The Sr. Product Development Manager is a seasoned product development professional responsible for leading and managing complex product development initiatives within an Agile Release Train (ART) framework. This role serves as a critical bridge between cross-functional teams, stakeholders, and leadership, ensuring that product enhancements and development projects are delivered on time, within scope, and aligned with organizational goals. The Sr. Product Development Manager brings deep expertise in Agile methodologies, product domain knowledge, and cross-functional coordination to drive continuous improvement across development processes and feature delivery.
Here's what you’ll do:
Agile Release Train Management
- Lead and manage product development projects within Agile Release Trains, ensuring alignment with Program Increment (PI) objectives, sprint goals, and release schedules.
- Facilitate ART ceremonies including PI Planning, System Demos, and Inspect and Adapt workshops.
- Monitor and track ART-level dependencies, risks, and impediments, proactively resolving blockers that may impact delivery timelines.
- Partner with Release Train Engineers (RTEs) and Scrum Masters to maintain ART health and velocity.
Project and Program Management
- Own end-to-end project management for multiple concurrent product development initiatives of moderate to high complexity.
- Develop and maintain detailed project plans, milestone tracking, and status reporting for leadership and stakeholders.
- Manage project scope, schedule, and resource allocation to ensure on-time delivery within defined parameters.
- Identify and mitigate project risks before they escalate into delivery issues.
Cross-Functional Coordination
- Coordinate and align cross-functional teams including engineering, design, QA, product management, and business stakeholders to drive cohesive product delivery.
- Serve as a central point of contact for project communications, ensuring all team members and stakeholders remain informed and aligned.
- Facilitate cross-team collaboration sessions to resolve dependencies and maintain delivery momentum.
- Build and maintain strong working relationships with internal partners and external vendors as needed.
Feature Prioritization and Process Improvement
- Collaborate with Product Owners and Product Managers to support feature prioritization and backlog refinement activities.
- Contribute to the continuous improvement of development processes, tools, and delivery frameworks.
- Analyze team performance metrics and delivery data to identify trends and recommend process enhancements.
- Champion Agile best practices and coach less experienced team members on methodology and execution.
Stakeholder Management and Reporting
- Prepare and deliver regular project status updates, executive summaries, and performance dashboards to leadership.
- Manage stakeholder expectations through transparent communication of project progress, risks, and trade-offs.
- Escalate critical issues and decisions to appropriate leadership levels in a timely manner.
Team Leadership and Mentorship
- Provide guidance, mentorship, and day-to-day support to junior and mid-level Product Development Managers.
- Contribute to team capability building by sharing best practices, lessons learned, and domain expertise.
- Support onboarding of new team members and help establish consistent project management standards.
What you’ll need to be successful:
Experience
- 3 – 5 years of progressive experience in product development, program management, or a related field.
- Demonstrated experience managing complex, cross-functional product development projects within an Agile or SAFe framework.
- Proven track record of successfully delivering product enhancements and development initiatives on time and within scope.
Technical Knowledge
- Deep understanding of Agile methodologies including Scrum, Kanban, and SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework).
- Strong familiarity with Agile Release Train operations, PI Planning, and ART-level coordination.
- Proficiency with project management and Agile tools such as Jira, Rally, Confluence, or equivalent platforms.
- Solid understanding of software development lifecycles and product development processes.
Skills and Competencies
- Exceptional organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to resolve complex issues creatively and independently.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to present clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority and drive alignment across diverse stakeholder groups.
- Strong attention to detail balanced with the ability to maintain a strategic, big-picture perspective.
Leadership
- Experience mentoring or guiding less experienced team members.
- Ability to work with a high degree of independence while knowing when to escalate decisions.
- Collaborative leadership style with a focus on team performance and continuous improvement.
Preferred Qualifications
- SAFe Agilist (SA), SAFe Program Consultant (SPC), or SAFe Release Train Engineer (RTE) certification
- PMP or PMI-ACP certification.
- Experience in a specific product domain such as financial services, technology, healthcare, or retail.
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
May require a background check due to job duties requiring routine access to DIRECTV and DIRECTV customer’s proprietary data. Qualified applicants with arrest and conviction will be considered for employment in accordance with local ordinances and state law.
This is a remote position that can be located anywhere in the contiguous United States. #LI-Remote
A career with us comes with big rewards:
DIRECTV's compensation structure is designed to be market-competitive and fully supports efforts to attract and retain employees. It is the company's policy to offer pay that is competitive with other employers in the local market. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location.
The Base Salary range displayed below reflects the minimum and maximum target salary for each of DIRECTV's 4 (four) US Labor Market Zones. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.
DIRECTV WAGE ZONES: $111,122 - $201,653
Low (N1): $111,122 - $166,583
Mid (N2): $116,970 - $175,350
High (N3): $128,667 - $192,885
Top (N4): $134,516 - $201,653
Click HERE to review information on some of the largest Designated Market Areas (DMAs). Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.
Please note that the salary ranges reflect base salary only and do not include bonus or benefits - when you consider all of these together, it represents a pretty impressive total compensation package.
Apply today!
