Director of Product Innovation

Verifone • New York City, NY

15d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Product Innovation is responsible for shaping the future of our vertically focused Point of Sale (POS) platform by anticipating market evolution and driving experience-level differentiation. While the POS market we serve today is not yet fully commoditized, competitive pressure is accelerating. This role exists to ensure we stay ahead of that curve by proactively defining differentiation before parity becomes a risk. This position is intentionally designed for a senior product leader with experience in mature, highly competitive POS or transactional software markets. The Director of Product Innovation will apply lessons learned from those environments to reimagine the POS experience, identify differentiated capabilities, and responsibly leverage emerging technologies—including AI—to improve speed, clarity, and decision-making at the point of sale. Success in this role is driven by POS craft, workflow excellence, and strong product judgment—not domain specialization. The role partners closely with Product Management, UX, Engineering, and Go-to-Market teams to move validated innovations into the core product roadmap.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in product management, product innovation, or product strategy.
• Significant experience with POS or transactional software products.
• Demonstrated success innovating in competitive, choice-driven markets.
• Proven experience ideating, piloting, and launching differentiated product capabilities.
• Deep understanding of POS workflows, constraints, and real-time transactional systems.
• Strong product judgment and experience-led decision-making.
• Fluency in AI concepts and applications for product innovation (engineering background not required).
• Ability to translate abstract ideas into concrete, testable product concepts.
• Excellent communication, storytelling, and cross-functional influence skills.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

• Innovation Strategy & Product Leadership Define and own the POS product innovation agenda aligned with long-term company strategy. Identify emerging competitive patterns and proactively mitigate future parity risks. Establish a repeatable innovation model (discovery → validation → pilot → scale). Balance long-term vision with near-term, shippable innovation.
• POS Experience & Workflow Innovation Lead experience-led innovation across frontline POS workflows, including checkout, staff enablement, error prevention, and manager interactions. Reimagine how speed, simplicity, and trust show up in mission-critical POS moments. Champion usability and workflow excellence as primary competitive advantages. Ensure innovations enhance reliability and confidence in high-throughput environments.
• AI-Enabled Feature Ideation Lead ideation for AI-supported POS capabilities, including: Context-aware prompts and recommendations at checkout Intelligent automation of repetitive or error-prone actions Predictive insights embedded directly in POS workflows Natural language or conversational interactions where they reduce friction Translate AI capabilities into practical, explainable, and trusted product features. Partner with Engineering and Data teams to guide feasibility, scope, and delivery (without owning model development).
• Customer Discovery & Validation Conduct deep customer discovery focused on real operational constraints at the point of sale. Validate concepts through prototypes, pilots, and early-access programs. Use evidence—not assumptions—to advance or retire innovation initiatives. Apply insights from competitive markets to guide future-proof product decisions.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration Work closely with Product Management to transition validated innovations into the core roadmap. Partner with UX, Engineering, Sales, and Customer Success to ensure innovations are usable, scalable, and market-ready. Support Go-to-Market teams with clear product narratives and differentiation stories. Influence across teams and senior stakeholders without direct authority.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director