Director of Product Strategy

Director of Product Strategy

Chicago / NYC/US Remote + Full Time

Fifty Thousand Feet ("FTF") is an independent global design consultancy and creative agency that develops timeless brands for discerning audiences. From brand identity systems, marketing communications, and advertising to digital products and connected experiences, Fifty Thousand Feet uses strategy, design, and technology to help brands connect more deeply with their customers. Since 2001, Fifty Thousand Feet has crafted a distinctive approach to developing integrated strategic communications by combining business intelligence, industry acumen, and consumer insights to deliver immersive creative solutions across digital, mobile, broadcast, video, print, and retail channels.

At Fifty Thousand Feet, the Director of Product Strategy is responsible for leading the strategy, development, and delivery of innovative digital products and customer experiences for FTF and its clients. This role bridges business strategy, user needs, design thinking, and technology to define product visions, align cross-functional teams, and bring impactful solutions to market.

The Director of Product Strategy partners closely with strategy, creative, UX, engineering, and client stakeholders to identify opportunities, prioritize initiatives, and guide products through the full lifecycle—from discovery, vision and roadmap definition to launch and optimization. This role requires a strong understanding of digital product ecosystems, customer experience, emerging technologies, and agile product development methodologies.

The ideal candidate is both strategic and execution-oriented, with the ability to balance user needs, business objectives, technical feasibility, and delivery priorities while driving collaboration across multidisciplinary teams. Exceptional communication and narrative skills and executive level client composure are required.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive product vision, strategy, and roadmaps aligned with client business goals and customer needs.
• Lead cross-functional teams through product discovery, planning, development, launch, and optimization.
• Collaborate closely with strategy, UX, creative, and client stakeholders to define product requirements and priorities.
• Translate complex business objectives and customer insights into actionable product strategies and user-centered solutions.
• Facilitate workshops, stakeholder sessions, and collaborative working engagements to align teams around product goals and opportunities.
• Develop and maintain product roadmaps, feature prioritization frameworks, and delivery timelines.
• Define product requirements, user stories, acceptance criteria, and success metrics in partnership with design and technical teams.
• Partner with UX and research teams to validate concepts through user feedback, testing, and iterative design processes.
• Manage competing priorities, dependencies, risks, and scope throughout the product lifecycle.
• Monitor product performance and customer engagement metrics to identify optimization opportunities and inform future product direction.
• Drive alignment between business objectives, customer experience, technical feasibility, and operational considerations.
• Present product strategies, recommendations, and progress updates to clients and internal leadership with clarity and confidence.
• Stay informed on emerging technologies, AI-enabled experiences, digital trends, and industry best practices to identify innovation opportunities.
• Support agile product development practices, including sprint planning, backlog grooming, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Contribute to business growth by identifying new opportunities, expanding client relationships, and supporting strategic initiatives.
• Manage and mentor developing staff.
• Hire and manage freelancers in adjacent roles as needed (e.g., content strategy, UX design).

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Product Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Minimum of 10+ years of experience in product management, digital strategy, or related disciplines.
• Proven experience leading digital products from concept through launch and ongoing optimization.
• Strong understanding of product strategy, customer experience design, agile methodologies, and modern product development workflows.
• Experience collaborating with multidisciplinary teams including strategy, UX, creative, engineering, and client services.
• Familiarity with digital product ecosystems, emerging technologies, AI-assisted experiences, and customer engagement platforms.
• Experience working with product management and collaboration tools.
• Excellent client-facing, presentation, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Previous experience within a creative agency, consultancy, or innovation-focused environment preferred.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Strong strategic thinking and product leadership capabilities.
• Ability to balance user needs, business objectives, technical constraints, and delivery priorities.
• Exceptional organizational skills with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple initiatives and stakeholders in fast-paced environments.
• Strong collaboration and facilitation skills across multidisciplinary teams.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders at multiple levels.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and driving clarity across complex projects and evolving priorities.
• Proactive, self-directed, and capable of managing workstreams with minimal oversight.
• Strong understanding of user-centered design principles and digital product best practices.
• Ability to synthesize research, data, and market insights into actionable product recommendations.
• Passion for innovation, emerging technologies, and creating impactful customer experiences.
• Ability to thrive in collaborative, fast-paced, and highly creative environments

Our Commitment

At Fifty Thousand Feet, we believe that building and sustaining a culture that is diverse, equitable and inclusive is essential to creating meaningful work. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other legally protected status.