Lead Product Strategist

Position Overview: As a Lead Product Strategist at IA Collaborative, you will lead multi-disciplinary teams tackling ambitious and complex product challenges for the world’s leading companies. You will have the opportunity to drive all phases of the product development lifecycle – from defining an inspirational product vision and strategy, to roadmapping, to shipping software that helps our clients realize their growth potential.

Key Responsibilities:

Product Strategy:

• Partner with client leads and project leads to define the vision, scope, and roadmap for transformational products and services.
• Design and execute novel methods to assess user desirability, business viability, and technical complexity — defining end-user value propositions, MVPs feature sets, and architecting experimentation plans.
• Translate product vision into actionable and aspirational roadmaps for design and engineering teams.

Client and Project Leadership:

• Lead and contribute to projects as an expert practitioner, serving as the primary client contact and effectively setting boundaries around scope.
• Participate in new business pitches and proposal development, and lead project continuation efforts.

Team Development and Mentorship:

• Support the professional development of the project team, fueling their growth and success.
• Mentor and coach the cross-functional IA team throughout the product development lifecycle.

Desired Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Anthropology, Human-Centered-Design, or a related field. 
• Advanced degree in Design Engineering, Innovation Management, MBA, or similar field preferred.
• Six or more years of work experience in product, design, user research, or strategy in a client-facing role with high levels of accountability and autonomy.
• Sound technical fluency, and product management experience leading product and development teams with agile methodologies.
• Strong presentation and narrative development skills.
• Proven ability to convey business and technical concepts to both subject matter experts and non-technical professionals.
• Experience building products and prototypes that leverage generative AI and other emergent technologies preferred. 
• Analytical problem-solving skills with the ability to distill complex inputs into compelling, strategic solutions.
• Financial acumen and the ability to assess business viability. 
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills and the ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams and clients.

About the Product Strategy Team

Product Strategists at IA partner with our clients to realize their growth ambitions. Through a rigorous, human-centered approach to continuous product iteration, we help visionary clients conceive of, prototype, and launch differentiated digital innovations. We become experts in new industries and new businesses – and we leverage that insight to define an aspirational yet grounded path to market. 

IA Collaborative Work Model:

IA Collaborative leverages a hybrid work model with Chicagoland-area team members working from our downtown headquarters three days per week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) with additional, occasional required on-site days as needed. 

Occasional onsite and in-field work is required for all team members. We are typically in the field once or twice a month, for two to three consecutive days, conducting research or meeting with clients.

Why IA Collaborative:

At IA, you’ll practice your craft in a whole new context. You’ll be a part of designing the future of human experience as you transform your client’s business, empower communities and create a positive and lasting impact on the world.

IA’s comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, vision; Retirement Savings Benefits; discretionary bonus and profit-sharing programs; a suite of family benefits including paid time off for the birth of a child, caregiver leave, wellness check-in days, flexible spending accounts for dependent care, health expenses and childcare, and 529 college savings planning and contributions; and employer-paid life insurance and disability.

About IA Collaborative:

IA Collaborative is a global design and innovation consultancy. We help leading organizations and category disruptors find new growth, create new offerings, and empower a culture of innovation. We fully integrate human-centered design and business strategy into the ongoing operations of our clients, to launch new corporate ventures and drive continuous innovation. From Insight to Action, we define new business models and create new products, technology platforms, experiences, brands, services and environments.

IA is on the national and global stage speaking about the business value of design. Featured by Fast Company as one of the country’s preeminent design thinkers and nominated by the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum as a “Design Visionary,” IA’s leadership and work have been profiled by prominent business publications and has received multiple design accolades, including Best Design North America and Best UX Design in Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards; the SXSW Business Design Award; and multiple honors in the Red Dot International, International Design Excellence Awards (IDSA), the GOOD DESIGN Awards, and the iF World Design Awards. IA Collaborative works with the world’s most successful brands, including FedEx, Allstate, Airbnb, Fidelity, Apple, Johnson & Johnson, Nike, Lilly, and Audi.
At IA Collaborative, we are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We believe that welcoming a diverse variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills to our organization contributes to a thriving culture, a vibrant community, and breakthrough work. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristics protected by federal, state, or local law. For more information about IA Collaborative visit iacollaborative.com, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Glassdoor.

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