What does a product management director do?
A Product Management Director is responsible for a business product planning as well as execution throughout the life cycle of the business. They create the product strategy and requirements, develop and execute tactical plans, and maintain product and market knowledge.
Product management director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real product management director resumes:
- Lead initiatives across broad categories ranging from search engine optimization to promotions and CRM to customer retention.
- Deploy a highly customize third-party CRM and sales management software, managing $40MM annual ad sales revenue.
- Manage a team of 8 developers , 3 editors , 1 QA person, and 1 graphic designer.
- Manage cross-functional projects to integrate new products and features into the roadmap and GTM approach and drive adoption.
- Manage the product management, business analyst, and UI teams in the development of a new class of EMM applications.
- Manage the design development process from designer sketch handover to bulk production delivery.
- Design and implement a comprehensive market-base product management process for consultancies and suite of SaaS products.
- Transform stagnated product implementation project into successful product launch, allowing for FDA approval and generating first revenue for corporation.
- Use JIRA to track defects and new feature requests.
- Streamline processes to ensure smooth upgrade and ship of Java components.
- Participate in daily scrum calls and weekly sprints to ensure product ship on time.
- Insure an ISO process for products create to be accurately produce and be profitable.
- Create and host investor presentations, write functional specifications, administer JIRA (bug tracking) and SalesForce.
- Hire and develop product and project teams by combining subject matter experts, scrum experts, and product managers.
- Ensure all performance metrics, as well as legal, ISO and regulatory compliance, and customer expectations are met/exceeded.
Product management director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Product Management Directors are proficient in Product Management, Product Strategy, and Cloud. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Creativity.
We break down the percentage of Product Management Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Product Management, 13%
Directed Marketing and Sales using Stage-Gate product management for $72M annual revenue business unit with responsibility for new product development.
- Product Strategy, 7%
Developed product strategy and definition for campaign organizers and donors through market and competitive research engaging customers and product stakeholders.
- Cloud, 6%
Lead cloud product portfolio strategy, prioritization and execution across six established international markets in addition to global expansion.
- Analytics, 5%
Designed and directed development of data collection, analysis, and reporting for an operating room optimization analytics service offering.
- Market Research, 4%
Developed strategic and tactical plans based on analysis of sales data and market research that increased product and program profitability.
- Product Roadmap, 4%
Performed competitive analysis of the marketplace and defined product roadmap; created market identity, positioning and advised on corporate strategy.
Common skills that a product management director uses to do their job include "product management," "product strategy," and "cloud." You can find details on the most important product management director responsibilities below.
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a product management director to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what product management directors do because "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must be able to analyze industry trends to determine the most promising strategies for their organization." Additionally, a product management director resume shows how product management directors use analytical skills: "own the big-data strategy, reporting, a/b testing, user-testing, and research to enable rapid product iterations. "
Communication skills. Many product management director duties rely on communication skills. "managers must be able to communicate effectively with a broad-based team made up of other managers or staff members during the advertising, promotions, and marketing process," so a product management director will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways product management director responsibilities rely on communication skills: "supported 300+ pricing efforts across all major product lines by creating financial modeling and strategic communication documents. "
Creativity. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of product management directors is creativity. This skill is critical to many everyday product management director duties, as "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must be able to generate new and imaginative ideas." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "developed product line business case including pricing, margins, revenue forecasts and inventory management for hardware, software and services. "
Organizational skills. For certain product management director responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "organizational skills." The day-to-day duties of a product management director rely on this skill, as "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must manage their time and budget efficiently while directing and motivating staff members." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what product management directors do: "managed legacy alternative and supplemental instructional product lines during period of organizational transition and restructuring. "
The three companies that hire the most product management directors are:
- Oracle377 product management directors jobs
- Cornerstone96 product management directors jobs
- UnitedHealth Group67 product management directors jobs
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Compare different product management directors
Product management director vs. Director, product marketing
A Director of Product Marketing directs the marketing activities of one or more products or product lines within the organization. They develop strong relationships with key customers.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, product management director responsibilities require skills like "analytics," "project management," "digital transformation," and "product vision." Meanwhile a typical director, product marketing has skills in areas such as "competitive landscape," "marketing campaigns," "sales enablement," and "gtm." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Directors, product marketing tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $146,919. In contrast, product management directors make the biggest average salary, $159,020, in the technology industry.On average, directors, product marketing reach similar levels of education than product management directors. Directors, product marketing are 3.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Product management director vs. Director of product development
A Director of Product Development supervises and implements product development policies, initiatives, and objectives. They conduct market research to determine consumer needs and identify competitors.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that product management director responsibilities requires skills like "cloud," "analytics," "digital transformation," and "product vision." But a director of product development might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "fda," "qa," "product quality," and "iso."
Directors of product development may earn a lower salary than product management directors, but directors of product development earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $142,193. On the other hand, product management directors receive higher pay in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $159,020.directors of product development earn lower levels of education than product management directors in general. They're 7.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Product management director vs. Product lead
A product lead is responsible for monitoring the development of new products and services of an organization, starting from brand conceptualization to official market release and distribution. Product leads identify effective product management by conducting data analysis and evaluating market statistics of customer demands. They coordinate with the clients on their specifications and requirements, including the budget limit and timely deliverables. A product lead manages the brand promotion on media platforms, creating content that adheres to the target audience.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, product management directors are more likely to have skills like "analytics," "digital transformation," "product vision," and "software development." But a product lead is more likely to have skills like "architecture," "continuous improvement," "strong analytical," and "c++."
Product leads earn the highest salary when working in the hospitality industry, where they receive an average salary of $129,039. Comparatively, product management directors have the highest earning potential in the technology industry, with an average salary of $159,020.product leads typically earn lower educational levels compared to product management directors. Specifically, they're 5.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Product management director vs. Director program management
The duties of a director of program management depend on one's industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around overseeing the operations in particular areas, ensuring efficiency and productivity that will translate to sales. They are also responsible for devising strategies to optimize existing programs, spearheading new projects, setting goals and budget, resolving issues and concerns, and evaluating workforce performance. Furthermore, as a director, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between product management directors and directors program management, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a product management director might have more use for skills like "product strategy," "analytics," "market research," and "product roadmap." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of directors program management require skills like "program management," "technical program management," "oversight," and "governance. "
Directors program management enjoy the best pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $144,593. For comparison, product management directors earn the highest salary in the technology industry.directors program management reach similar levels of education compared to product management directors, in general. The difference is that they're 2.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of product management director
Updated January 8, 2025
