Lead Product Manager – Forecasting Center of Excellence (P4373)

8451 • Chicago, OH

9d • Onsite

About The Position

The Forecasting Center of Excellence (FCOE) at 84.51° delivers accurate, timely sales forecasts that empower decision-makers at Kroger, 84.51°, and our CPG partners. Our forecasts fuel better insights, optimized operations, and strategic business decisions. As a Lead Product Manager, you'll drive day-to-day delivery and medium term strategic direction for forecasting products. You'll translate business needs into clear, prioritized work, own the near-term product roadmap, and collaborate closely with engineering and data science teams to ensure timely, high-quality delivery. You’ll influence stakeholders, guide strategic decisions, and mentor junior team members to ensure product success. This role reports directly to the Product Director of FCOE.

Requirements

• 5+ years of product management experience, ideally focused on data-intensive, analytical, or technical products.
• Proven ability to autonomously manage complex product roadmaps, balancing competing priorities and delivering measurable outcomes.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, capable of clearly articulating technical information and business value to diverse stakeholders.
• Demonstrated proficiency in agile methodologies, including writing user stories, defining acceptance criteria, and prioritizing work effectively.
• Experience collaborating closely with technical teams (Engineering/Data Science), ensuring mutual clarity and timely execution.
• Experience with product management software.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in data science, computer science, engineering, mathematics, or related fields

Nice To Haves

• Our tech stack is Github, Jira, and Shibumi and experience here is a plus, but not required.
• Familiarity with forecasting, data science, or analytics products is strongly preferred; retail/grocery experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Product Roadmap and Business Ownership: Own and maintain the product roadmap (0-12 months), clearly aligning work priorities with user needs, business objectives, and strategic initiatives. Develop clear measures of success focused on user value, tracking and communicating outcomes regularly to stakeholders.
• Product Delivery and Technical Collaboration: Actively lead sprint planning, clearly defining user stories, acceptance criteria, and prioritization frameworks for forecasting products. Collaborate closely with Engineering and Data Science partners to ensure technical feasibility, remove obstacles, and deliver timely, impactful solutions. Own product backlog management, including writing clear, detailed user stories and managing initiatives through completion.
• Communication and Stakeholder Alignment: Serve as a cross-functional and cross-team connector, proactively identifying and managing critical touchpoints. Clearly communicate product goals, progress, and value, influencing leaders and stakeholders to align around strategic priorities.
• Strategic Influence and Thought Leadership: Continuously inform product strategy by identifying emerging opportunities or risks, influencing senior stakeholders to maximize product value. Proactively suggest improvements to team practices, processes, and approaches, using feedback, data, and market insights to drive innovation.
• Mentorship and Functional Leadership: Actively coach and mentor junior team members (Product Managers, Associate PMs), supporting their growth and improving team performance. Contribute functional expertise within the broader organization, acting as a resource and informal leader for best practices in product management.

Benefits

• Health: Medical: with competitive plan designs and support for self-care, wellness and mental health.
• Dental: with in-network and out-of-network benefit.
• Vision: with in-network and out-of-network benefit.
• Wealth: 401(k) with Roth option and matching contribution.
• Health Savings Account with matching contribution (requires participation in qualifying medical plan).
• AD&D and supplemental insurance options to help ensure additional protection for you.
• Happiness: Paid time off with flexibility to meet your life needs, including 5 weeks of vacation time, 7 health and wellness days, 3 floating holidays, as well as 6 company-paid holidays per year.
• Paid leave for maternity, paternity and family care instances.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees