PRODUCT MANAGER - Client Experience

Empyrean•Minneapolis, MN

11d•Remote

About The Position

The Product Manager is responsible for the product ideation, planning, and execution across the full lifecycle of the benefits administration ecosystem. This role requires deep expertise in the benefits administration industry or equivalent benefits experience, a comprehensive understanding of the platform’s end-to-end capabilities, and hands-on experience delivering solutions for clients. The Product Manager will collaborate cross-functionally with internal departments and external third parties — including Implementation, Client Services, Compliance, Engineering, IT, and Sales — to ensure the product meets market needs, drives client satisfaction, and supports the company’s strategic goals.

Requirements

Deep understanding of the Benefits Administration or related industry. Experience with benefit communications preferred.
Strong knowledge of benefits administration platforms and their end-to-end workflows (eligibility, enrollment, data exchange, compliance, reporting).
Well-developed written and verbal communication skills
Possess a self-starting “entrepreneurial” mindset and ability to flourish working independently
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; ability to synthesize complex feedback into clear product direction.
Experience working with Agile/Scrum methodologies and tools (JIRA, Confluence).
Entrepreneurial mindset with a bias for action and ownership.
Ability to influence and lead across departments and levels of the organization.
Bachelor’s degree preferred but not required
In lieu of Bachelor’s degree, equivalent years of experience in product strategy and management, benefits administration or a related field
Minimum 5+ years of experience in the benefits administration industry, with a strong understanding of employer-sponsored benefits including health & welfare, COBRA, FSA/HSA, and ACA compliance.
Demonstrated experience working with benefits administration platforms, including a deep understanding of end-to-end workflows such as eligibility management, enrollment, data exchange (EDI), compliance, and reporting.
Proven track record of delivering platform-based solutions to clients, including involvement in implementation, configuration, and ongoing support.
Ability to translate client needs into scalable product features.
Experience working closely with internal departments such as Implementation, Client Services, Operations, Compliance, Technology, and Sales to support product development and delivery.
Experience working with third-party technology partners
Or, any equivalent combination of education, experience, and training that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities will be considered

Responsibilities

Define/qualify/roadmap Lead and evolve the product strategy and Leverage industry knowledge to identify trends, regulatory changes, and competitive dynamics that inform product direction, and provide ultimate accountability to product outcomes.
Translate client feedback, platform usage data, and stakeholder input into actionable product enhancements.
Synthesize business-level product objectives utilizing multiple sources of input and clarify and refine the objectives to actionable technical problem statements with product ownership and engineering leaders.
Create and deliver Market Requirement Document (MRD)/Business Case: market need/problem statement, customer journey (employer, employee and broker/channel partner), market segment best suited, along with investment and ROI models that support the product or product enhancement roadmap for the Benefits Administration platform, aligning with business goals, client needs, and operational scalability.
Product operations Influence build, buy, or partner decisions in addressing product needs.
Evaluate third-party capabilities, technical fit and integration, and assess financial impact and support the contracting process.
Partner with the Product Owner(s) and/or vendor to enable their development of the supporting detailed functional requirements.
Continuously review product backlog with Product Owner to ensure relevance and make appropriate priority adjustments as needed, based on market or stakeholder need Go to market Partner with marketing to support the development and refresh external materials and messaging.
Partner with sales and account management resources to develop deal-specific strategies and inform the optimal positioning and packaging of products in a way that best suits the customer’s strategy.
Represent aligned products as a SME on request in sales or customer presentations.
Go to deploy/operations Collaborate with internal departments and external third parties to develop and formalize deployment strategy, timeline, and change management plans Support client delivery teams with product expertise during onboarding, renewals, and escalations.
Drive internal education and enablement for new product releases, including training materials, documentation, and rollout plans.
Outcomes and growth Define and communicate product vision, feature prioritization, and success metrics.
Understand cost models to support the product and business expectations.
Review pricing frequently and provide recommendations based on market needs and product evolution Keep the pulse on roadmap commitments against delivery (including bugs and escalations), provide written status, and present updates or decisions needed to governance and leadership Represent the product as a subject matter expert in client meetings, industry events, and strategic discussions.
Cultivate strong cross-functional relationships and use clear communication, shared goals, and evidence-based reasoning to advocate for product outcomes collaboratively.
Product performance Develop short, medium, and long-term metrics and analytics to track product performance in the key areas of client and employee adoption, product-specific outcomes, and financial impact.
Surface reporting and dashboards for product performance measures to multi-level client and internal stakeholders, and facilitate education on the usage and application of the analytics.