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What is a director of new product development and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
Sachin Tuli

A director of new product development is responsible for overseeing and implementing product development policies, objectives, and initiatives. They lead researches for new products, product enhancements, and product redesign. They also manage a departmental sub-function within a broader departmental function and create functional strategies and specific objectives for the sub-function.

Directors of new product development earn an average salary of $137,000 annually or $66 per hour. They typically report to top management, and part of their duties include evaluating the potential and practicality of products in development. They determine how their company can meet business targets while providing new products that will serve the needs of their clients. Directors of new product development need to have excellent math and analytical skills to succeed.

An average director of new product development typically holds a bachelor's or master's degree in business, marketing, or other related fields. They are expected to have some years of experience in a directorial role or a similar discipline. Some employers prefer candidates with the ability to do important researches and work with others effectively.

What's a day at work look like for a director of new product development?

Sachin TuliSachin Tuli LinkedIn profile

Director, International Business Major, Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison

The pandemic accelerated ongoing shifts with work-from-anywhere and use of remote meeting technologies. With mass adoption at all levels, these trends are likely to persist to some degree across fields and industries. There will likely be less travel for a number of years, but concurrently we may see more cross-team and cross-national collaboration and coordination. From an international business perspective, firms do plan to continue their globalization efforts and we know that graduates themselves increasingly seek potential global opportunities and mobility when choosing which organizations to work for.
ScoreDirector Of New Product DevelopmentUS Average
Salary
8.6

Avg. Salary $139,162

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.5

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.1
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 8.15%

Black or African American 3.04%

Hispanic or Latino 8.67%

Unknown 5.32%

White 74.58%

Gender

female 22.87%

male 77.13%

Age - 38
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38
Stress level
7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
9.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.5

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Director of new product development career paths

Key steps to become a director of new product development

  1. Explore director of new product development education requirements

    Most common director of new product development degrees

    Bachelor's

    69.3 %

    Master's

    19.1 %

    Associate

    5.7 %
  2. Start to develop specific director of new product development skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Product Development22.88%
    R9.80%
    Business Development7.62%
    Project Management6.99%
    Market Research6.97%
  3. Complete relevant director of new product development training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New directors of new product development learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a director of new product development based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real director of new product development resumes.
  4. Research director of new product development duties and responsibilities

    • Manage the design development process from designer sketch handover to bulk production delivery.
    • Review estimated demand levels and spearhead logistics operations to prevent shortage or excess liabilities due to limitations of supplier capacities.
    • Engage with new strategic sales partners and OEM partnerships, while growing partner revenue production by improving abilities and production.
    • Manage implementation teams on new system installations and retrofit projects.
  5. Get director of new product development experience

    Generally, it takes 8-10 years to become a director of new product development. The most common roles before becoming a director of new product development include product manager, manager team lead and project manager.
  6. Prepare your director of new product development resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your director of new product development resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a director of new product development resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable director of new product development resume templates

    Build a professional director of new product development resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your director of new product development resume.
    Director Of New Product Development Resume
    Director Of New Product Development Resume
    Director Of New Product Development Resume
    Director Of New Product Development Resume
    Director Of New Product Development Resume
    Director Of New Product Development Resume
    Director Of New Product Development Resume
    Director Of New Product Development Resume
    Director Of New Product Development Resume
  7. Apply for director of new product development jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a director of new product development job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first director of new product development job

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Average director of new product development salary

The average director of new product development salary in the United States is $139,162 per year or $67 per hour. Director of new product development salaries range between $94,000 and $204,000 per year.

Average director of new product development salary
$139,162 Yearly
$66.90 hourly

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Director of new product development reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2023
Cons

high expectations, constantly evolving technology, broad range of topics to learn (product management specifics, industry, technology, software development methods

Pros

Solve tough problems, work on agile teams, outlet for creativity,


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020
Pros

Its not a specific job, As a product manager your job responsibilities cover many different areas and that's what i love about it.

Cons

all other teams think that they are doing a task for you instead of thinking that they are part of a team on a project


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020
Pros

My Experiencia and Knowledge


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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