Head of Product

This role is based in Austin, TX — BackdPayments · Fintech | B2B Payments & Lending

Who You Are:

BackdPayments is building the future of B2B payments and embedded financing — and we’re looking for a first-principles product leader to help us get there. This is one of the most consequential early hires we will make.

This is not a traditional product leadership role. As our first Head of Product, you will sit at the intersection of strategy and execution — working directly with the founding team to translate a bold vision into a market-leading platform. You will define how we build, what we build, and how fast we build it.

You are joining at an inflection point. The core product exists. The market is validated. Now it’s time to accelerate. You’ll have the authority and ownership to shape the product organization from the ground up, set the culture, and build toward a significant long-term outcome.

If you want to manage a product roadmap inside a large organization, this is not your role. If you want to own one — this is.

• Founder-Minded: You think like an owner. You take full accountability for outcomes, not just outputs. You’re energized by building from nothing.
• Technically Fluent: You can go deep with engineers. You understand systems, trade-offs, and architecture — and you use that fluency to make better decisions.
• Strategic Operator: You connect long-term platform vision with day-to-day execution. You’re equally comfortable in the boardroom and in the backlog.
• AI-Native Builder: You don’t just talk about AI — you use it daily. You prototype, iterate, and ship — not just manage.
• Commercially Sharp: You understand what moves revenue and retention. You design for business outcomes, not just user delight.
• Long-Term Thinker: You’re looking for a role where you can build something meaningful over time — and share in the outcome.

What You Will Do

Product Strategy & Execution

• Own and evolve the product roadmap — sequencing initiatives that balance near-term commercial impact with long-term platform scalability
• Translate executive and customer insight into clear, testable product bets
• Drive end-to-end delivery: from discovery and definition through to launch and iteration
• Set a high bar for product quality, velocity, and coherence across the platform

Build the Product Function

• Establish product management standards, tooling, rituals, and culture from scratch
• Define how Product collaborates with Engineering, Sales, and Customer Success — and make that collaboration exceptional
• Implement best practices across discovery, delivery, and retrospective cycles
• Build the playbooks that will scale with us as the team grows

Technical Leadership

• Partner deeply with Engineering across frontend UX, backend systems, infrastructure, and third-party integrations
• Bring enough technical depth to challenge assumptions, unblock decisions, and earn engineering’s respect
• Ensure product decisions support a scalable, maintainable, and high-quality architecture

Team Leadership & Hiring

• Own our first critical engineering hire — likely a Senior Engineer or Head of Engineering
• Lead the current engineering team of 3 while shaping the broader organization we’re building toward
• Hire and develop product managers, designers, and technical specialists over time
• Build a culture of accountability, ownership, and craft

Data & Performance

• Define product KPIs, success metrics, and a measurement framework that holds us honest
• Use data — quantitative and qualitative — to drive prioritization decisions and surface opportunities
• Create dashboards and reporting that keep leadership and stakeholders aligned

Platform Vision: BackdPayments × BackdCapital

• Help shape the unification of BackdPayments and BackdCapital into a single, cohesive financial ecosystem
• Think beyond the current product — and help define what a category-defining B2B financial platform looks like

AI-Native Product Development

We believe the next generation of product leaders don’t just manage AI — they build with it. We expect you to actively leverage AI as a force multiplier across your entire workflow.

Specifically, you will be expected to:

• Use tools such as Cursor, Replit, and Claude to accelerate specification, prototyping, and documentation
• Prototype flows, features, and concepts rapidly — without waiting for full engineering cycles
• Raise the quality and speed of product specs, user stories, and PRDs using AI assistance
• Identify where AI can be embedded into the BackdPayments product itself to create differentiated user value
• Model AI-leveraged working for the product team — and make it part of how we operate

Qualifications

We don’t require a specific pedigree — but the following will set you up for success in this role:

• 5–10+ years in Product Management, with increasing scope and ownership
• Experience in fintech, payments, B2B lending, or adjacent financial infrastructure
• Proven track record of shipping products end-to-end — from idea to adoption
• Demonstrated ability to work closely with and lead engineering teams
• Background in early-stage or high-growth environments where you’ve had to build structure, not just follow it
• Comfortable operating without full information — and skilled at making good decisions anyway
• Experienced in both backend and frontend system. Experience with LMS, LOS, and payment gateways is a plus
• Hands-on with AI tools and genuinely excited about what they unlock

Who We Are

BackdPayments enables businesses to offer modern payment experiences — including Net Terms and extended financing — while getting paid immediately and offloading risk. Our platform sits at the intersection of payments, credit, and working capital, sitting within the broader Backd ecosystem alongside BackdCapital.

We are a lean, high-conviction team moving fast in a large, underserved market. B2B payments are overdue for a fundamental upgrade — and we’re building the infrastructure to make that happen.

Why This Role is Different

There are a lot of Head of Product roles in the market. This one is different in four ways:

• You are the first. You will define what product leadership looks like at BackdPayments — not inherit it.
• You have real access. Direct exposure to executive leadership, strategy conversations, and board-level thinking.
• You have real ownership. Over product direction, team culture, and the platform’s trajectory.
• You have real upside. Equity participation in a company at an early, high-conviction moment — with a clear path to a liquidity event.

Life at BackdPayments

Massive market. Real traction. At BackdPayments, you'll find a tight-knit team that moves fast, thinks big, and genuinely believes it's building something that matters. There's no hiding in a large org here. Your ideas will be heard, your work will be seen, and your growth will be real. If you want the energy of an early-stage team, the purpose of a mission-driven company, and the upside of getting in early, BackdPayments is where you want to be.

Compensation & Benefits

• Base Salary: Competitive — Mid-Market for Head of Product
• Short-Term Bonus: Performance-based incentive tied to product KPIs (Annual)
• Equity: Meaningful equity stake (commensurate with experience); 3-year vest / 1-year cliff
• Benefits: Health, dental, vision, PTO, 401k Match up to 4% — Full package

BackdPayments is building critical financial infrastructure for the next era of B2B commerce. If you’re a product leader who wants to build something that matters — and be rewarded for it — we want to talk.

To apply or express interest, reach out directly. We move quickly with the right candidate.

Backd is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Backd provides equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, and disability unrelated to an individual’s ability to perform adequately, sexual orientation, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by law.