Executive Director, Product

POLITICO•Arlington, VA

About The Position

POLITICO is seeking an experienced Executive Director, Product to lead the strategy, design, and delivery of POLITICO’s subscription products for policy and public affairs professionals. The role spans commercial strategy, editorial innovation, and technology execution — driving measurable growth in subscriber acquisition, engagement, and retention across POLITICO Pro and emerging product lines. The ideal candidate combines strong UX research capability with a proven ability to translate subscriber insights into product roadmaps that deliver commercial results, partnering closely with editorial, technology, data, and commercial teams. POLITICO illuminates the forces shaping global power, delivering intelligence that anticipates tomorrow's headlines. Since 2007, it has become an indispensable resource for leaders, with over 1,100 publishing professionals globally. POLITICO Pro, launched in 2011, helps decision-makers understand the business of government. POLITICO is a growing, profitable, and sustainable news organization, a subsidiary of Axel Springer SE, dedicated to shaping the future of journalism in the free world. The mission is to be the dominant source for politics and policy, providing accurate, non-partisan, impactful information and innovative products to a global citizenry.

Requirements

8+ years of product management experience, with at least 3 years in a senior or director-level role.
Demonstrable expertise in user experience research: you have personally designed, conducted, and operationalized research programs that directly shaped product decisions.
Proven track record of leading subscription product development in a B2B environment.
Experience working at the intersection of editorial/content, commercial, and technology teams — ideally within media, publishing, or information services.
Strong command of product analytics tools and methodologies, including cohort analysis, funnel optimization, and experimentation design.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present complex trade-offs to diverse audiences.
Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree (MBA, HCI, or equivalent).
Experience with U.S. policy, government affairs, or political intelligence products.
Deep understanding of the U.S. federal and state policy landscape, including how government relations professionals, lobbyists, and regulatory affairs teams consume intelligence.
Familiarity with AI/ML-driven personalization, recommendation systems, or structured data products.
Experience building or managing API/MCP-based data distribution products or developer-facing tools.
Knowledge of the U.S. energy, environment, or sustainability policy landscape.

Responsibilities

Help develop the product vision and roadmap for POLITICO’s subscription products, aligning with commercial revenue targets and editorial priorities.
Prioritize features, enhancements, and new product concepts based on rigorous user research, competitive analysis, and business impact modeling.
Develop and maintain a clear product strategy that supports dual-track growth: news-led subscriptions and data/intelligence-as-a-product offerings.
Identify opportunities for AI-driven distribution, personalization, and workflow integration to strengthen the subscriber value proposition.
Work alongside our Data and Insights team to undertake continuous UX research encompassing qualitative interviews, usability testing, surveys, journey mapping, and behavioural analytics.
Translate research findings into actionable personas, jobs-to-be-done frameworks, and evidence-based product recommendations.
Champion a culture of user-centricity across the organization, ensuring that research insights inform decisions in editorial packaging, commercial positioning, and platform design.
Partner with the Commercial team to ensure product capabilities support subscriber acquisition, upsell, and renewal strategies across POLITICO’s customer base.
Work hand-in-hand with Technology and Engineering to scope, spec, and deliver product features.
Collaborate with Editorial leadership to align product design with content strategy, ensuring the subscriber experience surfaces the most relevant federal and state policy intelligence.
Coordinate with Data and Analytics teams to build measurement frameworks, define KPIs, and run experimentation programs (A/B tests, feature flags, cohort analysis).
Communicate product strategy, progress, and trade-offs clearly to senior leadership, including the C-suite and cross-functional steering committees.
Manage stakeholder expectations across editorial, commercial, and technology partners with transparency and rigor.