Sr Director, Product Management

The Senior Director of Product Management is the product leader responsible for the end-to-end Autotrader consumer and dealer experience, directly stewarding the Listings business. This role owns the entire product lifecycle-from discovery and strategy through delivery and optimization-across the full consumer journey, dealer workflows, pricing and packaging, and revenue-driving capabilities.
This leader manages a product management team and serves as the Release Train leader in partnership with Engineering, Architecture, and Solution Delivery. The role requires driving cross-functional execution across Product, Engineering, Data Science, Sales, and Marketing to deliver measurable impact on Listings revenue, margin expansion, and customer outcomes.
Strategic Scope

• Traffic & Discovery: SEO/GEO strategy, traffic acquisition, and marketing optimization
• Consumer Experience: Autotrader.com, mobile app, ChatGPT integration, and AI-enabled experiences including Shopping Assistant
• Advertising Products: Creation and evolution of new dealer advertising solutions
• AI Innovation: Evolution of AI-powered shopping experiences and influence over AI mode capabilities
• Dealer Solutions: Workflows, pricing, packaging, and go-to-market execution
• Platform Adoption: Driving enterprise-wide adoption to achieve strategic benefits

Success is measured by Listings revenue and margin growth, improvements to consumer and dealer outcomes, faster decision-to-deployment cycles, and the strategic impact of new product capabilities.
PRIMARY DUTIES/KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and execute the vision and strategy for Autotrader's consumer and dealer experience, aligning with Listings business objectives
• Drive the creation and execution of new advertising products and AI-enabled experiences that deliver measurable revenue and margin impact
• Own the product roadmap across traffic acquisition, consumer experience, dealer workflows, and pricing/packaging
• Maintain understanding of competitive position, target markets, and automotive industry landscape to inform product strategy
• Lead new market entry and product line strategy development for Autotrader's evolving digital marketplace
• Partner closely with Engineering, Data Science, Sales, and Marketing leadership to ensure aligned decision-making and execution
• Collaborate with Marketing to optimize traffic acquisition, SEO/GEO, and campaign effectiveness
• Work with Sales leadership to translate product capabilities into dealer value propositions and packaging strategies
• Oversee operating model that ensures agile delivery teams have clarity and support to maximize product value and ROI
• Lead and resolve business issues that have enterprise-wide impact across the Autotrader ecosystem
• Directly own and drive performance of the Listings business through product innovation and optimization
• Create metrics-based approach to feature success, measuring revenue lift, margin improvement, and customer outcomes
• Develop and track KPIs across consumer engagement, dealer adoption, and business performance
• Drive faster decision-to-deployment cycles to accelerate time-to-value for new capabilities
• Ensure product strategy dynamically adapts to rapidly changing market and business conditions
• Lead the evolution of AI-enabled experiences including Shopping Assistant and influence AI mode capabilities on Autotrader
• Drive innovation in consumer shopping experiences across web, mobile app, and emerging platforms (e.g., ChatGPT integration)
• Leverage advanced understanding of emerging technologies to create competitive advantage
• Pursue opportunities to experiment with emerging solutions that can accelerate business goals
• Lead and develop a high-performing product management team across multiple locations
• Build product and domain expertise within the team and create cohesiveness across distributed members
• Set objectives to ensure team delivers on targeted financial, strategic, and operational commitments
• Actively develop talent and create bench strength, including immediate succession planning
• Foster effective business relationships with internal and external partners, vendors, and stakeholders
• Serve as Release Train leader, ensuring effective communication and decision-making within the train and across stakeholders
• Oversee development and management of processes, methods, and technologies used by Product Managers
• Facilitate collaboration across disparate planning and operational efforts to ensure alignment
• Drive continuous process improvement within Product Management practices
• Engage with Cox Automotive executive leadership to develop strategic direction for large, complex product lines
• Deliver executive presentations that clearly articulate product strategy, business impact, and roadmap
• Communicate product vision, benefits, and results to wide range of technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Ensure mission and values of internal clients are represented throughout the product lifecycle
• Oversee workforce and capacity plans to manage existing and incremental demands
• Plan and allocate resources to accomplish planned business results and support strategic initiatives
• Other duties as needed or required

Functional Skills

• Analytical Thinking - Applies advanced analytical techniques and tools to organizational issues. Determines root cause and creates alternative solutions in the best interest of the business. Uses logic and intuition to analyze data, identify trends, and arrive at conclusions. Systematically compares and assesses varied alternatives.
• Business Acumen - Applies advanced knowledge of economic, financial, market, and industry trends to understand and improve business results. Demonstrates understanding of major business functions, industry trends, and Autotrader's competitive position. Analyzes information from multiple sources to identify trends, assess strategies, and evaluate opportunities. Understands interdependencies across the organization and leverages industry knowledge to maximize results and limit risks.
• Requirements Facilitation & Analysis - Advanced knowledge and ability to elicit, analyze, and document required functionality across consumer and dealer experiences. Engages with customers, dealers, and stakeholders to understand core problems. Utilizes organizational methods, tools, and techniques for requirements analysis. Confirms deliverables, challenges, conflicts, and expectations.
• Technology Acumen - Advanced knowledge of technology and its ability to improve work processes and results (e.g., enhance productivity, efficiency, collaboration, quality, customer satisfaction). Uses technology to solve work-related problems and create new business opportunities. Experiments with emerging technology solutions. Keeps others informed about technology innovations. Serves as resource to help others understand and anticipate technology's impact.
• Automotive & Digital Marketplace Expertise - Deep understanding of automotive shopping behavior, dealer operations, and digital advertising models. Forward-thinking; anticipates trends in automotive e-commerce and consumer technology. Applies knowledge of marketplace dynamics, listings business models, and dealer value propositions.

Foundational Skills

• Builds Partnerships - Proactively builds, nurtures, and maintains business-focused, long-term working relationships with partners inside and outside the organization. Demonstrates flexibility when forming partnerships to achieve broader goals. Works across boundaries to achieve outcomes addressing business, customer, and partner goals.
• Engages Others - Asks for others' ideas and builds on them to reach mutually agreeable solutions. Seeks and respects alternative approaches and conflicting viewpoints. Empathizes with others' concerns.
• Guides Team Success - Ensures team's purpose and importance are defined, clarified, and understood. Guides team in setting specific, measurable goals. Builds others' sense of task ownership and self-confidence. Sets objectives to ensure team delivers on targeted commitments.
• Leads Change - Drives organizational and cultural change to achieve business objectives. Recognizes need for change and takes accountability for implementing new/improved methods. Understands how people react to change and helps overcome resistance by explaining benefits and being sensitive to emotions. Engages others' commitment by seeking and using their ideas.
• Leads with Vision - Leads through vision and values. Paints clear picture of Autotrader's purpose, strategy, and culture and how employees can participate and contribute to long-term success. Conveys opportunities, demonstrates benefits, and inspires others to action. Links work performed by employees and partners with broader vision. Rewards behavior that supports the vision and values.

Education, Experience and Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in related field or equivalent experience; Advanced degree preferred
• Minimum 12+ years of related work experience with at least 7 years in a leadership role
• Advanced leadership experience building and leading high-performing teams that consistently meet or exceed goals in fast-paced, high-change, matrixed organizations
• Demonstrated experience managing large-scale digital consumer products with significant revenue impact
• Working knowledge of SAFe Agile Methodology
• Proven experience in design, development, and implementation of product plans across consumer and B2B experiences
• Experience creating, prioritizing, and recommending epics and features aligned to business outcomes
• Experience conducting competitive research and analysis
• Experience identifying KPIs and analytics to measure product value and business impact
• Experience with executive presentations and stakeholder management
• Experience working in collaborative, cross-functional team environments across Product, Engineering, Data, Sales, and Marketing

Preferred:

• Experience in automotive industry, digital marketplaces, or advertising technology
• Experience with AI/ML-powered product development and deployment
• Experience managing listings, advertising, or marketplace revenue models
• Deep understanding of SEO/GEO, traffic acquisition, and digital marketing optimization
• Experience with mobile app development and emerging platform integrations (e.g., ChatGPT, voice assistants)

Technical & Domain Expertise:

• Source of technical knowledge in digital product development and marketplace platforms
• Advanced knowledge in business, product performance, and automotive industry principles, practices, and procedures
• Routinely applies/demonstrates expertise in existing and emerging technologies, practices, and processes

USD 179,600.00 - 299,400.00
Compensation:
Compensation includes a base salary in the range of $179,600.00 - $299,400.00. 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.
Benefits:
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.
Applicants must currently be authorized to work in the United States for any employer without current or future sponsorship.