Our Dealer Pay product is a fast-growing PE backed payment solution provider in dealership automotive, is seeking a highly analytical and industry-savvy Product Manager Research and Development to lead the exploration of new opportunities that will shape the future of our point-of-sale platform for auto dealerships. This strategic role is responsible for understanding our product in depth, analyzing the competitive landscape, and identifying other dealer focused technologies, solutions, or partnerships that could enhance our offering.
You will play a critical role in defining where our product should go next based on industry trends, competitor analysis, and deep understanding of dealer operations and adjacent technologies. This role bridges product strategy, industry research, and partnership development.
Key Responsibilities:
Industry & Product Research
- Become an expert in our existing platform and its value to auto dealerships
- Conduct ongoing research into automotive retail technology trends, regulatory shifts, and dealership operational needs
- Identify adjacent industries or technologies (e.g., DMS, inventory management, compliance, F&I tools) that could influence our roadmap
Competitive Intelligence
- Track and analyze competing POS systems and other relevant platforms in the automotive industry
- Maintain up-to-date competitor profiles: features, pricing, integrations, support, and market presence
- Identify where we lead and where we lag; translate this into clear, actionable insights
Opportunity Analysis
- Propose product enhancements, feature expansions, or integrations based on data-driven insights
- Identify potential technology or data partnerships that could improve the dealer experience
- Collaborate with product and executive teams to prioritize R&D insights into the product roadmap
Cross-functional Collaboration
- Work closely with product, sales, marketing, and customer success teams to validate research findings
- Provide detailed briefs and strategic input that help shape GTM strategy and positioning
- Serve as a thought leader internally on where the dealership tech landscape is headed
Qualifications
Qualifications
- 5+ years of experience in product strategy, business research, or competitive intelligence, ideally in SaaS or B2B technology
- Strong understanding of the automotive retail space or willingness to become a subject matter expert quickly
- Strong understanding of point-of-sale payments industry
- Experience in a fast paced growing, PE backed organization
- Proven ability to distill complex market and competitor information into strategic insights
- Excellent communication skills with experience influencing product direction
- Comfortable working independently and across teams in a fast-paced environment
- Highly organized, inquisitive, and resourceful
Nice to Have
- Experience in the auto dealership technology ecosystem (DMS, F&I, CRM, inventory platforms)
- Familiarity with product management or product marketing
- Previous experience sourcing and evaluating potential B2B partnerships
Vehlo is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.
This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. Vehlo makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.
