Senior Director of Product

Space Inch is seeking a Senior Director of Product to lead our product function within a long-standing partnership with one of the largest investment managers in the U.S. This role is embedded on-site with the client in midtown Manhattan and serves as the senior-most product leader across a portfolio of critical software initiatives. You will oversee a small team of product managers (4–5) while also working hands-on to scope projects, define product requirements, and translate business needs into technical direction. You’ll partner closely with both our internal team and the client’s technology and business leadership to articulate product roadmaps, demonstrate the value of ongoing work, and ensure alignment on priorities. This is a unique opportunity to operate at the intersection of product strategy and execution in a fast-paced, enterprise environment. Note: This is a full-time, on-site role in Midtown Manhattan. Please apply ONLY if you are available to work in person. Our mission, vision and values At Space Inch, we prioritize alignment with our clients and team, ensuring a deep understanding of their needs. We are committed to delivering exceptional work while supporting the personal and professional growth of our team members. Working at Space Inch Our team (~75 people) is primarily based in Croatia, with members in South America, Serbia, and the US. Occasional travel may be required, including annual company retreats in Croatia. We work on end-to-end and hybrid development projects. We strongly support work/life balance for our team members. Key Responsibilities The first 50% of Work Executive Communication: Act as the primary interface with business and technology executives, communicating roadmap updates, framing product value, and aligning priorities across stakeholders. Team Alignment: Provide strategic leadership across the product team, ensuring clarity, coordination, and consistent prioritization, while enabling talented individual PMs to focus on execution. Product Vision & Strategy: Help develop the product vision and strategy across a portfolio of enterprise software tools used by multiple business units. Cultivate and strengthen strategic relationships with key executive-level clients and partners. Process Improvement: Identify opportunities to strengthen product processes and team coordination, supporting continuous improvement and operational excellence. The other 50% of Work Hands-On Product Work: Contribute directly to product delivery, scoping new projects, shaping requirements, and working with business stakeholders to define outcomes. Cross-Functional Delivery: Work closely with engineering, design, and program management partners to deliver complex software solutions at scale. Roadmap Development: Translate evolving business needs into high-impact product roadmaps, in close collaboration with client stakeholders. Requirements What you'll bring Extensive Product Leadership Experience: 10+ years in senior product roles, ideally within fintech.  Best case scenario: you have experience in investment management. Strategic Product Vision: A strong track record of defining and executing multi-year product strategies that drive measurable business impact. Team Leadership & Collaboration: Exceptional ability to lead and align experienced product professionals around shared goals. Executive-Level Communication: Proven skill in presenting product strategies clearly and simply to technical, non-technical, and senior executive audiences. Business & Financial Acumen: Strong understanding of business drivers and financial metrics, with the ability to connect product work to bottom-line outcomes. Forward-Thinking Perspective: A strategic thinker who can anticipate future needs, spot emerging trends, and turn insight into actionable product initiatives. Comfort with Complexity & Ambiguity: Demonstrated success working through uncertainty, resolving competing priorities, and building alignment across diverse stakeholders. Typical challenges you will be solving Strategic Cohesion Across Portfolios: Orchestrating a unified product strategy across a diverse set of fintech initiatives, ensuring coordination and insight across multiple concurrent workstreams. Executive Influence & Communication: Translating complex roadmaps and product strategies into clear, compelling narratives for executive stakeholders, helping drive alignment and informed decision-making. Org-Wide Value Communication: Proactively communicating the value, progress, and accomplishments of our work to business and technology leaders across the client’s organization. Product Philosophy Evangelism: Defining and advocating for Space Inch’s product approach, demonstrating how thoughtful product leadership can drive results in high-stakes enterprise environments. Balancing Short-Term & Long-Term Needs: Navigating tensions between immediate delivery demands and strategic product investment, maintaining momentum while managing expectations. Qualities for success Visionary yet practical: Able to see the big picture while remaining grounded in execution realities. Strategic Thinker: You see the big picture, connect disparate dots, and formulate long-term plans. Exceptional Communicator: You excel at conveying complex ideas simply and persuasively to diverse audiences, from engineers to CEOs. Empathetic & Influential: You build trust and drive alignment through deep understanding and compelling arguments. Decisive & Accountable: You make tough decisions, take ownership of outcomes, and empower your team to do the same. Business Savvy: You understand the levers of business growth and how product strategy directly contributes to the bottom line. This job might not be for you if you Avoid Strategic Ambiguity: You’re uncomfortable operating in environments where direction is evolving and require a high degree of clarity before taking action. Shy Away from Executive Engagement: You dislike influencing, managing, and building relationships with senior leaders across both client and internal teams.  This job requires constant alignment with several senior leaders. Prefer Established Structures: You’re not energized by the challenge of shaping and scaling a product function, including defining practices, processes, and culture. Benefits Work with a large, talented team experienced in managing large-scale projects for public companies, while also collaborating directly with C-level executives on both sides. Also work with B and C round PE-backed growth companies. The team focuses on large and impactful projects and impactful products. You’ll join a highly talented team working on a major platform rebuild. The team is large enough for scale but small enough to stay connected. Culture values collaboration, ownership, and clarity across disciplines. Space Inch is not responsible for any job boards scraping this ad without showing the position as NYC exclusive. Applicants from other countries will not be considered. Space Inch is committed to providing an environment of equal employment opportunity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. This commitment extends to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, compensation, benefits, and termination. Space Inch believes in treating all employees and applicants with respect and dignity, fostering a workplace where everyone has the opportunity to succeed.