Director of Product Strategy

Ford • Dearborn, MI

1d

About The Position

Shape the future of one of the world's most iconic companies as it becomes a software-and services-led business Operate at massive scale with real customers, real constraints, and real impact Sit at the intersection of Product, Technology, Design and Strategy Influence decisions that matter, and see them through to reality 1. Portfolio Strategy & The "Analytical Backbone" Own the Portfolio View: You will define the portfolio-level product strategy across Ford's digital ecosystem (Connected Services, Software Platforms, Data Experiences). You will evaluate product-market fit and customer value, ensuring our "Good-Better-Best" bundling strategy is commercially viable. Pressure-Test Major Bets: You will not just accept roadmaps; you will rigorously pressure-test major product bets and long-range investment themes. You will partner with Finance and Product Leaders to stress-test business cases, ensuring decisions are grounded in data, customer reality, and execution feasibility. The Insight System: Build and maintain a portfolio insight system, including KPI trees, leading indicators, and early-warning signals. You will synthesize second-order conclusions (i.e., "If we do X, then Y happens three years from now") to guide capital allocation. Build, Buy, or Partner: You will drive "Build vs. Buy vs.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required; MBA or equivalent advanced degree strongly preferred.
• 12+ years of experience in Product Management, Corporate Strategy, or Management Consulting, with a specific focus on digital products or automotive technology.
• Elite Communication Skills: You are a master of the written word and the visual presentation. You can command a room of senior executives and can turn a 50-page technical document into a 3-slide executive summary.
• Operational Resilience: Demonstrated ability to manage time effectively in a high-pressure environment. You have a track record of delivering high-quality work on a weekly executive cadence.
• Cognitive Agility: You can zoom in to the details of a specific feature set and zoom out to the 5-year corporate strategy in the same conversation.
• Influence Without Authority: You can align diverse stakeholders (Engineering, Design, Finance, Marketing) behind a single narrative without needing to be their direct manager.

Nice To Haves

• Background in Management Consulting (McKinsey, Bain, BCG) creating deliverables for Fortune 100 clients.
• Deep experience with PRFAQ / Amazon-style working backwards methodologies.
• Design proficiency: The ability to not just write the story but visualize it (wireframing concepts or high-end presentation design).

Responsibilities

• Own the Portfolio View: You will define the portfolio-level product strategy across Ford's digital ecosystem (Connected Services, Software Platforms, Data Experiences). You will evaluate product-market fit and customer value, ensuring our "Good-Better-Best" bundling strategy is commercially viable.
• Pressure-Test Major Bets: You will not just accept roadmaps; you will rigorously pressure-test major product bets and long-range investment themes. You will partner with Finance and Product Leaders to stress-test business cases, ensuring decisions are grounded in data, customer reality, and execution feasibility.
• The Insight System: Build and maintain a portfolio insight system, including KPI trees, leading indicators, and early-warning signals. You will synthesize second-order conclusions (i.e., "If we do X, then Y happens three years from now") to guide capital allocation.
• Build, Buy, or Partner: You will drive "Build vs. Buy vs.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees