Director of Product Research & Design

The Director, Product Research & Design leads product research, definition, performance evaluation, and continuous improvement. This leader turns emerging or incomplete concepts into clear product requirements and evidence-based recommendations, defining what products should be, how they should work, the value they should create, and how success will be measured.

Primary Responsibilities: Product Research and Opportunity Assessment Lead research on products, services, vendors, and enhancements; assess market need, organizational fit, client/member value, economics, compliance, scalability, and operating requirements. Synthesize internal, vendor, broker, client, member, and industry input into decision-ready assessments of options, assumptions, dependencies, risks, and tradeoffs.

Maintain a Chief Product Officer-approved research agenda and recommend whether opportunities should advance, change, defer, or stop. Product Definition and Design Maintain product-definition and lifecycle standards covering purpose, population, components, eligibility, enrollment, pricing assumptions, vendors, member experience, data, and outcomes.

Resolve incomplete, conflicting, or outdated information into an approved source of truth that addresses operational, financial, compliance, technology, vendor, and user needs. Recommend when products should be introduced, expanded, redesigned, combined, repositioned, paused, or retired. Product Performance and Optimization Set performance measures and coordinate financial and operational reporting with Finance and other data owners.

Evaluate qualification, enrollment, activation, participation, utilization, retention, cost, value, and vendor performance. Identify gaps, adoption barriers, costs, vendor issues, and improvement opportunities; assess significant changes against intended outcomes and present recommendations to leadership. Cross-Functional Product Leadership Translate executive direction into product outcomes and coordinate approved decisions with the Executive Project Manager.

With the Product Business Analyst, convert definitions into business rules, workflows, data requirements, and acceptance criteria. Align feasibility, supportability, financial assumptions, controls, risk, positioning, and vendor decisions with Technology, Operations, Client Services, Finance, Program Compliance, Marketing, and other partners without assuming their execution accountabilities.

Team Leadership Lead and develop the Product Business Analyst and Product Intelligence & Optimization Analyst; set quality standards, goals, and development plans. Provide strategic oversight to the Product Knowledge & Readiness Specialist and recommend added capacity as workload and complexity require. Role Boundaries Owns: research and opportunity-assessment methods; product-definition, design, and lifecycle standards; performance measurement and analysis; optimization recommendations; and team quality and development.

Helps shape: portfolio priorities, investments, economics, operating models, vendor decisions, user experiences, technology sequencing, positioning, and product improvement or retirement. Does not independently own: final portfolio, investment, pricing, compliance, or vendor approval; roadmaps or project management; architecture or engineering delivery; official financial reporting; marketing production; sales management; client implementation; repository administration; or departmental execution.

Required Experience and Capabilities 10+ years of progressive experience in product research, design, strategy, healthcare, employee benefits, insurance, regulated services, analytics, or a comparable field. Demonstrated success researching, defining, evaluating, and improving complex service products involving multiple functions, vendors, systems, contracts, or processes.

Strong quantitative and qualitative analysis across product economics, utilization, vendor performance, and outcomes. Ability to convert incomplete or conflicting information into clear definitions and executive recommendations. Strong executive communication, facilitation, cross-functional influence, and experience leading analysts or product specialists.

Sound judgment about role-owned recommendations versus decisions requiring executive or functional approval. Equivalent combinations of relevant education and experience may be considered. Preferred Experience Preferred experience includes employer-sponsored healthcare, employee benefits, benefits administration, supplemental insurance, Section 125/payroll structures, HRIS-connected eligibility and enrollment, virtual care, pharmacy, member-facing healthcare applications, product analytics, healthcare economics, vendor-enabled services, or regulated communications.

A bachelor’s degree in business, healthcare administration, product management, finance, information systems, research, or a related field is preferred. Advanced education or credentials are beneficial but do not replace demonstrated operating experience.