Principal Product Manager

Kiavi is one of the nation’s largest private lenders to residential real estate investors (REIs). We harness the power of data & technology to offer our customers a simpler, more reliable, and faster way to access the capital they need to scale their businesses. 

Formerly known as LendingHome, we’re committed to helping REIs revitalize the approximately $25 trillion worth of aged U.S. housing stock to provide move-in ready homes and rental housing for millions of Americans across the country.

Combining our technology and industry expertise, Kiavi has grown to a team of over 400 and has won many awards over the years including Forbes Fintech 50, Finovate Awards, Best Digital Mortgage Platform, Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, and many more. 

• Loans Funded: $18+ billion in loans funded 
• Homes financed: 71,000+ projects funded for our customers across the country
• Geography: 31 states + D.C. where we lend to REIs so they can revitalize neighborhoods
• Employees: Over 400 employees with competitive benefits and perks

This position can be based remotely in any of our approved hiring regions. Our hybrid distributed workforce philosophy allows us to find the best talent in the country and build diverse teams, while allowing our colleagues to work from the location that works best for them. For those who prefer to work in-office, we have locations in San Francisco and Pittsburgh. We also plan to use these spaces to bring together teammates to drive creativity and innovation.

The Role

The Kiavi product team drives business outcomes while representing the customer. As a champion of our long-term vision, Product Managers at Kiavi give regular, clear, and consistent communication of where their team is headed and why. Product Managers at Kiavi pull together cross-functional stakeholders to facilitate robust discussions and drive decisions and action every single day. It is a selfless role that requires winning by influence over authority with strong relationships across the organization built on a track record of true partnership and delivery. Product Managers at Kiavi are willing to grind down to the details and create smooth launches, reduce thrash, and minimize surprises. 

The Principal Product Manager will have at least 7 years of product management experience and preferably a background in the data science and machine learning (ML) space. This role requires a unique blend of technical expertise, strategic thinking, and exceptional leadership skills. You will work closely with data infrastructure teams, data scientists and analysts, risk analytics teams, and diverse stakeholders across the organization, including but not limited to other product teams, technical/engineer teams, risk, operations, sales, and marketing. You may also directly interface with customers to identify opportunities to leverage data and ML to improve and differentiate customer experience and support relevant launches. Your primary goal will be to create business value and efficiency leveraging data, ML and AI. You will partner with data scientists to drive the development and implementation of AI and ML models, and work closely with data engineers to enable high-quality datasets and tools for data warehouse, MLOps, data observability, etc. You will also stay on top of innovative technology solutions (e.g. generative AI) that address complex customer, workflow, and fintech challenges.

The ideal candidate is a technical product leader that can work well independently and across teams and domains to solve both customer and operational problems.

Responsibilities

• Define and communicate high-level requirements and success criteria in collaboration with cross functional stakeholders.  
• Rely on Technical Program Manager to refine requirements and develop timelines/commitments given available capacity.
• Track the resulting metrics and report progress to stakeholders regularly in various formats and settings.
• Collaborate with data infrastructure teams, data scientists, and data/risk analytics teams to design, develop, and deploy advanced technology solutions, including AI and ML models tailored for fintech applications.
• Lead early research and ensure that the development of internal facing prototypes (often via Retool) meet the needs of customers and stakeholders. Work with the team to iterate and launch efficiently and ensure the successful integration of productionalized models into existing systems.
• Drive adoption of various data products (e.g. ML models, analytics tools, MLOps framework and process) and curated datasets by desired stakeholders to create expected value. 
• Engage with diverse stakeholders (risk, operations, sales, engineering, marketing, etc.) to understand their needs, gather requirements, and prioritize projects effectively.
• Define and drive short/mid/long-term product roadmap and strategy, and quarterly OKRs, ensuring alignment with top level company goals.
• Facilitate cross-functional collaboration and communication to ensure successful and on-time project delivery and stakeholder satisfaction.
• Conduct market research and competitive analysis to identify emerging trends and opportunities in fintech.
• Provide hands-on support to teams as needed, demonstrating a willingness to get involved in the details.
• WIth the support of Data Infra Engineering Manager and Technical Program Manager, have the capacity to lead a large decentralized group from complex and ambiguous situations to clarity and focus
• Understanding of how to Influence product decisions and drive outcomes using data and transparent prioritization 
• Track record of developing effective working partnerships, resolving conflict, and facilitating decision making across teams.
• Mentor and guide junior product managers and team members, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in product management.
• Track record of success with complex technical products working closely with technical program managers,engineering managers, and data science managers
• Has had roles that required long-term strategic thinking at the full company level.
• Has worked in truly cross-functional teams (product, engineering, data, capital markets, servicing, and more) with an outcomes-based OKR approach.
• Excellent communication in both top-down vision and bottom-up details when needed.
• Prior experience as a data scientist or working extremely closely with data scientists as a product manager, with a deep understanding of AI, ML, and data infrastructure.
• Strong technical background with the ability to engage effectively with engineering and data teams.
• Exceptional problem-solving skills and the ability to navigate complex technical challenges.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate with diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong analytical mindset with a focus on data-driven decision-making.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, Finance, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.

Kiavi takes a market-based approach to pay, and pay may vary depending on your location. Work locations are categorized into one of three tiers based on cost of labor for that geographic area. These ranges may be modified in the future.

Region 1 - $207,400 - $311,000 + equity + benefits

Region 2 - $196,900 - $295,300+ equity + benefits

Region 3 - $194,200 - $291,200 + equity + benefits

To find a location’s tier, please refer to https://kiavi.com/compensation. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries. Within the range, the successful candidate’s starting pay will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, work location, and market conditions. Your recruiter can share more about the specific base pay range for your preferred location during the hiring process. Please note that the pay range listed above reflects the base salary only, and does not include the target value of bonus [remove if not applicable], equity, or benefits.

Benefits and Perks 

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance: Kiavi offers free employee-only coverage for medical, dental, and vision plans. Dependents receive a heavily discounted premium, competitively placed in the 90th percentile for cost.
• Health Savings Account (HSA): For those enrolled in a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), Kiavi provides an annual employer contribution to HSAs: $500 for individual coverage and $1,000 for dependents.
• Disability and Life Insurance: Immediate access to short-term and long-term disability insurance, as well as group life and AD&D insurance, with coverage at 1x annual salary.
• Remote Work Policy: Kiavi supports working remotely for day to day activities for most roles and occasionally may ask employees to gather in person for key meetings, trainings, team building etc. For remote workers, Kiavi offers a one-time office setup reimbursement of up to $500 and a monthly $75 stipend for internet and phone expenses. For in-office workers, Kiavi offers employer contributions to commuter benefits account, either for parking or public transportation.
• Flexible Time Off: Employees are empowered to manage their own time off, with no strict limits, as long as it's approved by their manager.
• Paid Leaves: Up to 8 weeks of paid leave for medical or caregiver purposes, and 12 weeks of paid maternity/paternity leave. Short-term disability leave is also available for birthing mothers.
• 401(k) & Company Match: A 401(k) plan managed by Fidelity, with Kiavi matching 100% of contributions up to 3% of compensation or $4,000 (whichever is less). All employer contributions are immediately vested.
• Product Ownership: All employees think like an owner because all employees play a critical role in making our business great. Many roles are eligible for stock option grants.

Kiavi in the News:

• Comment start HousingWire: 2023 HW Tech100 Winner: Kiavi 
• PropTech Connect: Kiavi Closes $209M To Grow Its Funding Capacity 
• CrowdFund Insider: Kiavi Closes $158M Revolving Securitization of Residential Transition Loans 
• Mortgage Professional America: Real investors’ lender Kiavi achieves milestone  
• Inc Magazine: 2022 Best Places to Work: Kiavi  

If you'd like to see more about what Kiavi has to offer or explore additional opportunities, visit our careers page.  Kiavi is an Equal Opportunity Employer
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