Director Product Management, New Product Growth

Exostar•Herndon, VA

8h•$180,000 - $200,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Exostar is building a product growth function to test and launch new products on its network of aerospace and defense buyers and suppliers, as well as in adjacent market segments. The Director, New Product Growth leads this function and is responsible for sourcing and managing a funnel of growth ideas, then guiding them through launch and initial commercial execution. The role leads prioritized ideas through customer discovery, solution ideation, prototyping, and pilot testing, and recommends to the executive team whether each idea should continue, change direction, or stop. It is accountable for expanding Exostar’s network and revenue through evidence-based new product recommendations. The Director leads discovery Product Managers and Product Designers in collaboration with Engineering, and works cross-functionally to validate and introduce new products. The role owns the innovation portfolio and stage-gate process, balances investment across the portfolio, guides two-sided network growth, manages the innovation budget, and reports findings and recommendations to the CPO, executive team, and board. The position is hybrid, based in Herndon, Virginia, or Cincinnati, Ohio, with three days per week in the office.

Requirements

12 or more years of product management experience, including 5 or more years leading product teams, in B2B SaaS.
Experience managing a product portfolio, with familiarity in strategic portfolio management, R&D investment allocation, and product lifecycle management.
Direct experience building or scaling a two-sided marketplace or network product, including addressing the cold-start problem and balancing growth across both sides.
A record of taking new products from zero to first paying customers and stopping ideas unsupported by evidence.
Strong customer discovery skills, including structured interviews, prototype testing, and pricing and willingness-to-pay research.
Concrete experience structuring and operating a voice-of-market or customer program, such as customer advisory boards and early adopter programs.
Experience leading Product Managers and Product Designers.
Ability to present evidence and recommendations clearly to executives and board members.
Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, computer science, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
Intellectual honesty and willingness to report what evidence shows, including when it contradicts the original idea.
Comfort making decisions with incomplete information and stopping work that does not clear its gate.
Ability to build trust with customers, peers, and executives.
Willingness to perform hands-on work, including customer interviews and prototype reviews.

Nice To Haves

Experience with supply chain, procurement, sourcing, or supplier management software.
Experience in aerospace and defense or another regulated industry where compliance affects who can buy and sell.
Experience running a stage-gate or venture-style funding process inside an established company.
Enterprise sales exposure, including long buying cycles with multiple decision makers.

Responsibilities

Own the innovation portfolio and stage-gate process, framing and sizing ideas, validating them with customers, assessing business-model viability, taking ideas to funding gates, and scaling those that clear.
Apply strategic portfolio management, including R&D investment allocation and product lifecycle management, to decide where to invest, continue, or stop.
Set gate criteria for each idea before work starts, such as named pilot buyers, customer-validated specifications, and tested willingness to pay; recommend whether to continue, change direction, or stop based on evidence.
Lead customer discovery with prime contractors, Tier 1 buyers, established suppliers, and suppliers new to defense; conduct interviews, surveys, and experiments to identify problems, ideate and test solutions, assess willingness to pay, and make product investment recommendations.
Run voice-of-market and customer programs, including customer advisory boards and early adopter programs, and use their findings to inform idea selection and gate decisions.
Develop strategies to build both sides of a two-sided network, attract initial buyers and suppliers, establish a vibrant business community, and foster participation across both sides.
Hire, lead, and develop discovery Product Managers and Product Designers; direct a small group of full-time and contract engineers and set measurable goals for each person.
Partner with Engineering leadership to assess technical feasibility, inform and leverage portfolio technology, and support progression from idea through product development to new product introduction.
Use AI to accelerate discovery, analysis, and prototyping; identify opportunities for AI-enabled network value; and set team norms for AI use and output validation.
Manage the innovation budget for research, travel, expert advisors, and tools within budget caps released at each gate.
Understand regulatory factors shaping defense sourcing, including CMMC, export controls, controlled data handling, and supplier qualification requirements, and reflect them in product requirements.
Work with Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, Security, Operations, Legal, and Finance to validate ideas and introduce new products.
Report results to the CPO, executive team, and board, including lessons learned from ideas that were stopped.