Product Portfolio Strategy Director

Job Description

Job Description

Who we are:

Illumia is an industry leader in bringing the best integrated technology solutions to education, healthcare, and business campuses worldwide. Illumia was built on the collective expertise of two legacy cultures, and brings together people, technology, and insight to pioneer the art of the experience across the communities we serve. Be a part of this exciting organization and improving the lives of people doing mission-critical work.

Wy join our team?

We strive to provide the best customer experience in the industry and have succeeded with a single, strong motivating principle: We serve our user community.

Our success and growth are directly attributed to our people. Our newly named company is dedicated to fostering a culture of integrity, respect, and continuous personal development. We maintain an entrepreneurial spirit, where creativity, innovative problem-solving, and learning agility drive our day-to-day actions.

What you will be doing:  

The Product Portfolio Strategy Director is an individual-contributor strategy role within the Product organization, reporting directly to the Chief Product Officer (CPO) with regular visibility to the executive team and the Board of Directors. This role is responsible for building and operating the analytical rigor behind the company's product investment decisions: developing business cases in partnership with segment General Managers (GMs), maintaining a single source of truth on portfolio status and risk for leadership, and establishing the repeatable processes, templates, and cadences that make portfolio strategy a durable function rather than an ad hoc exercise. This is a newly established function; the incumbent will be responsible for designing the operating model, not inheriting an existing one. 

This position is distinct from product management, program/project management, and Chief of Staff roles. It does not include ownership of product delivery, sprint execution, ticket triage, or executive calendar management. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Portfolio strategy and business cases  

• Lead the development of business cases behind major investment decisions — market sizing, cost-benefit, and the trade-offs leadership actually needs to see — in close partnership with the GM who owns that segment 
• Build and run the portfolio prioritization framework, annual operating plans, and longer-term strategic plans 

• Own the decks, scorecards, and recommendations that go to the exec team and board — this is your work product, not a summary of someone else's 

Initiative Storytelling and Executive Reporting  

• Own the narrative on the major initiatives the portfolio is running at any given time
• Run a tight cadence of portfolio reviews, so leadership sees one format and one source of truth
• Call out real outcomes and risk, not just activity
• Present to execs; be the person who can answer 'so what' without notice 

Process Design and Governance  

• Build the templates and rhythm that make portfolio strategy repeatable, not reinvented
• Keep one current view of every initiative's status and risk, so no one's working off stale information
• Spot where process is breaking down and fix it, without taking over delivery work that belongs to the teams doing it 

Cross-functional partnership  

• Partner with segment GMs as they build the case for their bets — you drive the analysis and the argument, they own the business and the call 
• Build real trust with Product, Engineering, Sales, and Service leadership — this job runs on trust
• Be a thought partner to Product leadership, helping them frame their own strategy well
• Stay tight with the CPO & CTO so portfolio strategy is communicated the same way everywhere it shows up 

Minimum Qualifications  

• Bachelor's degree required; MBA or equivalent advanced degree preferred. 

• 6+ years of experience in strategy consulting, corporate strategy, or a comparably rigorous analytical function. 

• Demonstrated track record of developing business cases that directly informed executive or Board-level investment decisions. 

• Experience preparing and presenting materials to executive leadership and/or a Board of Directors. 

Preferred Qualifications  

• Experience at a top-tier management consulting firm. 

• SaaS, platform, or enterprise software experience within higher education, healthcare, or another regulated market. 

• Familiarity with SVPG/Cagan product strategy frameworks. 

  Essential Functions of the job:  

The duties and responsibilities described in this job description are intended to represent the essential functions of the position as defined under applicable federal, state, and local labor laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These functions are the fundamental job duties required for successful performance. 

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions unless such accommodations impose an undue hardship on the organization. 

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities. Duties may be added, removed, or modified at any time in accordance with business needs and applicable law. 

  Core Competencies  

Strong quantitative and analytical skills, including market sizing and cost-benefit analysis. 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex or ambiguous status into a clear narrative. 

• High degree of process orientation and organizational discipline. 

• Demonstrated ability to build trust and influence outcomes across functions without formal authority. 

• Comfort operating with significant ambiguity, including designing new processes rather than executing existing ones. 

The following reflect Illumia's core leadership values and apply company-wide:  

• Humble: The right leaders for Illumia don't need to own the spotlight — they share credit, define success collectively, and are quick to elevate the contributions of others. This is a company that still writes its story. The leaders who thrive here find energy in building something together, not in being recognized as the smartest person in the room. 

• Hungry: We are not looking for caretakers. We are looking for leaders who are restless about what's possible, self-motivated to close the gap between where we are today and where we need to be, and who are already thinking about the next opportunity before anyone asks. 

• Smart: At Illumia, our leaders must operate across a complex, distributed organization spanning multiple product lines, two legacy cultures, and thousands of customers with competing priorities. Technical skills matter, but the ability to read a room, build trust across functions, and bring people along is what separates a great leader from one who burns the organization out. 

This position is classified as  Exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and applicable state wage-and-hour laws. 

  What you get when you join our team:  

• Flexible time off to include paid holidays and volunteer time. 

• Robust health, dental, and vision insurance plans on your first day of employment 

• Comprehensive employee assistance program (EAP) 

• Employer-paid life insurance/AD&D/short-term and long-term disability insurance  

• Flexible spending account (FSA) or health savings account (HSA)  

• Matched 401(k)  

• Employee stock purchase plan 

Base salary offers for this position may vary based on factors such as location, skills, and relevant experience. Some positions may include additional compensation in the form of bonus, equity, or commissions. 

Your personal information will be handled in accordance with Illumia's  Candidate Privacy Notice

Illumia is an equal employment opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, gender, age, religion, national origin, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, protected military/veteran status, or any other protected factor.