Product Development Lead, Service Design & Technology- 90297543 - Washington
Washington, DC, US, 20001
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As we move America’s workforce toward the future, Amtrak connects businesses and communities across the country. We employ more than 20,000 diverse, energetic professionals in a variety of career fields throughout the United States. The safety of our passengers, our employees, the public and our operating environment is our priority, and the success of our railroad is due to our employees.
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Our values of ‘Do the Right Thing, Excel Together and Put Customers First’ are at the heart of what matters most to us, and our Core Capabilities, ‘Building Trust, Accountability, Effective Communication, Customer Focus, and Proactive Safety & Security’ are what every employee needs to know and do to be most impactful at Amtrak. By living the Amtrak values, focusing on our capabilities, and actively embracing and fostering diverse ideas, backgrounds, and perspectives, together we will honor our past and make Amtrak a company of the future.
Job Summary
The Product Development- Service Design & Technology Lead supports the Product Development & Customer Experience (PD&CX) team in improving the onboard, in‑station, and lounge experience for Amtrak customers. The role helps ensure that products and services are both customer‑centered and operationally practical across all service lines.
A key responsibility is partnering with the Digital Technology (DT) team to prioritize and implement digital products and enhancements that enable better customer experiences. While digital coordination is an important part of this role, this is not solely a technical role. The Product Development Lead also works closely with their Manager to support the rollout of new products and services- not only digital products- to frontline teams. This includes collaborating with Operational leadership, engaging key Commercial stakeholders, and ensuring cross‑departmental alignment so that new solutions can be implemented smoothly and sustainably. The role also partners closely with the Services & Standards team to ensure that any new product or service is clearly documented, correctly standardized, and effectively communicated to frontline employees.
Reporting to the Manager of Onboard and Station Product, the Lead helps translate customer‑experience and service‑design strategies into actionable development work. This includes defining features, prioritizing workstreams, and ensuring that new solutions can be successfully delivered by frontline teams and experienced by customers as intended.
Essential Functions
Product Lifecycle Management
- Support the technical development and implementation of existing ancillary products including, but not limited to, pets, bikes, baggage, and lounge access.
- Communicate updates on progress and challenges to management to ensure alignment with broader product lifecycle.
- Help monitor product performance and drive continuous improvements based on analytics, customer insights, and operational feedback for the portfolio of products.
Future Product Development & Roadmap Alignment
- Conduct research and benchmarking across similar organizations and industries to identify ancillary product offerings and understand customer relevance.
- Collaborate with Customer Service, DT, and other stakeholders to ensure seamless product integration into booking channels and onboard delivery.
- Act as a product owner and key liaison with the relevant DT portfolio team that works on behalf of PDCX, actively defining features, prioritizing backlog items, and translating strategy into actionable work for the development team.
- Communicate business requirements and ensure products are represented in DT planning and execution.
Cross-Functional Leadership & Policy Development
- Partner with Customer Service, Operations, Commercial and DT to ensure seamless execution of all service delivery aspects.
- Lead policy and procedure development for product offerings, ensuring clarity and alignment with frontline staff.
- Drive cross-functional alignment to maximize revenue, improve customer experience, and support frontline execution.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent combination of education, training and/or relevant experience.
- Plus 6 years of relevant work experience.
- 4+ years of experience in digital design, agile project management, customer experience, or ancillary revenue development, preferably in transportation, hospitality, or travel industries.
- Experience collaborating with digital technology teams and acting as a business lead for technology initiatives.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to leverage data and customer insights to articulate and represent business user needs to DT.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills with experience working across multiple departments.
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent combination of education, training and/or relevant experience.
- Plus 8 years of relevant work experience.
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Hospitality, or related field; Master’s degree preferred.
- Experience in the Hospitality and/or Transportation industry in Digital Product Development, Marketing, Strategy, Business Development roles.
- Experience working in a matrix organization
- Prefer 3+ years of business strategy
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Demonstrated familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite (i.e. Excel, Word and PowerPoint).
- Possess a proven track record for being detail-oriented with a demonstrated ability to motivate and follow-through on projects.
- Demonstrates knowledge of the intricacies of different Amtrak equipment and fleet, including the different food service and car types and the effect that has on product development and implementation plans.
- Must have strong communication and interpersonal skills
- Passion for improving the customer experience
- Strong organizational skills
- Familiarity with Agile practices and experience partnering with technical teams to drive product initiatives and ensure timely delivery
- Strong analytical mindset with expertise in strategy frameworks, financial principles, and translating cross-departmental input into actionable requirements for scoping
The salary/hourly range is $94,300.00 – $122,256.00. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, certifications, etc. Depending on an employee’s assigned worksite or location, Amtrak may consider a geo-pay differential to be applied to the employee’s base salary. Amtrak may offer additional incentive and pay programs to recognize and reward our employees, including a short-term incentive bonus based upon factors such as individual and company performance that is commensurate with the level of the position. In addition to your salary, Amtrak offers a comprehensive benefit package that includes health, dental, and vision plans; health savings accounts; wellness programs; flexible spending accounts; 401K retirement plan with employer match; life insurance; short and long term disability insurance; paid time off; back-up care; adoption assistance; surrogacy assistance; reimbursement of education expenses; Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility; Railroad Retirement sickness and retirement benefits; and rail pass privileges. Learn more about our benefits offerings here.
Requisition ID:166284
Work Arrangement:06-Onsite 4/5 Days Click here for more information about work arrangements at Amtrak.
Relocation Offered:No
Travel Requirements:Up to 25%
You power our progress through your performance.
We want your work at Amtrak to be more than a job. We want your career at Amtrak to be a fulfilling experience where you find challenging work, rewarding opportunities, respect among colleagues, and attractive compensation. Amtrak maintains a culture that values high performance and recognizes individual employee contributions.
Amtrak is committed to a safe workplace free of drugs and alcohol. All Amtrak positions requires a pre-employment background check that includes prior employment verification, a criminal history check and a pre-employment drug screen.
Candidates who test positive for marijuana will be disqualified, regardless of any state or local statute, ordinance, regulation, or other law that legalizes or decriminalizes the use or possession of marijuana, whether for medical, recreational, or other use. Amtrak's pre-employment drug testing program is administered in accordance with DOT regulations and applicable law.
In accordance with DOT regulations (49 CFR § 40.25), Amtrak is required to obtain prior drug and alcohol testing records for applicants/employees intending to perform safety-sensitive duties for covered Department of Transportation positions. If an applicant/employee refuses to provide written consent for Amtrak to obtain these records, the individual will not be permitted to perform safety-sensitive functions.
In accordance with federal law governing security checks of covered individuals for providers of public transportation (Title 6 U.S.C. §1143), Amtrak is required to screen applicants for any permanent or interim disqualifying criminal offenses.
Note that any education requirement listed above may be deemed satisfied if you have an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
Amtrak is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race/color, to include traits historically associated with race, including but not limited to, hair texture and hairstyles such as braids, locks and twists, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related conditions, such as lactation), national origin/ethnicity, disability (intellectual, mental and physical), veteran status, marital status, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, genetic information, citizenship or any other personal characteristics protected by law.
