Skills & Competencies for Product Development Director

Product Development Director job profile

JOB SUMMARY for Product Development Director

Oversees and implements product development policies, objectives, and initiatives.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES for Product Development Director

Leads research for new products, product enhancements, and product redesign. Evaluates the potential and practicality of products in development.

Product Development Director SALARY RANGE

BASE 50%
$200,424
TOTAL 50%
$234,597
Job Level
M04
Job Code
EX05000245
Education/Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Reports To
Top Management

Product Development Director Skills and Competencies List

Proficiency Levels and Behavioural Indicators
Salary.com identifies five increasing levels of proficiency for each skill/competency. Some jobs require only a relatively low level of proficiency in each skill/competency, while other jobs will require a more advanced level of proficiency in the same skill/competency. These levels rate the degree of proficiency (skill level, expertise) we expect the incumbent to perform in the given skill/competency for the given job. Note that we intentionally do not associate timeframes or years of experience in performing the skill/competency because that can be misleading. Proficiency levels identify what the incumbent knows and can do rather than how long they have been doing it. Also, note that the proficiency levels are cumulative, e.g., a level 4 proficiency implies the ability to perform all the behaviors at the lower levels.
Check each Product Development Director skill and competencie below to view definitions.

6 hard skills or competencies (industry competencies) for Product Development Director

1 Industry Competency – Feasibility Study
Proficiency Level -3
Skill definition-Analyzing economic, technical, and legal considerations to determine the cost and risks of projects.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Explains protocols for an accuracy and operational feasibility study.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Conducts a feasibility study to understand the impact of the requirements on the existing product.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Reviews feasibility studies and documentation for new proposals.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Guides a team of individuals in performing feasibility studies.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Designs models to conduct feasibility studies that reduce the risk of project failure.
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2 Industry Competency – Engineering Change Management
Proficiency Level -3
Skill definition-Creating, reviewing, and implementing engineering change requests, orders, and notifications.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Lists the methodologies and practices in engineering change management processes.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Supports the implementation of change documentation activities to eliminate error.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Performs engineering change control and processes all technical data requests for classified documentation.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Monitors performance outcomes to improve accuracy and consistency of all handled documentations.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Generates value-added proposals to implement top-level engineering change management.
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3 Product Development Director - Skill and Competency
Proficiency Level - 3
4 Skill and Competency - Product Development Director
Proficiency Level - 4
5 Competency for - Product Development Director
Proficiency Level - 5

3 general skills or competencies (Job family competencies) for Product Development Director

1 Job Family Competencies – Market Research
Proficiency Level -3
Skill definition-Gathering information about a business's potential customers to determine the feasibility of a new product or service.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Explains the importance of market research in elevating business success.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Helps in translating market research findings into strategic decisions.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Interprets market research data to make actionable recommendations to senior executives.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Monitors the competitors' capabilities to maintain a competitive advantage in the market.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Constructs qualitative and quantitative market research plans for products in all stages of the development life cycle.
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2 Job Family Competencies – Product Development
Proficiency Level -4
Skill definition-Overseeing the creation of new products or improvement of the performance, cost, or quality of existing products to achieve business goals.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Cites the significance and risks of product development in improving our bottom-line.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Assists the management in the conceptual development stage of product lines.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Determines needed changes in product specifications based on the results of market research.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Creates product development strategy to translate high-level direction into technical deliverables.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Approves and monitors the project calendar to ensure alignment of deliverables with schedules.
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3 Product Development Director - Skill and Competency
Proficiency Level - 3
4 Skill and Competency - Product Development Director
Proficiency Level - 4
5 Competency for - Product Development Director
Proficiency Level - 5

15 soft skills or competencies (core competencies) for Product Development Director

1 Core Competencies – Business Acumen
Proficiency Level -3
Skill definition-Insight into our organization's business, goals, and values. Ability to design and implement initiatives that facilitate successful outcomes.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Describes how our business makes money and our key business objectives.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Assists in designing business models and operating plans.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Analyses the business impact of demographic changes; suggests effective responses.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Consults on the selection and adjustment of the go-to-market strategy.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Builds a mentoring model to ensure a continuous increase of business sense within our business.
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2 Core Competencies – Budgeting
Proficiency Level -3
Skill definition-Applying specific policies, tools and practices to plan and prepare projected revenues, expenses, cash flows, and capital expenditures.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Compiles a list of basic issues and risks for conducting our budget processes.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Applies established guidelines for conducting our budgeting processes.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Communicates budget objectives and plans to help identify financial trends and create budget forecasts.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Anticipates organizational income and expenses to make forecasts and develop budget plans.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Adapts relevant industry trends on techniques in financial budgeting in our organization.
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3 Product Development Director - Skill and Competency
Proficiency Level - 3
4 Skill and Competency - Product Development Director
Proficiency Level - 4
5 Competency for - Product Development Director
Proficiency Level - 5

Summary of Product Development Director skills and competencies

There are 6 hard skills for Product Development Director, Feasibility Study, Engineering Change Management, Value Engineering, etc.
3 general skills for Product Development Director, Market Research, Product Development, Product Marketing.
15 soft skills for Product Development Director, Business Acumen, Budgeting, Planning and Organizing, etc.
While the list totals 24 distinct skills, it's important to note that not all are required to be mastered to the same degree. Some skills may only need a basic understanding, whereas others demand a higher level of expertise.
For instance, as a Product Development Director, he or she needs to be skilled in Business Acumen, be skilled in Budgeting, and be skilled in Planning and Organizing.

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