VP, Merchant Experience Sr Product Manager

Job ID: 2600683

Job Description:

Role Summary/Purpose:

We are seeking an experienced Product Manager to lead and define the merchant-facing capabilities and experiences required to drive adoption, growth, and scalability of Synchrony’s financing products and platforms across the Health & Wellness, Home & Auto, and Lifestyle business segments. The ideal candidate will be adept at quickly understanding a variety of technologies, possess a strong product management background with a focus on digital financing products, merchant/provider experience, and platform modernization, and have a proven track record of delivering strategic, multi-platform programs on time and within budget.

This individual will be responsible for working with cross functional product, technology, sales, and commercialization teams to define, design, and prioritize how new and existing capabilities are incorporated into Synchrony’s point of sale channels and merchant digital experiences—ultimately enabling our 400K+  merchant and provider base to offer, operate, and support financing seamlessly within their business operations.

This role will have direct supervision of 5 direct reports.  The role will require developing a deep understanding of the existing Synchrony merchant point of sale channels (Provider Center, Business Center, and Integrated Hosted Solution) and the end-to-end merchant lifecycle, including apply and buy experiences, operational workflows (e.g., lookup, estimate payments), and merchant enablement. This leader will guide a team to drive improvements to overarching merchant experiences—most critically the core experiences in our merchant point of sale systems, the merchant reporting suite, and the incorporation of installment products (Synchrony Pay Later) and our additional integrated lender partnerships into those Point of Sale channels.

We are looking for a bold, experienced leader who has a proven track record of driving growth and leading change across large, cross-functional teams. The ideal candidate will be a passionate advocate for our merchants and consumers, representing their needs and interests within Synchrony’s supporting organizations and digital product teams. This role involves not only understanding the current landscape but also envisioning new possibilities—and effectively communicating and championing that vision throughout the organization.

This role is ideally based out of one of our Synchrony office locations: Cincinnati OH, Stamford CT, Chicago IL, Charlotte NC, Costa Mesa CA, Alpharetta GA, New York City NY, or Orlando FL.

Our Way of Working

We’re proud to offer you flexibility. At Synchrony, our way of working allows you to have the option to work from home near one of our Hubs or come into one of our offices. Occasionally you will be required to commute or travel for in person engagement activities such as business or team meetings, training and culture events. 

*Field Sales and some Commercial team roles may have varied location requirements based upon partner obligations or preferences. 

Essential Responsibilities:

• Set direction for merchant distribution experiences by defining the product vision, strategy, and prioritized roadmap to drive adoption of financing products, features, and capabilities across channels.

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of product managers (5 direct reports) by setting clear priorities/OKRs, establishing operating rhythms, building talent (hiring/onboarding as needed), and driving accountability for outcomes

• Drive cross-functional alignment and prioritization by partnering with stakeholders across the business to define, sequence, and govern the features/capabilities needed to support multiproduct and multi-source financing solutions; ensuring clarity on requirements, dependencies, and trade-offs.

• Sponsor and oversee merchant experience modernization (e.g., portal redesign, improved navigation, alerts/notifications, streamlined workflows such as Apply/Buy/Lookup/Estimate Payments) by setting objectives, securing resourcing, removing blockers, and holding delivery teams accountable for efficiency and consistency improvements.

• Oversee end-to-end merchant lifecycle experience including onboarding/enablement, POS workflows, reporting/insights, and operational servicing experiences.

• Champion insight-led prioritization by leveraging market research, competitive insights, and merchant feedback to identify capability gaps and steer investment toward the highest-impact experience improvements.

• Support and enable sound product decisions by maintaining a working understanding of existing product capabilities and guiding how Enterprise features/capabilities are embedded into merchant point-of-sale channels and merchant digital experiences (in partnership with execution owners).

• Provide regular updates to Senior Leaders and partner with go to market teams to support commercialization readiness, enablement, and rollout communications as needed

• Build a strong cross-functional network and foster close working relationships with internal stakeholders across Distribution, Enterprise Product, Technology, Design, Data/Analytics, Operations, and Risk/Compliance.

• Build and sustain a high-performing product organization by coaching and mentoring leaders/ICs, establishing team operating norms, developing talent and succession plans, and ensuring the team is positioned to deliver against strategic priorities.

• Perform other duties and/or special projects as assigned.

Qualifications/Requirements:

• 8 plus years of experience related to product management (e.g., product strategy, program management, digital delivery, platform ownership), with end-to-end product lifecycle accountability.

• Proven ability to lead diverse teams and influence senior executives in a matrixed environment

• Experience working in SAFe Agile frameworks or similar agile methodologies

• Ability and flexibility to travel for business as required

Desired Characteristics:

• Bachelor’s Degree preferred, or commensurate experience in product management, sales, or marketing in credit or financial services industries

• Proven ability to manage and develop product managers while driving multiple concurrent product workstreams through effective prioritization and delegation.

• Passion for innovation and continuous improvement in digital financial products and merchant experiences

• Strong business acumen and understanding of compliance/regulatory considerations relevant to financial services

• Deep B2B/merchant experience (provider/merchant portals, POS enablement, servicing/operational tools) and comfort balancing merchant needs with internal operational realities.

• Proven change leader with experience modernizing legacy platforms/processes and bringing stakeholders along through ambiguity and resistance.

• Exceptional executive presence and stakeholder management across Sales/Commercial, Operations, Risk, and Technology in a matrixed enterprise.

• Proven experience leading and scaling product teams, including direct people leadership, hiring and developing talent, and creating strong team culture and accountability.

• Demonstrated thought leadership coupled with strong communication skills and ability to help teams connect the dots on new ideas, processes and strategy

• Ability to leverage technology to create new processes and drive efficiency gains

• Demonstrated strategic, analytical and problem-solving skills

• Excellent influencing and relationship-building skills at multiple levels of organization

Grade/Level: 13

                                                                      

The salary range for this position is 130,000.00 – 210,000.00 USD Annual and is eligible for an annual bonus based on individual and company performance.

Actual compensation offered within the posted salary range will be based upon work experience, skill level or knowledge.

Salaries are adjusted according to market in CA, NY Metro and Seattle.

Eligibility Requirements:

• You must be 18 years or older

• You must have a high school diploma or equivalent

• You must be willing to take a drug test, submit to a background investigation and submit fingerprints as part of the onboarding process

• You must be able to satisfy the requirements of Section 19 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act.

• New hires (Level 4-7) must have 9 months of continuous service with the company before they are eligible to post on other roles.  Once this new hire time in position requirement is met, the associate will have a minimum 6 months’ time in position before they can post for future non-exempt roles.  Employees, level 8 or greater, must have at least 18 months’ time in position before they can post.  All internal employees must consistently meet performance expectations and have approval from your manager to post (or the approval of your manager and HR if you don’t meet the time in position or performance expectations).

Legal authorization to work in the U.S. is required.  We will not sponsor individuals for employment visas, now or in the future, for this job opening. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status. 

Our Commitment:

When you join us, you’ll be part of an inclusive culture where your individual skills, experience, and voice are not only heard – but valued. Together, we’re building a future where we can all belong, connect, and turn ideals into action. More than 50% of our workforce is engaged in our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), where community and passion intersect to offer a safe space to learn and grow.

 

This starts when you choose to apply for a role at Synchrony. We ensure all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status. We’re proud to have an award-winning culture for all. 

Reasonable Accommodation Notice:

• Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job or to perform your job. Examples of reasonable accommodation include making a change to the application process or work procedures, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment.

• If you need special accommodations, please call our Career Support Line so that we can discuss your specific situation. We can be reached at 1-866-301-5627.   Representatives are available from 8am – 5pm Monday to Friday, Central Standard Time

Job Family Group:

Marketing