VP, Product & Distribution Strategy

About this Role

The VP, Product & Distribution Strategy, is a hybrid role, located on-site in St. Louis MO. This strategic business leader, within the Product & Strategy organization, and reporting to the Head of Product & Strategy plays an integral part of a team that drives enterprise growth, distribution, and channel strategy across the bank. You own the end-to-end product lifecycle - from voice of the customer and discovery through strategy, design, delivery, and ongoing value management - translating customer insights, market data, and business priorities into profitable products and capabilities that create measurable value.

The VP Product & Distribution Strategy will analyze complex data from multiples sources to identify actionable business solutions that drive results and project positive outcomes; partner with cross-functional teams to implement scalable tools and frameworks; and drive process improvement initiatives that inform business decisions and operational excellence.

This role will be responsible for defining and executing the bank's branch strategy, ensuring the branch network maximizes growth and efficiency. This includes leading branch network optimization, staffing models, and performance frameworks. The role will serve as the primary driver of branch distribution strategy and execution, partnering across functions to deliver a modern, high-performing, and economically optimized branch network.

The scope of the role expands further to include product growth initiatives (deposit, lending, payments), customer segmentation and value proposition design, and enterprise strategic initiatives led by the Product & Strategy organization.

In this Role You Will

• Develop product strategy and product vision that delivers measurable value to customers and the enterprise.
• Conduct complex data analysis needed to develop business strategies based on projections.
• Manage discovery efforts, market research, and competitive intelligence to uncover customer needs and inform the product roadmap.
• Own, maintain, and prioritize a clear product backlog aligned to the strategic roadmap and enterprise objectives.
• Build the framework and track key product success metrics - including financial performance, customer impact, risk posture, and operational reliability.
• Drive end-to-end delivery of complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives across ideation, requirements, design, rollout, and ongoing support.
• Lead network and channel strategy initiatives, including footprint optimization, market analysis, branch performance metrics, and data driven decisioning & prioritization.
• Define and track business-level performance economics - including revenue, cost-to-serve, productivity, and customer outcomes - and translate findings into actionable recommendations.
• Partner across Retail Banking, Finance, HR, Marketing, CRE, and Technology to design operating models, staffing frameworks, and incentive structures that drive growth and efficiency.
• Champion process improvement initiatives, leveraging analytics, automation, and stakeholder feedback to improve decision quality and operational effectiveness.
• Deliver executive-level presentations and communications that articulate strategic priorities, recommendations, and business impact.
• Provide robust analytics and insights to enable data-driven decisions across the Product & Strategy organization.
• Champion adoption of AI and automation tools to scale insight generation, decision support, and product execution.

Qualifications, Competencies and Skills

• Bachelor's degree (B.A.) from four-year college or university strongly recommended; MBA preferred
• 10+ years of experience in product management, retail banking, strategy, consulting, or branch distribution/network planning.
• Direct experience in branch distribution strategy and execution is highly preferred.
• Exposure to broader product management across deposits, lending, payments, and treasury management.
• Advanced knowledge of product lifecycle, design, and data analytics.
• Proven ability to lead the end-to-end product lifecycle (discovery  ideation  strategy  requirements  delivery  value management).
• Strong background in retail banking P&L economics, deposit and lending dynamics, market analysis, and customer segmentation.
• Advanced knowledge of data analysis and visualization tools such as Power BI, Tableau.
• Experience in business intelligence, automation, and data visualization for executive audiences.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and process improvement skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives in a matrixed environment.
• Strong stakeholder management and executive communication skills, with a track record of influencing senior leaders.
• U.S. Military Veterans are encouraged to apply

Compensation Disclosure

The range for this role takes into account many factors that First Bank considers when making hiring decisions, including but not limited to prior experience, skill set, training, and other internal business and organizational factors. First Bank generally does not hire at or near the top of the stated range. The range is driven by the geographic location of the anticipated hiring location; however, the specific range may vary depending on the geographic location for remote positions. Compensation decisions depend on the specific facts and circumstances of each hiring instance. A reasonable estimate of the current pay range is $140,000 - $170,000.