What is a director of product?

A Director of Product is in charge of supervising, leading, and managing product teams throughout the product development process, from concept to launch. The person holding the position has visibility into all stages of product development, from design to user experience, through Agile product delivery, to marketing and beyond.

The Role of the Product Development Director

The Director of Product has a direct and crucial role in a company’s day-to-day and long-term activity. A product manager’s responsibility is to guide other product managers (and the teams they oversee) to deliver a finished product that meets or exceeds specifications and is provided on schedule.

For the Director of Product to be effective, they must have a clear product vision that they can communicate to the employees under their supervision, thereby leading the entire business toward a successful product launch.

Advantages Of Employing a Product Development Director

With time and expertise, an individual can go up the corporate ladder until they are promoted to Director of Product Management. Depending on the company, the Director of Product will report to the Vice President of Product, the Chief Product Officer, the Senior Vice President, the Executive Vice President, or the Chief Executive Officer.

Product Development Director vs. Product Manager

Both terms seem almost the same, but the main difference is the level of experience expected. A product development director will often be a junior product manager in the early stages of his career.

This job is like that of a football coach: while they do not play any part in the game, they know where each player should be on the field and what they are supposed to do. On the other hand, the Director of Product will almost certainly be someone with more experience in the company (and in the field).

The job of a director of product is to manage the managers. Their day-to-day job will be more about the big picture while making sure the product development is working is one of the POD’s responsibilities.

They will primarily oversee the product managers and the team itself. If we stay in the football example, a pod is more like the team manager. While they are also responsible for the team’s security, they will probably focus on overseeing the managers’ work and the macro side of things.

What are The Roles and Responsibilities of a Director of Product?

The director of product is the executive in charge of a company’s product division, albeit the title might be interchangeable with the Vice President or Head of Product. So, while there is no universally applicable organizational structure, the following is a high-level sketch of the hierarchy (and, more importantly, the career path) within which the Director of Product position is situated:

●     The Product Manager is a job title that describes a person in charge of a product or service

●     A Product Owner is a formal title for a person in charge of a product

●     A Product Manager with a senior level of responsibility

●     Director of Product Management.

●     Product Vice President/Head of Product/Chief of Product