Company

Cox Automotive - USAEngineering / Product DevelopmentSr Director, Product OperationsSr DirectorHybrid - Ability to work remotely part of the weekYes, 25% of the timeDay

Compensation

Compensation includes a base salary of $148,500.00 - $247,500.00. The base salary may vary within the anticipated base pay range based on factors such as the ultimate location of the position and the selected candidate’s knowledge, skills, and abilities. Position may be eligible for additional compensation that may include an incentive program.

The Sr Director of Product and Solution Commercialization is a transformational leader who will optimize how Cox Automotive brings products to market, ensuring we capture value for our product investments and transform our readiness and commercialization practices to handle increasing rates of change and accelerated product development.

This pivotal role leads a team of commercialization and readiness professionals responsible for overseeing successful launches, market penetration, and long-term performance of new products or services. This leader works in partnership with product management and operational leaders across Cox Automotive.

To be successful in this role, the candidate must have a combination of product management knowledge, operational knowledge, financial and product analytical skills, project management, and applied experience using artificial intelligence to improve processes and business outcomes. He/she must also be able to build and lead a strong team while also leading with influence across Cox Automotive to optimize our overall approach to commercialization and the transformation of the product launches leveraging AI.

• Leadership: Inspire, motivate and develop a team of commercialization and readiness professionals to continually improve our approach to commercialization and readiness including the following key practices:

  • Launch Leadership: Develop, communicate, and execute comprehensive product commercialization strategy including go-to-market and post-launch plans. Work across organizational boundaries to ensure that all go-to-market goals are met. Manage launch risk by communicating issues and mitigation plans to all levels including leadership.

  • Defining Success: Works with Business Leadership, Product Management, Product Marketing and Change Management to ensure success of product launches can be measured and achieve business goals. Suggest ideas for improvement.

  • Operational and Sales Readiness: Collaborate with the SBO and operations to ensure products are properly marketed, sold, contracted, installed, trained, billed, supported, analyzed for utilization and canceled. Coordinate and communicate with stakeholders around key activities.

  • Keeps the voice and perspective of the customer present throughout the entire lifecycle of the product. Facilitate, capture and use team-member and client feedback. Promote client-centric value propositions and positioning to inform commercialization strategy.

• Product/Solution Lifecycle Management: Guide product and operations leaders to analyze and assess the best actions / investment approaches for their products based on an understanding of product launch success and in-market product profitability/performance.

• Data-driven Product Performance and Reporting: Responsible and accountable for developing and implementing value capture, measurement and tracking for our most important product launches. Work with product teams to ensure product usage, value and performance metrics are instrumented as part of the development lifecycle. Rollout commercialization product performance best practices in partnership with product operations, finance, and solution delivery.

• Process Improvement and Efficiency: Champion continuous improvement using innovative ideas to increase the effectiveness of our commercialization and readiness practice. Looks for ways to apply automation and enable product, sales, and operations teams to apply self-service/self-management techniques.

• Communication: Effectively uses persuasion and negotiation techniques with boundary partners. Builds networks of support for ideas and/or initiatives. Synthesizes information quickly and tailors messaging to audiences. Able to represent Cox Automotive at high-profile and/or public events.

• Change and Transformation: Ability to plan and drive change while also building team and cross-functional alignment. The ability to focus on the system of product commercialization and the application of technology and artificial intelligence to improve and automate processes is crucial to this leader’s success. Demonstrates flexibility and adaptability to ongoing changes.

Required Experience, Knowledge and skills

• BS or BA Degree

• 12+ overall work experience with 7+ years of experience leading high performing teams successfully launching/managing products to market

• Strong quantitative skills with demonstrable skills in product metrics, commercialization strategies, pricing/value strategies, and ROI analysis.

• Experience managing and guiding senior leadership via influence

• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of Product Management practices and processes

• Demonstrated success planning product launches, EOLs and sunsets.

• Specific experience actively applying AI and technology to process improvement and automation

• An extensive background in leading large multi-discipline organizations to achieve a shared outcome

• Demonstrated planning, analytical, and organization skills with an ability to manage competing demands

• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written

• Strong leadership, facilitation, negotiation, change management, and mentoring skills

• Must possess an ability to build key business relationships and contribute to the emerging customer-centric, market-driven culture within Cox Automotive

• Travel required up to 25%

Preferred Experience, Knowledge and skills

• MBA

• 12+ years of experience successfully leading high-performing teams launching, EOLing, and sun-setting products in the market

To be employed in this role, you’ll need to clear a pre-employment drug test. Cox Automotive does not currently administer a pre-employment drug test for marijuana for this position. However, we are a drug-free workplace, so the possession, use or being under the influence of drugs illegal under federal or state law during work hours, on company property and/or in company vehicles is prohibited.The Company offers eligible employees the flexibility to take as much vacation with pay as they deem consistent with their duties, the company’s needs, and its obligations; seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year; and up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually for their own wellness or that of family members. Employees are also eligible for additional paid time off in the form of bereavement leave, time off to vote, jury duty leave, volunteer time off, military leave, and parental leave.Through groundbreaking technology and a commitment to stellar experiences for drivers and dealers alike, Cox Automotive employees are transforming the way the world buys, owns, sells – or simply uses – cars. Cox Automotive employees get to work on iconic consumer brands like Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book and industry-leading dealer-facing companies like vAuto and Manheim, all while enjoying the people-centered atmosphere that is central to our life at Cox. Benefits of working at Cox may include health care insurance (medical, dental, vision), retirement planning (401(k)), and paid days off (sick leave, parental leave, flexible vacation/wellness days, and/or PTO). For more details on what benefits you may be offered, visit our benefits page. Cox is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer – All qualified applicants/employees will receive consideration for employment without regard to that individual’s age, race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, physical or mental disability, veteran status, genetic information, ethnicity, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by law. Cox provides reasonable accommodations when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with disability, unless such accommodations would cause an undue hardship.

Applicants must currently be authorized to work in the United States for any employer without current or future sponsorship. No OPT, CPT, STEM/OPT or visa sponsorship now or in future.