Job Description

Posting number: 26-20171

Department: MBTA - Technology Innovation Division

Division: 863-Technology Innovation Division

Job classification: Deputy Director of Product Management

Posting type: Open/External and Promotional/Internal

Categories: IT and Computers

The Deputy Director of Product Management plays a pivotal role in delivering technology solutions, collaborating closely with partner teams and departments to solve complex user and business challenges. The Deputy Director of Product Management leads product management for several products or a complex product problem space, setting clear direction in alignment with defined program-level strategy. The role provides product leadership and guidance to its direct reports, helping teams navigate complexity and drive alignment. The Deputy Director partners with cross-functional peers and leaders to uphold product management excellence in the realm of civic technology, operating within the specific constraints of the MBTA.

Examples of duties

• Assist senior team leadership in ensuring product teams are equipped to deliver on program priorities by helping resolve cross-team issues, supporting day-to-day coordination, and serving as a point of contact for escalations when needed and represent the Director in routine discussions or decisions when requested.
• Support the Product Management team senior leadership in program-level planning, including preparing inputs for prioritization, long-term roadmapping, and outcome-setting.
• Act on behalf of the Product Management team senior leadership when delegated and serve as designated point of escalation and decision-making for the product management function, as assigned.
• Support the translation of program-level strategy and product management best practices into clear expectations, processes, and guidance for product teams.
• Ensure product development teams successfully deliver technology solutions by providing clarity of scope, resolving delivery obstacles, and supporting cross functional alignment.
• Lead and develop product management staff (including contracted staff) within a Product area including organizational planning, performance management, position descriptions, hiring, and professional growth as applicable.
• Support the professional development of direct reports. Ensure they have the necessary skills and resources, and that they adhere to MBTA product management standards and best practices.
• Manage the recruitment process for product manager positions within assigned product area, including creating and revising position descriptions, reviewing applicant resumes from recruiters, and interviewing applicants.
• Support the implementation of Program-level strategy within products. Work with cross-functional peers to support defining product-level vision(s) in accordance with the strategy, long-term outcomes, and investment priorities. Oversee the incorporation of strategic goals into team priorities and roadmaps, lead cross-team coordination for complex product initiatives, and build and execute on a roadmap for assigned products within a complex, ambiguous problem space.
• Leverage quantitative data and user research to prioritize work. Maintain and continuously refine a product backlog, making prioritization decisions throughout the product development lifecycle in collaboration with research, design, engineering, and program teams. Effectively communicate priorities and acceptance criteria across levels and job functions.
• Develop a deep understanding of stakeholder priorities and the applications included in the portfolio. Become familiar with the needs of users and stakeholders, technical architecture, and features of the product(s), and how to communicate about those things with product teams, direct reports, and MBTA leadership.
• Mitigate risk for product development initiatives by proactively identifying potential risks, developing mitigation strategies, and incorporating risk planning into the product development process.
• Perform all other duties and projects that may be assigned.

Additional responsibilities may include focus on one or more departments or locations.

Supervision

• Directly supervise a team of product managers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
• Five (5) years of experience in product management and/or development implementing program-level strategy, prioritizing user and stakeholder needs, identifying and helping mitigate delivery risks, and supporting cross-functional alignment across functional areas.
• Two (2) years of experience managing, supervising, and/or leading product teams in complex technology settings.
• Experience contributing to or supporting development of a multi-year product strategy.
• Experience developing a product roadmap, quarterly roadmapping process, and/or standardized product management processes.
• As part of the selection process, candidates may be asked to complete job-related technical assessments, which may include a product management case study exercise.

Substitutions

• A high school diploma or GED with an additional seven (7) years of directly related experience substitutes for the bachelor’s degree requirement.
• An associate’s degree from an accredited institution and an additional three (3) years of directly related experience substitutes for the bachelor’s degree requirement.
• A master’s degree in a related subject substitutes for two (2) years of general experience.
• A nationally recognized certification, or statewide/professional certification in a related field substitutes for one (1) year of experience.

Supplemental information

• More than two (2) years of experience managing, supervising, and/or leading product teams in complex technology settings.
• Experience in public sector, transportation agency, and/or civic technology team.
• Experience delivering products within operational, regulatory, or policy-constrained environments.
• Experience leading product initiatives spanning multiple integrated technology systems or vendor platforms.