Product Manager

Job description

Company Description Job Description ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN FINANCE BOARD The Campaign Finance Board is a nonpartisan, independent city agency that empowers New Yorkers to have a greater impact on their elections. Our mission is to make local democracy more open, transparent, and equitable by removing barriers to participation. We make it easier for New Yorkers to vote, meaningfully support candidates for city office, and run for office themselves. NYC Votes, our voter engagement initiative, meets people where they are to share trustworthy election information and help New Yorkers make a plan to vote. We publish the citywide Voter Guide, which delivers information about candidates directly to voters’ doors. Our public matching funds program ensures small contributions can make a big difference, allowing regular people to run for office by relying on the support of other regular people, not just wealthy donors and special interests. And we lift the veil on how candidates raise and spend money, increasing transparency and accountability in local government. We believe that when every New Yorker is empowered to participate meaningfully in elections, candidates will better reflect the communities they serve, elected leaders will be more accountable to the public, and New Yorkers will have a democracy they can truly trust. ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT The Strategy, Products, and Innovation division is the agency’s newest division and leads the strategic planning and policy work, working across the agency to test out and implement new ideas. This division also creates the agency’s product roadmap to take us into future elections while maintaining and improving existing systems. The new Product Strategy vertical will be responsible for creating the overall roadmap for tech modernization and process improvements; prioritize tech projects to pursue and liaise between technical engineers and subject matter experts; and align tech projects with the agency’s strategic plan and objectives. JOB DESCRIPTION As a Product Manager at the Campaign Finance Board (CFB), you will play a critical role in defining, building, and enhancing products that support the agency’s mission. Working closely with UX, Engineering, QA, Project Managers, and CFB Subject Matter Experts, you will manage the end-to-end lifecycle of user-facing applications and features. The ideal candidate is a collaborative problem solver who thrives on transforming user needs and business requirements into well-scoped, high-quality solutions. You are someone with strong execution skills who can balance user value, technical feasibility, and organizational priorities. This position will require the selected candidate to obtain NYC residency within 90 days of starting their job, and be in-person in the CFB Manhattan office a minimum of 1 day a week. Responsibilities include but are not limited to: Product Strategy and Roadmap Management - Manage comprehensive product requirements and backlog prioritization, spanning the entire product lifecycle from discovery through development, launch, and post-release iteration. - Owns and drives the short-term priorities roadmap for an entire product or platform based on user research and data. - Articulate and measure product value by clearly defining how feature delivery directly supports the Campaign Finance Board's mission, public service mandate, and organizational objectives. - Contribute strategic insights to the broader organizational planning process, ensuring tactical product execution aligns with and supports agency-wide goals. Cross-Functional Execution and Risk Mitigation - Builds strong relationships with cross-functional peers and collaborate extensively to capture business needs, gather requirements, and translate them into precise, actionable product specifications. - Serve as the central hub for execution, autonomously driving the delivery of small to medium-sized features end-to-end. - Proactively identify and mitigate project risks, dependencies, and impediments, taking direct ownership of resolutions or ensuring timely, effective escalation to leadership. - Partner closely with UX Design, Engineering, and QA teams to guide design, scope, and technical implementation, ensuring a balance between user value, technical feasibility, and organizational capacity. - Monitor product progress, resolving process bottlenecks to maintain alignment and momentum across all cross-functional development teams. Performance Measurement and Communication - Confidently tailor complex product messages for diverse audiences, ensuring all stakeholders are clearly and consistently informed of priorities, decisions, and progress. - Define and track critical success metrics, supporting ongoing measurement and optimization of product performance and user engagement. - Support all product deployment activities through the development of essential documentation, formal release notes, and internal training materials. - Owns outcomes of assigned work. ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES & OTHER BEHAVIORS (KSAOs) We're seeking individuals eager to make an impact, even if they don't tick every box on our job description. We believe in the power of diverse perspectives and the unique blend of lived experiences, non-traditional education pathways, practical know-how, and a variety of skills and abilities that each candidate brings to the table. If you're ready to learn and grow with us, we encourage you to apply and be part of our dynamic team. Knowledge - Proficiency in the principles of agile software development methodologies (e.g., Scrum, Kanban) and human-centered design (HCD) practices. - Up-to-date knowledge of current market technology products, practices, and competitive landscapes relevant to the public or government sector. - Demonstrated background and specialized knowledge in at least one of the following key areas: engineering, data, design, user research, project management, or related field. - Foundational understanding of the regulatory environment, compliance, and security requirements relevant to a public service agency. Skills - Superior analytical and problem-solving skills, with a proven ability to translate complex data and user research into clear, measurable product decisions and prioritize a short-term roadmap. - Highly developed skill in balancing competing demands (user value, regulatory requirements, business urgency) to make sound, objective prioritization decisions. - Expert ability to construct, communicate, and manage a short-term product roadmap, tying specific deliverables to clearly defined, metric-based goals (e.g., OKRs, KPIs) - Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts and product strategy clearly, concisely, and confidently to both technical teams and executive-level stakeholders. Abilities - Navigate competing priorities calmly and maintain effective performance in a fast-paced environment, coupled with the flexibility to quickly adapt plans as strategic context or data necessitates change. - Collaborative working style which can build consensus and strong, trusting relationships with diverse internal and external cross-functional teams - Capacity to identify non-obvious solutions and generate innovative approaches to address user pain points and technical constraints. - Take full personal accountability for the quality, delivery, and measurable outcomes of assigned work streams. Other - Both receive and deliver constructive feedback effectively, fostering an environment of continuous learning and professional growth. - Possesses a meticulous focus on detail, ensuring high quality and precision in product specifications and communications, even when operating at a strategic level. - Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the ability to champion these principles in product development decisions and collaboration styles. - Exhibits passion and energy for the work, connecting daily tasks to the broader public service mission of the Campaign Finance Board. - Possesses high emotional and interpersonal intelligence necessary to navigate complex stakeholder relationships, facilitate psychological safety within teams, and drive inclusive, consensus-based decision-making. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS - Three (3) years of experience in product management, with a demonstrated track record of discovery and delivery of technological projects. - Proficiency with Azure DevOps, Monday, Microsoft Office Suite, JIRA, Confluence, and similar tools. - Previous work in government, civic, or political tech. - Experience working with cross-functional teams; UX or technical background a plus. ANALYST CFB AL 2&3 ONLY - 0660A Qualifications Additional Information The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.