What Is a Director of Product Management? How to Become One, Salary, Skills.

Directors of product management supervise all product management functions throughout product development processes. Here’s what to know about a director of product management’s needed skills, salary and how to become one.

What Is a Director of Product Management?

Directors of product management set overarching product team expectations, assemble and train product managers and senior product managers as well as ensure product members have the necessary resources to launch new digital products and improve the features of existing ones. Depending on the company, they may hold primary ownership and responsibility over specific products. 

What Do Directors of Product Management Do?

Directors of product management establish long-term product strategies, lead product managers and define the areas of priority in product development life cycles.

Director of Product Management Responsibilities

• Hold responsibility over the development and launch of new products or features.
• Execute product strategies and guide product management practices.
• Drive and modify key performance indicators (KPIs) and objectives and key results (OKRs).
• Build project management practices around agile and scrum methodologies.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities of Directors of Product Management

• Assist in hiring, onboarding and training product managers and senior product managers.
• Review and track team-wide development goals.
• Ensure tools and software resources are properly allocated throughout the team.
• Communicate needs between product team, executives and stakeholders.

Directors of Product Management Within a Company

Directors of product management are part of a product team within a company. They may report to the vice president of product or a chief product officer (CPO).

Importance of Directors of Product Management

Directors of product management closely guide the activities of product managers, who design product roadmaps, requirements and necessary courses of action for product development. They act as an important leading figure within the overall product team.

What Skills Are Needed to Be a Director of Product Management?

Qualifications to Be a Director of Product Management

• Five or more years of experience in product management or leading product development.
• Ability to create and execute product strategies and strategic vision.
• Ability to lead initiatives and establish production goals across various teams.
• Familiar with product management software and related tools used by product managers.

Director of Product Management Prerequisites

• Bachelor’s degree in business, economics or related field.

Director of Product Management Hard Skills

• Expertise in product management and product development life cycles.
• Experience in product strategy development and roadmapping tools.
• High-level modern technical and product knowledge.
• Understanding of user experience and user research tools.

Director of Product Management Soft Skills

• Critical thinking skills.
• Collaboration skills.
• Leadership and ownership skills.
• Project management best practices.
• Verbal and written communication skills.

How to Become a Director of Product Management

Director of Product Management Education and Experience

Directors of product management often have a bachelor’s degree in business, economics or a related field. Some also hold a master’s degree in business administration (MBA), product management or a related field.

Directors of product management are expected to obtain five or more years of experience in product management or leading product development. Knowledge of product ownership, product strategy development, product roadmapping, project management and cross-team communication are also recommended.

Director of Product Management Certificates and Courses

• 22 Product Management Courses Elevating Tech Careers
• Advanced Product Management: Leadership & Communication
• Advanced Product Management: Vision, Strategy & Metrics
• Leadership Training Programs to Level Up Your Team

Director of Product Management Career Path

Professionals may begin their management careers as a product manager or a senior product manager before moving into a director of product management role. After ample experience, professionals can move from director of product management into roles like vice president of product or chief product officer (CPO).

Director of Product Management Salary and Job Outlook

Positions in marketing management, including product management, are expected to grow 10 percent by 2031. 

The full compensation package for a director of product management depends on a variety of factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s experience and geographic location. See below for detailed information on the average director of product management salary.