulted in a 30% increase in loan originations within six months.

Key metrics for assessing product success typically include customer acquisition rates, conversion rates, customer lifetime value, and the impact of cross-sell initiatives. I believe continuous monitoring and transparency around these metrics fosters a culture of improvement.

I prioritize open communication and regular check-ins to align goals between teams. Building strong relationships is essential, and I ensure everyone understands the project's objectives, which allows for smoother collaboration and successful outcomes.

I find tools like JIRA for project tracking, Aha! for product roadmapping, and Tableau for data analysis effective in managing product workflows. These tools help streamline processes and facilitate collaboration across departments.

Customer feedback is crucial for my product strategy. I employ surveys, user testing, and direct interviews to gather insights. This data is instrumental in shaping features that truly resonate with our users.

A/B testing has been a vital part of my decision-making process. I craft hypotheses based on user behavior, run tests to compare different approaches, and analyze the results to inform future product enhancements.

First, I delve into user analytics to identify pain points. I then collaborate with cross-functional teams to brainstorm possible solutions and if necessary, pivot our strategy based on findings. Continuous improvement and adaptation are key.

I regularly read industry reports, attend webinars, and participate in professional groups. Networking with peers also provides valuable insights into how other companies are innovating within the lending space.

Developing a product roadmap requires a balance of strategic vision and adaptability. I start by defining our long-term goals, gather input from various stakeholders, and prioritize initiatives that align with our company mission and customer needs.