Managing Director, Head of Product for Individual Solutions

Principal Financial Group • Charlotte, NC

10h • $242,000 - $328,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

We’re looking for an Managing Director, Head of Product to join our Individual Solutions leadership team! In this role you'll lead the end-to-end next generation product platform strategy and implementation for Individual Solutions, including Workplace Personal Investing and Principal Advised Services, setting and execution of the long‑term vision, priorities, and roadmap across advisor‑delivered solutions, platforms, and capabilities. This role will architect Individual Solutions product experiences to compete, scale, integrate, and evolve, balancing client outcomes, advisor enablement, commercial performance, and regulatory expectations to drive sustainable growth.
You'll have the opportunity to:
Owns the end‑to‑end product strategy, vision, and multi-year roadmap for Individual Solutions (IS), with single‑point accountability for priorities aligned to firm objectives, client needs, and market dynamics. Oversees the full lifecycle of the IS product portfolio, from ideation, development, and architecture through launch, ongoing management, integration, and rationalization, ensuring sustained competitiveness through continuous assessment of market trends, competitor offerings, pricing, and performance.Defines how workplace advice solutions evolve over the next decade as an industry shaping set of experiences.
Drive alignment, execution, and integration across technology, distribution, marketing, risk, compliance, and operations, serving as the senior product voice for IS with executive leadership and influencing enterprise decision‑making related to advisor platforms and product direction. Define product and platform capabilities that enable Financial Advisors to serve clients effectively, improve productivity, and enhance client management. Provide strategic direction for advisor‑facing tools and platforms by translating business and advisor needs into clear product requirements and priorities, and partner with technology and delivery teams to ensure platforms support intended product outcomes without direct ownership of technical architecture or engineering execution.
Partner closely with Sales, Marketing, Distribution, and Relationship Management to define competitive market requirements, client segmentation and “graduation” pathways, shape growth opportunities, and align product strategy to commercial priorities. Support go‑to‑market execution by ensuring product positioning, value propositions, and messaging clearly resonate with advisors and clients. Serve as the senior product executive for IS with key internal stakeholders and select external partners, representing product strategy and priorities at an enterprise level for IS.
Accountable for product performance and long‑term economic outcomes across the IS portfolio. Provide product‑level financial leadership by contributing to business cases, evaluating profitability, and monitoring ongoing performance. Partner closely with Finance on strategic investment decisions, including assessing ROI and scalability of product initiatives, and collaborate with Risk and Compliance to ensure products and platforms operate within established risk appetite and regulatory expectations.
Lead and develop senior product leaders, fostering an inclusive, high‑performance culture that embraces change, encourages innovation, and delivers measurable results. Establish clear product governance, decision frameworks, and operating rhythms to promote accountability, execution discipline, and professional growth. Authority to make trade-offs across experience, cost and speed. Own build/buy/partner decisions. Make informed talent decisions related to hiring, compensation, and rewards to attract, retain, and develop top talent, while recognizing and celebrating team contributions.
Perform other job related duties or special projects as required.
Operating at the intersection of financial services and technology, Principal builds financial tools that help our customers live better lives. We take pride in being a purpose-led firm, motivated by our mission to make financial security accessible to all. Our mission, integrity, and customer focus have made us a trusted leader for more than 140 years!

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Marketing, or a related field or equivalent; advanced degree preferred.
• 15+ years of experience in financial services, fintech, or a related field including at least 10 years in product management, product strategy, tech platform enablement and integration, or closely related leadership roles
• Demonstrated success leading complex, multi‑product and platform portfolios and applying deep wealth management expertise to set product strategy, evaluate tradeoffs, and drive execution, integration, and growth in advisor‑led businesses
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, with experience evaluating product economics, profitability, pricing tradeoffs, and business cases
• Proven ability to partner closely with distribution, sales, and marketing to translate market and client needs into product strategy and growth outcomes
• Experience owning the product vision and prioritization for advisor‑facing platforms and tools, with accountability for business outcomes rather than technical delivery
• Strong strategic and commercial acumen, with the ability to set product vision, prioritize investments, and evaluate tradeoffs based on client needs, market dynamics, and business objectives.
• Demonstrated financial leadership, including experience contributing to business cases, assessing profitability, evaluating ROI, and monitoring product performance.
• Ability to translate advisor and business needs into clear product strategies and priorities, guiding platform and capability development without direct ownership of technical architecture.
• Proven people leader with experience developing senior leaders, establishing governance and operating rhythms, and building inclusive, high‑performance teams.
• Excellent communication and executive presence, with the ability to represent product strategy effectively to senior leadership and key stakeholders.
• Systems thinker and operator, effective builder, navigates ambiguity effectively, balances user experiences, economics, and risk.

Nice To Haves

• FINRA licensing not required, but considered a plus

Responsibilities

• Owns the end‑to‑end product strategy, vision, and multi-year roadmap for Individual Solutions (IS), with single‑point accountability for priorities aligned to firm objectives, client needs, and market dynamics.
• Oversees the full lifecycle of the IS product portfolio, from ideation, development, and architecture through launch, ongoing management, integration, and rationalization, ensuring sustained competitiveness through continuous assessment of market trends, competitor offerings, pricing, and performance.
• Defines how workplace advice solutions evolve over the next decade as an industry shaping set of experiences.
• Drive alignment, execution, and integration across technology, distribution, marketing, risk, compliance, and operations, serving as the senior product voice for IS with executive leadership and influencing enterprise decision‑making related to advisor platforms and product direction.
• Define product and platform capabilities that enable Financial Advisors to serve clients effectively, improve productivity, and enhance client management.
• Provide strategic direction for advisor‑facing tools and platforms by translating business and advisor needs into clear product requirements and priorities, and partner with technology and delivery teams to ensure platforms support intended product outcomes without direct ownership of technical architecture or engineering execution.
• Partner closely with Sales, Marketing, Distribution, and Relationship Management to define competitive market requirements, client segmentation and “graduation” pathways, shape growth opportunities, and align product strategy to commercial priorities.
• Support go‑to‑market execution by ensuring product positioning, value propositions, and messaging clearly resonate with advisors and clients.
• Serve as the senior product executive for IS with key internal stakeholders and select external partners, representing product strategy and priorities at an enterprise level for IS.
• Accountable for product performance and long‑term economic outcomes across the IS portfolio.
• Provide product‑level financial leadership by contributing to business cases, evaluating profitability, and monitoring ongoing performance.
• Partner closely with Finance on strategic investment decisions, including assessing ROI and scalability of product initiatives, and collaborate with Risk and Compliance to ensure products and platforms operate within established risk appetite and regulatory expectations.
• Lead and develop senior product leaders, fostering an inclusive, high‑performance culture that embraces change, encourages innovation, and delivers measurable results.
• Establish clear product governance, decision frameworks, and operating rhythms to promote accountability, execution discipline, and professional growth.
• Authority to make trade-offs across experience, cost and speed.
• Own build/buy/partner decisions.
• Make informed talent decisions related to hiring, compensation, and rewards to attract, retain, and develop top talent, while recognizing and celebrating team contributions.
• Perform other job related duties or special projects as required.

Benefits

• Flexible Time Off (FTO) is provided to salaried (exempt) employees and provides the opportunity to take time away from the office with pay for vacation, personal or short-term illness. Employees don’t accrue a bank of time off under FTO and there is no set number of days provided.
• Pension Eligible

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees