Principal Product Manager

Koalafi•Arlington, VA

7h•Onsite

About The Position

At Koalafi, we believe in a world where no one has to put an important purchase on hold. That’s why we’re making it easier for more people to pay for big purchases over time. Retailers across the country rely on us to offer flexible lease-to-own financing to their non-prime consumers, while increasing sales and strengthening customer loyalty. Their 2M+ customers love us because we provide a flexible way for them to make payments and give them an opportunity to improve their credit. Our 200+ Koalafi teammates enjoy inspiring and challenging work that accelerates their careers. Interested in learning more about how we’re transforming the financing experience and joining our team? Overview Koalafi is preparing to launch a non-prime installment product, and we’re looking for a Principal Product Manager to shape and lead this initiative from day one. This role is ideal for a product leader who thrives working at the intersection of strategy, execution, and collaboration. You’ll take ownership of defining the product vision, validating the opportunities, and building MVPs, partnering closely with teams across Revenue, Engineering, Risk, Legal, Operations, Finance, and external vendors to scale the offering. We’re looking for an experienced product manager who has led the development of new products from the ground up, demonstrates excellent cross-functional leadership and collaboration skills, and brings clarity and structure to ambiguous challenges.

Requirements

10+ years of product management experience, including ownership of new product development.
Experience in fintech, lending, embedded finance, or regulated consumer products.
Proven ability to work across technical, legal, and operational domains to launch new offerings.
Excellent executive communication and storytelling skills -written, verbal, and visual.
You are an entrepreneurial product leader with experience bringing new financial products to market.
You have excellent general management skills - balancing product, operations, risk, compliance, and growth.
You’ve worked in environments where you needed to start small but think big.
You’re comfortable navigating regulated environments, third-party vendor selection, and infrastructure decisions.
You know how to build influence across a wide range of stakeholders, from ICs to executives.
This position requires regular in-person attendance at one of our two office locations (Richmond, VA or Arlington, VA). Candidates must already be located within a commutable distance to either location, as relocation assistance is not available at this time.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with or integrating loan servicing platforms or core banking tools is a strong plus.

Responsibilities

Define the Product Strategy: Partner with the CPTO and executive team to shape the vision, goals, and value proposition for Koalafi’s non-prime installment loan product.
Lead the 0→1 Build: Oversee the full lifecycle from early discovery to MVP launch - customer research, requirements, compliance alignment, technical feasibility, and partner selection.
Evaluate Build vs. Buy: Assess the reusability of Koalafi’s existing core technology and operations stack for this new product. Determine when to leverage internal systems vs. integrating third-party SaaS tools for servicing, onboarding, etc.
Select and Integrate SaaS Vendors: Lead evaluation, selection, and integration of key loan servicing technologies - balancing time-to-market with long-term scalability and control.
Act as Product GM: Serve as the cross-functional connector - aligning Revenue, Engineering, Risk, Legal, and Ops around a cohesive execution plan. Guide financial modeling, go-to-market planning, and post-launch iteration.
Influence Across the Org: Create and communicate a compelling narrative to build alignment and excitement across teams. Provide executive updates, facilitate decisions, and advance excellence for strategic product leadership.