Director, Product Excellence & Agile Practices

Description

The Director, Strategic Program Management: Product Excellence & Practices will join an existing, high-performing team that is responsible for Global PI Planning, onboarding, training, coaching and role-based practices/special projects.

 

This leader will unify and scale those efforts, including operationalization of inflight programs (Launchpad, Ascent and BPO) to extend the services and practices currently led by this team. The role will implement a clear vision and mature deeper connections within our product practices across our strategic prioritization, quarterly planning cadences/roadmaps, and product catalog alignment. In addition, this leader will work closely with USRM and Enterprise counterparts for collaboration, partnership, and practice reuse.

 

Core responsibilities:

 

• Advance Product Excellence services, building/extending current focus, brining visibility/structure to strategic backlog prioritization/grooming and aligning to a repeatable operating model.
• Define and execute a clear vision and roadmap for product practices, onboarding, role-based training, coaching and continuous development across key programs (Launchpad, Ascent and BPO).
• Consolidate and maintain a centralized, living repository (playbooks, templates, curriculum, coaching guides, governance artifacts) that captures team knowledge and scales practices globally.
• Establish global onboarding programs and role-based enablement services that shorten time-to-productivity for product managers, POs, delivery teams and business stakeholders.
• Mature the strategic integration of quarterly global PI planning, roadmap alignment and cadence ceremonies; ensure product-catalog inputs and strategic planning touchpoints are connected with PI outcomes.
• Partner with USRM, Enterprise and market practice leads to promote reuse, align governance, and co-develop standards that reduce duplication and extend best practices.
• Operationalize tooling and workflows (Jira/Atlassian ecosystem) for practitioner onboarding, backlog management, feedback loops and reporting.
• Define and monitor KPIs/OKRs (time-to-productivity, adoption, NPS, release readiness, product-catalog health) and report impact to senior leadership.
• Act as a change agent for product practice adoption, ensuring continuity of service during transitions and honoring the team’s existing relationships with stakeholders.

 

Success measures:

 

• Faster time-to-productivity for new product roles and in-market teams.
• Increased adoption and engagement across Product Excellence services.
• Baseline and improve feedback onboarding and product practice experiences.
• Champion consistent outcomes tied to product-catalog and strategic roadmaps.
• Active cross-market and enterprise co-governance evidenced by co-signed standards and joint initiatives.

 

Required qualifications & experience:

 

• 10+ years in product management, product operations, enablement, or organizational change roles, with 5+ years in a leader-level position.
• Deep, practical experience leading agile product organizations and practices, including PI planning, road mapping and product-catalog management.
• Demonstrated track record designing and scaling onboarding, training and coaching programs for product and delivery organizations.
• Strong familiarity with Jira and the Atlassian ecosystem for workflow, backlog, and reporting management.
• Excellent communicator able to simplify complex topics for executive and operational audiences.
• Proven ability to engage and influence senior stakeholders across product, technology, and peer/enterprise functions.
• Experience driving organizational change and adoption of new practices at scale.
• Data-driven orientation; experience defining and tracking KPIs/OKRs.

 

Preferred:

 

• Certifications: CSM/SAFe/ACP, Prosci or equivalent in change management, CPLP or L&D certifications.
• Experience in multi-segment, global organizations and with distributed, in-market product teams.
• Background in building product catalogs or platform governance.

 

Success Attributes:

 

• Inclusive leader who values and elevates existing team members and their work.
• Strategic thinker who operationalizes vision into repeatable practices and measurable outcomes.
• Strong facilitation and coaching skills with high emotional intelligence and diplomacy.
• Bias for action, experimentation, and continuous improvement.
• Collaborative orientation: builds partnerships, creates psychological safety, and drives con