Head of Product Strategy and Research North America, Managing Director job in Boston Financial Software and Product Development jobs at State Street

A head of product will have several years of experience working in a product management team. Most people who obtain this position will have worked as a product manager and have experience managing teams. Whatever you do, give yourself the time you need to get ready for the career move. There is no point in rushing into a head of product position and quickly finding yourself out of your depth in the new role. I might put the bar quite high, but recommend at least three to five years’ experience before becoming a head of product and being able to successfully lead a product management team.

A senior product manager may also begin to mentor younger team members, and grow into more of a leadership role, alongside the hands-on work of building and shipping products. Smaller teams may not have all these positions, while large-scale, enterprise teams could have multiple people in some roles, or even additional roles in between. Josh Drazen has joined alternative credit manager Oak Hill Advisors as managing director and head of product strategy. Additionally, decide how products are managed that require more than a single product person. For instance, you might choose to have one overall product manager/owner and additional product people who look after product parts like end-user facing product capabilities/features. Second, help create shared standards to facilitate collaboration amongst the product team members.

Leading without Being the Boss: Tips for Product People

Large companies may have the head of product report to the product director or VP of product. However, in smaller companies, the head of product may be the most senior role in the product management division. Many employers are looking for at least 5-7 years of experience in product management. They will also want to know that a candidate has successfully participated in developing and launching great products.

Newport Beach, California (February 24, 2021) – PIMCO, one of the world’s premier fixed income investment managers, announces that Kimberley Stafford, Managing Director, will become Global Head of PIMCO’s Product Strategy Group. The firm also announces that Alec Kersman, Managing Director, will become PIMCO’s new Head of Asia-Pacific. Both Ms. Stafford and Mr. Kersman will report to Emmanuel Roman, Managing Director and PIMCO’s Chief Executive Officer. Your leadership skills are particularly pronounced and you are also keep a cool head, even during turbulent times. The following example of a job description for a Head of Product Management assists those responsible in defining and formulating the most important information on the skills required as well as the tasks. A successful head of product must be comfortable dealing with a bit of uncertainty.

Director of Product Management

A head of product needs interpersonal skills to ensure that a product organization can work functionally. A head of product can also be responsible for recruiting, interviewing, and hiring product managers. So it’s important to know what to look for in a candidate as it can make or break a product management team. As you might have noticed, the list above includes strategic and tactical product management skills. Both are necessary in my experience to effectively support the members of a product management team, understand the challenges they are struggling with, and offer helpful feedback and guidance. What’s more, having solid product management skills shows the people on your team that you are a competent product person.

• The network unveiled a new prime time lineup in June, and ratings have rebounded, but not quite to where they were one year ago.
• In addition, John Studzinski, Managing Director and Vice Chairman of PIMCO’s Executive Office, will continue playing a key role in broadening PIMCO’s relationships in Asia-Pacific with leaders in business, finance, government and NGOs.
• Large companies may have the head of product report to the product director or VP of product.
• You might also decide to carry out some self-study and read articles and books on (product) leadership or attend a product leadership workshop.
• The head of product will manage the product vision, strategy, execution of the company’s product suite.
• To make things worse, few companies I have worked with had clearly defined product roles.

They work cross-functionally across teams and take on more responsibility for the product strategy and team. By focusing on your career path, product managers may find it easier to transition to higher-ranking job roles. It is therefore important that you understand common product management roles and responsibilities and that you know how a group of product people can collaboratively manage a larger product. You should understand, for example, what the role of a Scrum product owner is, how it differs from a SAFe product owner, how it compares to a traditional product manager, and which skills an individual requires to be an effective Scrum product owner.

Head of Digital jobs

If a candidate has past experience in the same industry, employers are likely to believe that the candidate understands the target market, major competitors, business models and revenue sources, and the latest trends. It’s not impossible to break into a new industry when working as a product manager, but it can help make it easier to transition into higher-ranking positions. Most employers are looking for a head of product with at least a bachelor’s degree. A company might have a preference for a degree in business, information technology, or computer science. But it will be more important to demonstrate that a candidate has the necessary skills to succeed in product management.

Head of product is often interchangeable with other product leaders like the VP of product or chief product officer (CPO). Regardless of the title, head of product is an executive-level within an organization. The role focuses strongly on maintaining the product management structure and creating a high-level strategy.

Ensure that Your Core Product Management Skills are Strong

Ultimately, a head of product will rise in a leadership role and support their product team in their decision-making skills. Some other responsibilities could include taking the initiative on product research, establishing KPIs and metrics, and finding strategic partnerships. For instance, help the members collaborate, establish shared standards including product management processes, methods, tools, and templates; communicate strategic business objectives; and hire new product people. Besides product management experience, employers also want candidates to have at least 3-5 years of experience managing a team.

This guide should help to clear it up, and give you a better understanding of how each position has their own separate role and responsibilities. Many of the titles sound similar, and indeed, their roles within the product team often have some overlap. Whatever the job title, there are some common https://wizardsdev.com/en/vacancy/head-of-product/ skills and characteristics that come in handy in all roles in the product team. It’s really up to the individual company how these roles are defined and what their specific responsibilities look like. The Chief Product Officer’s scope is generally the most broad, and the most big-picture.

Director, New Product Planning

This could involve taking on larger projects in your current role or networking with industry experts to learn about the latest trends. Proactively building your resume and relationships will help you with your career path. Additionally, being an effective leader requires you to cultivate a genuine caring attitude for the people you want to lead, whether you like them or not. It means that you’ll have to deal with people issues on a regular basis, help and support the individuals who are on your team, constructively address problems and offer advice. This information ultimately serves to influence the business’s product strategy and ensures that the business makes informed and beneficial decisions when presented to the Director of Product Management and subsequently to the stakeholders. The Head of Product Management leads the Product Management team with a focus on enhancing the definition and growth of the product in its market.

The best way to do this is to ask the people on the product management team how you can effectively support them as the head of product. In larger companies, the head of product may be beneath the director of product management or even the VP of product. Smaller companies may not have those roles which would make the head of product the top product management role. Generally speaking, if there is a product director within a company, the head of product isn’t in a higher position than them.