Director, Product Strategy

Strategic Planning Director

Cox Automotive is hiring a Director, Product Strategy. The Strategic Planning Director plays a critical role in identifying new opportunities and crafting long-term strategic plans for products and capabilities. By understanding clients' top needs, this leader will position Cox Automotive (CAI) to drive value in the marketplace. This role requires direct interaction with customers, external business partners, and cross-functional internal teams to shape the strategic direction of the business. The Director will collaborate closely with Cox Automotive's Executive leaders, business stakeholders, product teams, and corporate strategy teams. Through this collaborative approach, the Director will ensure alignment and shared methodologies in the design and development of our products.

The ideal candidate will possess a robust strategic formation background, demonstrating the ability to analyze market trends, assess competitive landscapes, and develop actionable strategies that propel the business forward. This leader will also be an expert at leveraging insights to inform product strategy plans, guiding teams through complex decision-making processes, and effectively communicating strategic initiatives across all levels of the organization. Experience in direct people management is not required for this role; it will involve a high level of executive visibility and a wide range of influence with cross-functional teams across all our Cox Automotive brands. (Individual Contributor Role)

The role supports the development of product strategies across Cox Automotive by:

• Collaborating with executive leaders, cross-functional partners, and business stakeholders to craft and refine product strategies that drive company and client growth.
• Engaging with business leaders to analyze and uphold core revenue streams through alignment with foundational business strategies.
• Conducting market and opportunity analysis to identify new growth avenues and assess potential for new product offerings and lines of business.
• Performs the full range of analysis required to ensure proposed opportunities align with strategy and have the potential of enhancing long-term success from multiple perspectives, including technology, products, and services
• Contributes to and advises management on the identification, evaluation, and execution of potential acquisitions, partnerships, alliances, joint ventures, and/or internal start-up opportunities
• Directing the various workstreams to understand how initiatives may impact and benefit the business.
• Aligning strategies across Cox Auto and ensuring they contribute to shared end-state and market-oriented outcomes.
• Coaching product leaders (AVPs, Directors, and Sr Managers), helping them lift out of the tactical to ensure their product lines have/are aligned to a strategic north star that is durable.
• Developing and sustaining deep subject matter expertise in the evolving landscape of auto retailing, wholesaling, ownership, and fleet maintenance.
• Identifying opportunities to consolidate /coordinate capabilities that cross-solution sets/delivery streams and build consensus to shift how we deliver value as we advance.
• The role focuses on developing winning product strategies, with the ability to turn vision and concept into actionable, feasible plans in partnership with others being indispensable.

A qualified candidate will demonstrate advanced skills in the following critical, functional areas:

• Analytical Thinking: Demonstrates advanced analytical skills to diagnose organizational challenges, identify root causes, and propose viable solutions. Employs logic and intuition to interpret data, using tools like flow charts and diagrams to evaluate various options effectively.
• Business Acumen: Understands economic, financial, and industry trends to enhance organizational performance. Analyzes market data to identify opportunities and articulate trends' implications for the team and broader organization, ensuring alignment with overall business strategies.
• Consulting: Applies knowledge of consulting techniques to guide both internal and external clients. Understanding client objectives and project scope, communicating requirements clearly, and keeping stakeholders informed on progress and challenges, fostering ongoing collaboration.
• Financial Acumen: Utilizes financial analysis tools and techniques to assess alternative scenarios and outcomes. Extracts relevant data to develop financial models for forecasting and performance analysis, identifying issues and recommending solutions to drive results.

Required Experience & Specialized Knowledge:

• Bachelor's degree in a related discipline and 10 years' experience in a related field. The right candidate could also have a different combination, such as a master's degree and 8 years' experience; a Ph.D. and 5 years' experience in a related field; or 14 years' experience in a related field.
• Experience in automotive, strategy consulting, or technology consulting.
• Strong Strategic Formation background- Must have experience developing long-term strategies or initiatives.
• Must be able to provide examples of transforming ideas into actionable plans,and recognition for innovative thinking.
• Experience in market analysis, data-driven decision-making, and performance metrics; proficiency in tools for data analysis and modeling. Must have experience working with more sophisticated frameworks such as Root cause analysis, Etc.
• Able to adapt the strategy based on real-time feedback and changing conditions.
• Able to identify adequate resources—financial, human, and technological—that will support execution.
• Develop a comprehensive product strategy that outlines capability, target customers, and positioning.
• Facilitate workshops with cross-functional teams (R&D, marketing, and other business leaders) to co-create a product roadmap aligned with business objectives.
• Proficiency in data analysis tools and methodologies to support strategic decision-making.
• Proven ability to lead using influence within highly complex, matrixed teams.
• Proven ability to deliver high-impact presentations to C-suite executives, clearly articulating the product vision, strategic alignment with corporate goals, and expected ROI, along with using data visualizations to convey complex information.
• Ability to travel up to 25% of the time.

Preferred:

• Advanced degrees (e.g., MBA) or relevant certifications.
• Top Tier strategy consulting background.
• People leader experience preferred, as this candidate would be leading cross-functional teams.
• Corporate strategy experience.