Director, Product Management (Agentic AI)

Appian Corporation • McLean, VA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Here at Appian, our values of Intensity and Excellence define who we are. We set high standards and live up to them, ensuring that everything we do is done with care and quality. We approach every challenge with ambition and commitment, holding ourselves and each other accountable to achieve the best results. When you join Appian, you’ll be part of a passionate team dedicated to accomplishing hard things, together.
As the Director, Product Management (Agentic AI), you will lead one of our most innovative and strategic groups. You will take the helm of our agentic AI mission, shaping the future roadmap and ensuring Appian is a leader in this exciting and fast-moving market. This is a strategic role that requires a deep understanding of AI technologies, the business process automation market, and Appian's competitive positioning.
This role is based at our ​h​eadquarters in ​McLean, Virginia. Appian was built on a culture of in-person collaboration, which we believe is a key driver of our mission to be the best. Employees hired for this position are expected to be in the office 5 days a week to foster that culture and ensure we continue to thrive through shared ideas and teamwork. We believe being in the office provides more opportunities to come together and celebrate working with the exceptional people across Appian.

Requirements

• Have a deep understanding of AI technologies, particularly agentic AI, LLMs, and the broader generative AI market.
• Be genuinely interested in how technology can solve real-world business problems.
• Be passionate about understanding buyer and user needs and ensuring the product meets them.
• Coordinate continuous planning for multiple teams.
• Have a genuine desire to guide and empower others.
• Define how features will work through close collaboration with engineers in design sessions, mockups, UX review, and usability testing.
• Have a broad understanding of enterprise software architecture and best practices.
• Enjoy thinking big picture while also engaging in the details of execution.
• Be skilled in fostering alignment and teamwork, embracing candid communication and constructive dissent.
• Be ambitious and motivated to deliver impactful results.
• Have a natural curiosity and interest in continuous learning, particularly in the area of evolving AI technologies and their application within large enterprises.
• 10+ years as a Product Manager, and at least 5 years of experience as a manager.
• Prior experience delivering and operating AI features in production.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related technical field.
• Strong technical foundation and the ability to engage deeply with engineering and design teams.

Responsibilities

• Portfolio Management: Take overall accountability for the product strategy and roadmap for the Agentic AI portfolio, including the evolution of Agent Studio and the ideation of future agent-based offerings.
• Define the Group's Vision: Create a clear, customer-centric vision and "north star" for the Agentic AI Group. Chart a course for the future, ensuring it aligns with Appian's broader product strategy and cements our position as a leader in AI-powered process automation.
• Team Leadership & Management: Lead the Agentic AI group in partnership with peers from Engineering and Quality, ensuring cohesion and alignment. Model Appian values and establish a culture of learning, innovation, and growth. Manage and mentor a team of talented product managers, contributing to their professional and personal development.
• Strategic Planning: Drive the strategic direction of the Agentic AI portfolio. Partner with your product management team and engineering leaders to prioritize investments and create and execute plans that deliver high-value, impactful software.
• Customer & Stakeholder Collaboration: Work closely with customers, engineering teams, and key business stakeholders on the definition, refinement, and business value of new features and capabilities.
• Product Development Lifecycle: Oversee the entire product lifecycle from ideation to release, guiding product managers in the development of backlogs, writing feature specifications, and tracking feature adoption.
• Market Analysis: Keep pace with the rapidly evolving agentic AI landscape, including language models (LLMs, SLMs, LAMs, etc), agent frameworks, AI evaluation concepts, and emerging standards like MCP and A2A. Conduct market analysis to understand the competitive landscape and identify new opportunities for investment.
• Internal AI Evangelism: Champion the use of AI for personal and team productivity, improving processes for the product team and internal partners.

Benefits

• Training and Development: During onboarding, we focus on equipping new hires with the skills and knowledge for success through department-specific training. Continuous learning is a central focus at Appian, with dedicated mentorship and the First-Friend program being widely utilized resources for new hires.
• Growth Opportunities: Appian provides a diverse array of growth and development opportunities, including our leadership program tailored for new and aspiring managers, a comprehensive library of specialized department training through Appian University, skills based training, and tuition reimbursement for those aiming to advance their education. This commitment ensures that employees have access to a holistic range of development opportunities.
• Community: We’ll immerse you into our community rooted in respect starting on day one. Appian fosters inclusivity through our 8 employee-led affinity groups. These groups help employees build stronger internal and external networks by planning social, educational, and outreach activities to connect with Appianites and larger initiatives throughout the company.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees