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What is a senior director, product development and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

When it comes to the development and implementation of new, reimagined, and enhanced products, a senior director of product development leads the department in the best possible direction for success.

As a senior director of product development, one is expected to be more than simply detail-oriented, as it is their primary responsibility to guide and advise various teams in the company and head design and enhancement projects. As the primary research analyst for these products, senior directors of product development steer each process to maintain and exceed company standards.

While a bachelor's degree in the company's field or an area of business will most likely be a top requirement, experience will be the defining area in one's portfolio. On average, senior sirectors of product development should have at least eight years of industry experience, including several years in a senior-level position. While this full-time position can be expected to work eight to ten hour days on occasion, the yearly salary is between $126,000 and $216,000.

ScoreSenior Director, Product DevelopmentUS Average
Salary
9.2

Avg. Salary $160,980

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 28.77%

male 71.23%

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

Senior director, product development career paths

Key steps to become a senior director, product development

  1. Explore senior director, product development education requirements

    Most common senior director, product development degrees

    Bachelor's

    73.2 %

    Master's

    17.2 %

    Associate

    3.9 %
  2. Start to develop specific senior director, product development skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Project Management9.80%
    Product Development8.91%
    Digital Marketing8.74%
    Business Development5.64%
    Product Management5.49%
  3. Complete relevant senior director, product development training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior directors, 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 senior director, product development based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior director, product development resumes.
  4. Research senior director, product development duties and responsibilities

    • Manage the software developers, SAAS hosting operations, documentation resources, technology partnerships and quality assurance teams.
    • Manage interdepartmental groups using advance simulation methodology to guide technology development direction for device and process architecture base on application impacts.
    • Reduce support costs of Siebel maintenance by incorporating offshore resources for both development and QA.
    • Develop and launch an API upgrade project for prepay card ($ 2MM net revenue/yr).
  5. Get senior director, product development experience

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

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior director, 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 senior director, 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 senior director, product development resume templates

    Build a professional senior director, 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 senior director, product development resume.
    Senior Director, Product Development Resume
    Senior Director, Product Development Resume
    Senior Director, Product Development Resume
    Senior Director, Product Development Resume
    Senior Director, Product Development Resume
    Senior Director, Product Development Resume
    Senior Director, Product Development Resume
    Senior Director, Product Development Resume
    Senior Director, Product Development Resume
  7. Apply for senior director, product development jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a senior director, 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 senior director, product development job

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Average senior director, product development salary

The average senior director, product development salary in the United States is $160,980 per year or $77 per hour. Senior director, product development salaries range between $107,000 and $241,000 per year.

Average senior director, product development salary
$160,980 Yearly
$77.39 hourly

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How do senior directors, product development rate their job?

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Senior director, product development reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2022
Pros

Able to see ideation to fruition and achieve success together as a team.

Cons

If company is not supportive of new technology advancement.


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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


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A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019
Cons

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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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