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Product development manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
Quoted experts
Davide , Ph.D. Bolchini Ph.D.,
Matthew Lopresti
Product development manager example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical product development manager skills. We ranked the top skills for product development managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 11.0% of product development manager resumes contained product development as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a product development manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 product development manager skills for your resume and career

1. Product Development

Product development is the complete procedure of creating a product from concept until release of the final product. Product development has many stages after which a product is released into the market. Identifying the need, creating the opportunity, conceptualizing a product, and providing a solution, all are different stages of product development.

Here's how product development managers use product development:
  • Participated in summits and traveled internationally to China in order to provide creative, commercial and product development direction to licensees.
  • Worked cross-functionally with marketing and operations to make sure Product Development is supporting promotional needs and communicating new product delivery.

2. Project Management

Here's how product development managers use project management:
  • Trained and mentored staff on project management methodology, product development process, critical path development, and business case development.
  • Developed and maintained excellent project management techniques ensuring projects remained on task and reported project status to the executive team regularly.

3. Lifecycle Management

Here's how product development managers use lifecycle management:
  • Worked with Product Managers to continually monitor quality, stability, and lifecycle management for products, features, and strategies.
  • Led team of twelve in implementation of data control system and Product Lifecycle Management for ITT Global Division.

4. Product Management

Product management is a part of an organization's function that deals with product development, planning, pricing, forecasting, launching, and marketing the product.

Here's how product development managers use product management:
  • Contributed to strategic decisions with Product Management Team by recommending, evaluating and approving assortment selections for target markets.
  • Drive product management process to deliver quality on-time products, by managing regular/long lead-time calendars and managing cross-functional teams.

5. R

R is a free software environment and a language used by programmers for statistical computing. The R programming language is famously used for data analysis by data scientists.

Here's how product development managers use r:
  • Developed an entirely new category of toddler toys for an exclusive launch at Toys R Us.

6. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how product development managers use customer service:
  • Interacted regularly with other management, clients and support staff to constantly improve overall operations and customer service.
  • Exceeded performance standards within the division and introduced a customer service system that improved performance.

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7. Product Design

Product design can be described as a process of imagining, creating, and iterating products that solve user's problems and talk about the specific needs of users in the market. Product design is an engineering disciple and it is the basic design and idea that goes before the mass production of the product.

Here's how product development managers use product design:
  • Managed all phases of product design and engineering work for outsourced consumer electronic and music accessory products and in-house manufacturing projects.
  • Managed the coordination between marketing, manufacturing and research and development to successfully implement two new product designs on schedule.

8. Java

Java is a widely-known programming language that was invented in 1995 and is owned by Oracle. It is a server-side language that was created to let app developers "write once, run anywhere". It is easy and simple to learn and use and is powerful, fast, and secure. This object-oriented programming language lets the code be reused that automatically lowers the development cost. Java is specially used for android apps, web and application servers, games, database connections, etc. This programming language is closely related to C++ making it easier for the users to switch between the two.

Here's how product development managers use java:
  • Engineered industry standard integration component leveraging Java & Web Services.
  • Used modern Java and web technologies and software development practices to design, develop and deliver solutions to Fortune 500 companies.

9. Scrum

Scrum is a lean structure for communicating, designing, and promoting complex products, with a focus on programming development. It has been applied to a variety of areas, including manufacturing, testing, new technology, and marketing techniques. Scrum is a simple framework that helps people, organizations, and teams generate value by providing many solutions to complicated problems.

Here's how product development managers use scrum:
  • Co-sponsored introduction of agile development (SCRUM) methodology for computer-assisted coding application development.
  • Evangelized Agile SCRUM model for software development and transformed the engineering team to deliver consistent and predictable releases.

10. Business Development

Business development is the ideas or initiatives that work to make business work better. Selling, advertising, product development, supply chain management, and vendor management are only a few of the divisions involved with it. There is still a lot of networking, negotiating, forming alliances, and trying to save money. The goals set for business development guide and coordinate with all of these various operations and sectors.

Here's how product development managers use business development:
  • Participated in Business Development assisting in establishment of partnerships and alliances with ERP Solutions Providers and consulting companies extending market presence.
  • Created business development plans for internal products including targeting new client accounts and maximizing existing accounts.

11. Market Research

Market research is a collective effort to collect information related to a consumer's needs and wants. It is a systematic approach that involves recording and analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data. Market research helps a business to identify a target market correctly and identify the gaps in potential consumer's expectations.

Here's how product development managers use market research:
  • Performed market research on cardiology and neurology for vetting process and directed intellectual property development including regulatory submissions and engineering concerns.
  • Identify market requirements for current and future products through market research, competition analysis and product analysis.

12. Software Development

Software development is the mechanism by which programmers create computer programs. The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a framework for developing applications that follow technological needs and consumer requirements. It consists of many stages. The SDLC establishes an international standard that software developers can use to enhance and create their programs. It provides a well-defined framework for software developers to pursue in the production, maintenance, and design of premium quality software. The aim of the software development process is to create high-quality software on time and within budget.

Here's how product development managers use software development:
  • Implemented Agile software development methodology to effectively manage the diverse set of business requirements in the most expeditious manner.
  • Planned, directed, and managed proprietary software development, ensuring objectives were accomplished in accordance to outlined priorities.

13. Development Projects

Development Projects include all contracts, constructions, and projects that may develop an area for housing or commercial construction. These projects frequently require multiple departments to prepare the space for construction projects, including how the construction will take place, who will finance the project, and whether any refurbishments or renovations will be needed.

Here's how product development managers use development projects:
  • Managed application system development, integration, and development projects proposals in the State Government Health and Human Services environment.
  • Gather and organize information to plan advertising, marketing and promotional campaigns for multiple tribal development projects.

15. Product Roadmap

Here's how product development managers use product roadmap:
  • Developed product roadmap for subscription based services in monitoring Credit, Identity, Security and Privacy.
  • Designed and executed VantagePoint product roadmap constructed from extensive market analysis and customer trends.
top-skills

What skills help Product Development Managers find jobs?

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What skills stand out on product development manager resumes?

Davide , Ph.D. Bolchini Ph.D.Davide , Ph.D. Bolchini Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Professor and Chair, Director, Human-Computer Interaction Program, Indiana University

In my experience, our most successful MS HCI graduates (https://soic.iupui.edu/hcc/graduate/hci/masters/) take the time to put together a compelling online portfolio that showcases their project experience and skill set in action, as applied to specific research opportunities they had with faculty or projects they worked on during their UX internships in the industry. The personal brand of UX junior professional can be greatly enriched when the portfolio includes not only what the student has done, but why and what was the design rationale behind the process and the results, what was the larger context and goal of the project (especially in large collaborative projects), and what was the specific role and contribution of the student. The discussion about the portfolio of a candidate has become a key ingredient of the interview for UX jobs, besides other important activities such as UX design exercises or remote assignments.

What product development manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Matthew LoprestiMatthew Lopresti LinkedIn profile

Associate professor of Philosophy and humanities, Hawaii Pacific University

Captains of industry are often asked about the traits they look for in new hires. Critical thinking is always a must, as well as excellent written and oral communication skills.

These are the core competencies of the discipline of philosophy. Top-notch communication abilities begin with a depth of ability to understand nuanced, complex details, and then turn around and clearly communicate these complex ideas in easily digestible bits of information. It is no coincidence that students who graduate with philosophy degrees repeatedly dominate graduate and law-school entrance exams like the GRE and LSAT; they are often the sharpest thinkers with the quickest minds

What technical skills for a product development manager stand out to employers?

Patrick LindsayPatrick Lindsay LinkedIn profile

Assistant Lecturer, Miami University

Most all employers expect full competency in creatively using technology for communications. By that I don't mean mobile devices or social media usgae. I mean a widespread working knowledge of technology tools (apps, software, etc). Employers are seeking those candidates who can convey thoughts, ideas, responses in a multi-faceted way. Basic competency in written correspondence is no longer enough. Employers want to see daily business communication not only contain demonstration of good writing (grammar, syntax, formatting) but also being able to create embedded images, video, and relevant web links to better communicate. And not just for a big fancy client presentation, but consistently in regular communication. Further, they want words supported by data; support words with numerical evidence. As such, advanced excel skills and real experience in data sources and extraction stand out to employers.

Similarly, they expect professional virtual audio-visual communication. It is not enough to just be on the Zoom call. The expectation is to be prepared, to be engaged, to be aware of the audio and video angles and backgrounds. To demonstrate active listening as well as enthusiastic, energetic, even animated talking. Body language and facial expression are even more enhanced in virtual communications.

If there was a positive outcome from being thrust into an academic world that was all virtual, it was the need to learn new technical skills, not only for classwork, but also for social interaction. This will not only be appreciated by employers, but for many, expected.

List of product development manager skills to add to your resume

Product development manager skills

The most important skills for a product development manager resume and required skills for a product development manager to have include:

  • Product Development
  • Project Management
  • Lifecycle Management
  • Product Management
  • R
  • Customer Service
  • Product Design
  • Java
  • Scrum
  • Business Development
  • Market Research
  • Software Development
  • Development Projects
  • Market Trends
  • Product Roadmap
  • Quality Standards
  • Product Performance
  • Product Strategy
  • Direct Reports
  • QA
  • Manage Cross
  • Product Specifications
  • Web Application Development
  • Competitive Analysis
  • Product Quality
  • PLM
  • Product Portfolio
  • CAD
  • Trade Shows
  • Product Enhancements
  • FDA
  • Product Line
  • UL
  • Business Cases
  • Business Plan
  • Sketch
  • Brand Marketing
  • Product Life Cycle
  • Business Liaison
  • Product Offerings
  • QC
  • ISO
  • ROI
  • IP

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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