Director, Product Management - API

SmartBear • Somerville, MA

3d • $170,000 - $195,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

At SmartBear, we believe building great software starts with quality – and we’re helping our customers make that happen every day. Our solutions, featuring SmartBear AI, bring visibility and automation to software development, making it easier for teams to deliver high-quality software faster. SmartBear is trusted by over 16 million developers, testers, and software engineers at 32,000+ organizations – including innovators like Adobe, JetBlue, FedEx, and Microsoft.
About the Role
SmartBear is seeking a hands-on Director of Product Management to lead the strategy, execution, and growth of our Swagger API Testing business. This role owns the end-to-end product vision and delivery for API testing product tools, from define a compelling product strategy and scaling adoption and revenue.
This is a builder role, not a portfolio-only leadership position. You will be deeply involved in customer discovery, roadmap definition, execution tradeoffs, and go-to-market alignment, while also mentoring and leading a small team of Product Managers.
You will work closely with Engineering, Product Marketing, Sales, Growth, and Customer Success to ensure API testing becomes a core growth driver for SmartBear, serving both PLG-led developers and enterprise teams with advanced testing, governance, and scale needs.

Requirements

• 8+ years of product management experience, including senior or director-level ownership
• Deep domain expertise in API development and API testing
• Proven experience scaling cloud or SaaS products with measurable adoption and revenue growth
• Strong track record of hands-on product leadership (not just delegation)
• Experience operating in a hybrid PLG + enterprise environment
• Ability to lead through influence across Engineering, Sales, Marketing, and Growth
• Data-driven mindset with strong product judgment

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with CI/CD, workflow testing, environments, and test automation at scale
• Experience managing and mentoring 2+ Product Managers
• Exposure to developer tooling, testing platforms, or API ecosystems
• Experience using experimentation, analytics, and customer research to drive decisions

Responsibilities

• Define and communicate a clear 3-year product strategy for API Testing, aligned to SmartBear’s growth goals
• Translate long-term vision into practical, executable roadmaps that balance speed, quality, and differentiation
• Establish a strong point of view on cloud-native API testing, including workflow testing, CI/CD automation, scale, and AI-assisted testing
• Own roadmap, prioritization, and key product decisions across the API testing portfolio
• Lead customer discovery (interviews, validation, beta programs) to drive tight product-market fit
• Partner closely with Engineering to deliver high-impact features with fast learning cycles
• Use data, experimentation, and customer feedback to drive continuous improvement and adoption
• Scale adoption, engagement, and revenue for API Testing across PLG and enterprise motions
• Partner with Product Marketing and Growth to refine positioning, packaging, and monetization
• Optimize product offerings for developer experience
• Define and track success metrics across activation, retention, expansion, and revenue
• Act as the API Testing product leader across Sales, Marketing, Engineering, and Customer Success
• Influence without relying on hierarchy; align teams around outcomes and tradeoffs
• Represent API testing strategy to executive stakeholders with clarity and conviction
• Mentor and develop Product Managers through clear expectations, coaching, and feedback
• Establish consistent product management practices while maintaining speed and autonomy
• Foster a culture of ownership, customer empathy, and results-driven execution

Benefits

• You can grow your career at every level.
• We invest in your success as well as the spaces where our teams come together to work, collaborate, and have fun.
• We love celebrating our SmartBears; we even encourage our crew to take their birthdays off.
• We are guided by a People and Culture organization - an important distinction for us. We think about our team holistically – the whole person.
• We celebrate our differences in experiences, viewpoints, and identities because we know it leads to better outcomes.
• Our compensation philosophy is grounded in market competitiveness, internal equity, and rewarding impact.
• This includes performance-based bonuses for eligible roles, a generous benefits package that supports employees’ health and well-being, and promotes work-life balance through flexible time off and hybrid work options.
• You can build your career at SmartBear through professional development opportunities, and an inclusive, collaborative culture where everyone can thrive.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees