Expert Manager, Product Management & Innovation

Bain & Company • San Francisco, CA

87d • Hybrid

About The Position

Vector is Bain’s integrated digital and analytics capability, bringing together Enterprise Technology and AI, Insights & Solutions (AIS) to deliver cutting-edge innovation. You’ll join our Product Management & Innovation experts within the AIS team, which includes a group of experts in analytics, engineering, product management, user researchers and design. Together, we create human-centric solutions that leverage the power of data and artificial intelligence to drive competitive advantage for our clients. As an Expert Manager, Product Management & Innovation, you’ll work on integrated teams alongside our general consultants and clients to lead development of omnichannel solutions across a wide range of industries and problems—driving the strategic vision with cross-functional teams to deliver impactful, feasible, and client-aligned experiences, products, and businesses. You have a passion for designing and developing customer-centric innovative solutions, a foundation in product development, technical aptitude, and a collaborative mindset. With a special focus on driving innovation, you will work closely with engineering, design, and strategy teams to explore emerging technologies, validate new ideas, and guide agile development from research and planning to execution. You'll contribute to high-impact, client-facing solutions while building your technical and strategic skills in a fast-paced, experimentation & data-driven environment.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business, Engineering, Design or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 8+ years of experience delivering innovation in consulting, tech, industries or startups
• Proficiency using insights to guide product decisions that consider business value, technical feasibility user needs and business goals, with the ability to assess and lead technical feasibility, with the ability to run two to three dimensions simultaneously
• Proficient in product managing software development with hands-on experience in AI solutions
• Experience using Gen-AI powered product development tools effectively (i.e Synthetic Users, VoiceOver, Loveable, etc.)
• Experience in design thinking principles and leading or facilitating workshops to cultivate design thinking innovation process
• Able to explain the technical aspects of the products worked on
• Ability to rapidly absorb and interpret technical information, with a deep understanding of modern design and development principles
• Experience in applying agile and scrum methodologies to lead cross-functional teams
• Experience in Lean Startup methodology and applying its principles
• Ability to manage cross-functional/inter-disciplinary teams including engineers, designers and researchers
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to explain and discuss approaches and technicalities of solutions with colleagues and clients from other disciplines
• Ability to work independently, manage priorities, and collaborate effectively in complex, ambiguous situations, passion for delivering high-impact client results in fast-paced, evolving environments
• Curiosity, proactivity and critical thinking
• Ability to collaborate with people at all levels and with multi-office/region teams

Nice To Haves

• Top Tier consulting experience
• Product Management experience, including assisting in the development and launch of software, enterprise solutions, services, mobile/web apps or other products
• Background in architecture/software dev/data pipelines, a plus
• Experienced defining requirements & product flow and implementing AI/tech solutions, a plus
• Experience in product managing the architecting and implementing of AI/tech solutions at an enterprise scale, a plus

Responsibilities

• Apply Human-Centered Design to Product Strategy and Innovation: Integrate human-centered design into product strategy, aligning research with business and customer goals, turning insights into product vision. Guide ideation sessions, journey mapping, and service design workshops to align teams around user-centric solutions. Lead collaboration with design and research teams to support prototyping and testing to ensure continuous validation while applying a strategic lens to balance user needs, reliable tech solutions, business needs and alignment.
• Support the Strategy Setting and Delivery of Proof of Concepts (POCs) and Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) and Products: Partner closely with Bain teams and clients to understand business challenges, deliver on business needs and drive results. Apply agile and product management best practices to drive excellence—from agile ceremonies to managing risks and optimizing roadmaps. Recommend solutions that are grounded in insights and lead to measurable outcomes for users and the business.
• Support Product Planning, Roadmap Definition, and Execution: Apply your deep expertise to generate insights across user needs, reliable tech solutions, business needs and strategic alignment. Support the development and evolution of product roadmaps, ensuring initiatives aligns with broader strategic goals. Guide decision-making and effectively translate complex technical concepts into clear and non-technical language for all stakeholders. Leverage business and user insights to define, size and prioritize product roadmap opportunities, articulating associated tradeoffs and mitigating risks throughout the product lifecycle.
• Contribute to Building an Inspired Team: Play an active role and lead in creating a collaborative case team culture across AIS, clients, and other stakeholders. Quickly integrate into client environments, building trust and influence through strong collaboration and consistent engagement. Create alignment across stakeholders through transparency, shared ownership and momentum toward results.
• Support Building Capabilities and Skills of AIS, Bain and Client Teams: Mentor junior team members and continue building your skills in human-centered design, agile, technical fluency (e.g., how products are built and scaled), and innovation-driven product management. Contribute to internal initiatives and intellectual property in Product Management and Innovation. Capture and share learnings from client work to strengthen institutional knowledge within AIS and Bain communities. Maintain a curious and proactive mindset; adopting emerging tools and technologies, such as generative AI, to boost productivity and enhance team outcomes.

Benefits

• Annual discretionary performance bonus
• 401(k) plan with an annual employer contribution based on years of service
• Bain’s best in class benefits package
• Comprehensive benefits and wellness program
• Bain pays 100% individual employee premiums for medical, dental and vision programs
• Generous paid time off, including parental leave, sick leave and paid holidays
• Fully vested 401(k) company contribution
• Paid Life and Long-Term Disability insurance

What This Job Offers

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