AI Product Director

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San Francisco / $275000 - $300000 annum

INFO

Salary

SALARY:

$275000 - $300000

Location

LOCATION

San Francisco

Job Type
JOB TYPE

Permanent

About the Company

Harnham is partnering with an established alternative finance company that has supported small and medium-sized businesses since 2008. The organization provides term loans ranging from $10,000 to $15 million and is known for a fast lending experience, with underwriting decisions and offers available the same day and funding available as soon as the following business day.

The company is transforming traditional small-business lending through AI-powered decisioning. Production AI agents are already operating across credit and underwriting workflows, supported by 18 years of proprietary credit data. With the first phase of the transformation approximately 70 percent complete, the organization is preparing to expand its AI capabilities into Sales, Customer Lifecycle, Finance, and Capital Markets.

The Opportunity

The AI Product Director will lead the next phase of an organization-wide AI transformation. Partnering closely with the Chief Credit Officer and executive leadership, this person will shape product design and roadmapping while translating strategic business priorities into AI products that deliver measurable operational and commercial results.

The Director will manage two AI Product Managers and oversee multiple product pods, with two to three initiatives typically running concurrently. Each initiative begins with understanding how the business operates today, identifying undocumented edge cases and workarounds, and reimagining the process from the ground up around AI.

Success requires a strong combination of product strategy, technical fluency, and hands-on delivery. The ideal candidate has contributed directly to AI solution design, participated in architecture decisions, and taken AI-enabled products from concept through production adoption.

What You Will Do

* Partner with executive leadership to translate business priorities into actionable AI product roadmaps.

* Lead product design and roadmapping across Credit, Sales, Customer Lifecycle, Finance, Capital Markets, and other business functions.

* Manage, coach, and develop two AI Product Managers while establishing consistent standards for discovery, design, documentation, and delivery.

* Oversee two to three concurrent AI product initiatives without compromising quality, stakeholder trust, or delivery outcomes.

* Lead discovery sessions with subject matter experts to map workflows, uncover edge cases, and understand operational workarounds.

* Reimagine business processes from first principles using AI rather than adding automation to existing workflows.

* Create detailed product specifications and design briefs for internal engineering teams and external development partners.

* Contribute directly to AI solution design, architecture discussions, evaluation approaches, and production-readiness decisions.

* Evaluate and select the appropriate engineering partner for each initiative.

* Manage external engineering partners against defined specifications, acceptance criteria, timelines, and quality standards.

* Establish evaluation frameworks using golden datasets, human review, deterministic checks, shadow testing, and other appropriate methods.

* Build compliance, explainability, auditability, and model-governance requirements into product designs before development begins.

* Lead quality control before products reach end users and measure results against clear preimplementation baselines.

* Partner with Data Science, Engineering, Technology, Risk, and functional leadership to support scalable and reliable AI products.

* Build trust with subject matter experts and functional leaders, address resistance thoughtfully, and drive adoption across the organization.

* Communicate product direction, progress, risks, tradeoffs, and measurable outcomes clearly to executive stakeholders.

What You Will Bring

* Eight or more years of product management experience, including leadership of complex AI, machine learning, or technology products.

* A demonstrated record of taking AI-enabled products from initial concept through production deployment and adoption.

* Experience reimagining a business process from the ground up using AI.

* Direct involvement in AI solution design, product architecture discussions, or technical blueprint creation.

* Practitioner-level understanding of generative AI, large language models, agentic patterns, orchestration, evaluation methods, hallucination mitigation, and golden datasets.

* Experience creating detailed product specifications or design briefs for engineering teams.

* Experience selecting, managing, and holding external engineering partners accountable to defined requirements.

* Proven ability to lead multiple concurrent product initiatives while maintaining delivery quality.

* Experience managing and developing Product Managers.

* Strong executive presence with the ability to influence functional leaders, communicate technical tradeoffs, and represent product direction independently.

* Working knowledge of responsible AI, model governance, explainability, and regulated decisioning.

* Familiarity with FCRA, ECOA, Regulation B, Fair Lending, adverse-action requirements, or comparable regulatory frameworks.

* Bachelor's degree in Business, Computer Science, Engineering, Economics, or a related discipline.

Preferred Qualifications

* Product leadership experience within fintech, lending, payments, credit decisioning, risk technology, or another regulated financial environment.

* Experience working within a growing technology company where product leaders balance strategy with hands-on execution.

* Experience introducing AI products into established business workflows and leading the accompanying organizational change.

* Master's degree in a relevant discipline.

Compensation and Workplace

The anticipated base salary range for this position is $275,000 to $300,000 per year. The final offer will depend on relevant experience, qualifications, specialized expertise, and other legitimate business considerations.

Additional performance-based cash compensation may be available. Relocation support may also be considered for qualified candidates.

The position requires two to three days onsite each week in the San Francisco Bay Area. The role will operate remotely until the company's shared Bay Area workspace is finalized.

CONTACT

Carina Hidalgo

Sourcing Consultant

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