Principal Product & Program Manager — Digital Banking Transformation; Credit Unions

Principal Product & Program Manager — Digital Banking Transformation (Credit Unions)
Future Opportunity The Role

We are seeking a Principal Product & Program Manager with deep digital banking and credit union expertise to spearhead complex transformation initiatives. This is a hybrid "Player-Coach" role that bridges the gap between Executive Strategy and Agile Execution
. Operating across Aequilibrium’s Four Lenses model (Strategy, Experience, Technology, and Delivery), you will be responsible for both the "What" (Product Vision & Requirements) and the "How" (Program Governance & Execution). This role is ideal for a transformation leader who has led large-scale implementations such as Central1 Forge migrations, Backbase deployments, Mambu rollouts, or ebank

IT/Veri Park ecosystems within the credit union sector.

• The Ecosystem: Core banking integrations, middleware, digital platforms, and member-facing mobile/web workflows.
• The Business: Credit union operating models, regulatory constraints (OSFI, BCFSA), and the unique "Member-First" philosophy.
• The Future: You are an early adopter of AI collaboration tools to accelerate delivery, synthesize complex work streams, and drive data-driven personalization in banking products.
• The Leadership: You are a master negotiator, capable of resolving high-stakes conflicts between internal teams, external vendors, and CU executives (CIOs, COOs, CEOs).

• Vision &
  
  Roadmap:
  
  Act as the Lead Product Owner, translating CU executive strategy into actionable multi-year roadmaps and prioritized backlogs.
• Requirements Mastery: Elicit and document complex functional specifications, user stories, and acceptance criteria for online/mobile banking, payments, and onboarding.
• AI Integration: Work with designers and architects to incorporate AI-driven features (intelligent search, automated support, predictive personalization) into the product lifecycle.
• UX Alignment: Ensure functional requirements never compromise member experience, maintaining a balance between technical feasibility and ease of use.

• End-to-End Oversight: Own program governance across multiple work streams, ensuring alignment between the credit union, Aequilibrium, and third-party vendors.
• Execution Discipline: Establish milestones, success criteria (KPIs), and steering committees. Manage complex budgets (CAPEX/OPEX), vendor invoicing, and ROI realization.
• Risk & Change Management: Identify dependencies and mitigate risks early. Oversee Organizational Change Management (OCM) to ensure high adoption rates among CU staff and members.
• AI-Driven Productivity: Utilize AI suites (Copilot, Gemini, etc.) to synthesize meeting outcomes, track action items, and accelerate executive-level reporting.

• Trusted Advisor: Serve as the primary liaison between business stakeholders and technical teams, providing transparency in reporting and risk mitigation.
• Vendor Management: Navigate multi-vendor ecosystems (e.g., League Data, Central1, Core providers) to ensure system interoperability and seamless data migration.

• Experience: 10+ years of technology leadership in financial services, with at least 5 years specifically in Digital Banking or Core Modernization
  .
• CU Expertise: Direct experience working within Credit Unions or Community Banking environments is mandatory.
• Platform Knowledge: Proven track record leading implementations on platforms like Central1 Forge, Backbase, Mambu, Fiserv, FIS, or Intellect Design
  .
• Hybrid Skillset: Demonstrated ability to perform deep-dive Business Analysis (UML, user stories, functional specs) while simultaneously managing high-level Program Governance.
• Agile Mastery: Expert in Scrum/Kanban/SAFe and hybrid delivery models; experience navigating SOC2, OSFI, or BCFSA audit requirements.
• AI Proficiency: Active use of AI productivity tools (ChatGPT, Copilot, etc.) to enhance project documentation and delivery speed.
• Communication: Exceptional executive-level communication and stakeholder facilitation skills.
• Location: Must be located in North, Central, or South…