Director, Product Management

At Cox, we’re forward-thinking innovators who put people first. Our award-winning workplace culture is centered on inclusion and kindness, and we’re looking for people to join our mission to be a force for good in the world. Come build a better future with us across automotive, communications, the environment and more.

We want to do everything we can to keep our employees safe and healthy. Therefore, where permitted by applicable law, you will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to be considered for this U.S.-based job. Reasonable accommodations for medical and religious objections will of course be considered.

Keep reading to learn more about this opportunity to join the Cox family of businesses.

As part of the Cox Automotive family, Common Retail Services (CRS) is building a suite of platform products and services designed to enable all of the Cox Automotive dealer software products to work together and cooperatively enable dealers to thrive in today's competitive online environment. This includes things like single sign-on and authorization platforms, a shared API gateway and developer storefront, centralized products for the acquisition and matching of vehicle rebates and incentives, as well as dealer vehicle inventory acquisition and distribution.
 
Our Teams
 
Cox Automotive’s CRS teams are based primarily out of Austin, TX.  We have cultivated a group of versatile, hardworking, and creative thinkers with diverse skill sets, who can adapt to the rapid changes in the automotive and technology industries. Our professionals are committed to changing the way people shop for and purchase vehicles through our connected digital software solutions.
 
The Job
 
The Director, Product Management is responsible for partnering with product leaders, business leaders, technology leaders, and other stakeholders to lead and champion the development of new products, and the evolution of existing products that delight clients.  They are also responsible to help meet strategic and financial business objectives, and to continue to position the Common Retail Services group to thrive and win in the market over time.
 
The Common Retail Services domain is a highly technical space, which includes services like shared authentication/authorization, exposing APIs internally & externally through a managed developer’s portal, providing a shared system of record for common data services, and encapsulating highly specialized logic and workflows into shared platforms.

The ideal candidate will bring a balanced mix of people leadership skills, strategic thinking skills, diverse communication skills, project planning skills, and project execution skills.  They will have a strong technology background and be able to facilitate communications and product vision accordingly.
 
The individual will not only lead the Product Owners/Managers that support existing products but also be responsible for the innovation and growth of Cox Automotive’s Common Retail Services product suite.
 
This person will partner with the Engineering, Product, and Business Leaders to identify and implement process improvements to enhance our product suite, and they will work closely with the key business stakeholders to identify ways to improve our product marketing and product launch efforts.   
 
The candidate will also develop and maintain relationships with some of our clients to better understand their needs and pain points with the Cox Automotive Common Retail Services in addition to other competitors in the marketplace.
 

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (including but not limited to):

• Lead and manage the full lifecycle of products within the Common Retail Services product portfolio
• Translate vision into a product roadmap that balances market needs with internal resources that provide the company’s product offerings with unique competitive advantages
• Work with the Executive Team in Common Retail Services and Cox Automotive to identify and prioritize new product initiatives on a quarterly and yearly basis
• Provide regular updates to the Common Retail Services and Cox Automotive Executive Teams, and select Clients on the current and future objectives for the Common Retail Services’ Product Roadmap
• Establish strong relationships with a key group of our Clients to foster ongoing, two-way communication on current product features and future product concepts
• Champion continuous process improvements within the Product, User Experience, and Engineering teams to both grow and develop team members and to drive greater efficiencies in the product delivery pipeline
• Manage, provide ongoing mentoring and oversight for the Product Owners, Product Managers, and Product Directors
• Oversee the definition, design, development, and launch of new products and enhancements 
• Partner with technology and business leaders to ensure the Product Roadmap supports the Common Retail Services and Cox Automotive business objectives
• Work directly with Sales, Performance Management, Operations, and Clients to maintain a solid understanding of both the competitive landscape and customer needs in the Common Retail Services domain
• Serve as the champion for product initiatives to our delivery teams that span roles from User Experience, Product Owners/Managers, Engineers, and Scrum Masters
• Represents Cox Automotive & CRS in the local and regional community; building and fostering relationships used to promote community outreach, name & brand recognition, and talent acquisition

Qualifications:

• 10 years of experience in a Product Management or Product Development role
• 10 years of leading product development teams using multiple methodologies
• 10 years of experience directly managing and leading
• 5 years of experience working in an Agile development environment
• Strong technical background with the ability to quickly develop deep product knowledge and communicate the business values to the field and customers
• Proven ability to work in a fast-paced cross-functional team environment with geographically distributed team members
• Demonstrated ability to lead product ideation, discovery, and delivery in an Agile environment with a strong focus on collaboration between customers, stakeholders, and delivery teams
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with ability to present and translate complex information to executive, technical, and business partners
• Ability to contribute to defining a strategic vision and to articulate it in front of a variety of audiences
• Proven organizational skills; ability to multi-task and work on several assignments concurrently; detail-oriented individual
• Excellent interpersonal skills, proven track record of building strong relationships and establishing credibility with customers, prospects, analysts, sales, R&D, and the management team
• Must live or willing to relocate to Austin, TX
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience
• Automotive experience is strongly desired
• Up to 25% travel may be required

Who We Are

About Cox Automotive

There’s nothing ordinary about Cox Automotive. We are people of every background driven by our passion for mobility, innovation, client success and community outreach. We make buying, selling and owning (or simply using) cars easier for everyone. Touching more than 40,000 clients across five continents, we bring together the best brands and the best teams to propel the automotive industry forward. Some of those team members work for our iconic consumer brands like Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book, while others are creating the future of automotive at industry-facing brands like Dealer.com, Manheim and vAuto.

About Cox 

We are the Cox family of businesses. We’ve been making our mark since 1898 by building and evolving world-class businesses, staying true to our values, and encouraging top talent to always look for growth and impact while building a career with us.  Our primary divisions – Cox Communications and Cox Automotive – are driving a new wave of innovation, powering smart cities with powerhouse broadband communications and pioneering greener, more progressive transportation alternatives for individuals and fleet operators.  We’re also expanding into new spaces like cleantech and healthcare to rev up our momentum toward building a better future for the next generation.  We’re looking for the talent today who will be our leaders tomorrow. Sound intriguing? Learn more about where we are today, where we hope you’ll be going with us, and the common purpose that unites us at coxenterprises.com.

Benefits of working at Cox may include health care insurance (medical, dental, vision), retirement planning (401(k)), and paid days off (sick leave, parental leave, flexible vacation/wellness days, and/or PTO).  For more details on what benefits you may be offered, visit our benefits page.

Cox is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer - All qualified applicants/employees will receive consideration for employment without regard to that individual’s age, race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, physical or mental disability, veteran status, genetic information, ethnicity, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by law.  Cox provides reasonable accommodations when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with disability, unless such accommodations would cause an undue hardship.  

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