Senior Director, Product Strategy & Execution

<p><strong>🌐 About Us</strong></p><p>At <strong>Nextlane</strong>, we don’t just develop software solutions – we <strong>create the future</strong> of the automotive industry.</p><p>We are a company that combines <strong>advanced technology</strong> with a clear vision: <strong>simplifying and digitizing</strong> every step of the automotive customer journey, empowering manufacturers and dealerships to thrive in a constantly evolving market.</p><p>We believe in the value of every team member, offering opportunities for you to <strong>develop</strong> and contribute to meaningful solutions.</p><p>So… What does it mean to be a #Nextlaner?</p><ul><li><p>Be part of a<strong> growth-oriented culture</strong>.</p></li><li><p>Collaborate with <strong>colleagues from all over the world.</strong></p></li><li><p>Believe in <strong>the Power of ideas</strong> and the <strong>diversity of thought</strong>.</p></li><li><p>Be committed to provide an environment where you can <strong>learn, grow, and collaborate</strong> on projects that make a global impact.</p></li></ul><p>Our success is measured not just by results, but also by the growth and satisfaction of those who are part of our company.</p><p>At Nextlane, you’ll have the opportunity to <strong>innovate</strong>, <strong>push boundaries</strong>, and <strong>work on solutions that are transforming</strong> the automotive world.</p><p><span><strong>🎯 Your Responsibilities</strong></span></p><h2><span>Your Responsibilities</span></h2><p><span>&nbsp;</span></p><h3><span><strong>Product Strategy Definition &amp; Execution Enablement</strong></span></h3><p><span>Support the definition, stress-testing, and execution of product and technology strategy across Nextlane’s portfolio, working closely with the CTPO and senior product leaders.</span></p><p><span>Translate strategic objectives into <strong>clear multi-year plans, annual priorities, and executable roadmaps</strong>, ensuring assumptions, dependencies, and trade-offs are explicit and understood.</span></p><p><span>Challenge strategic proposals constructively, using data, delivery constraints, and commercial logic to improve decision quality and focus.</span></p><h3><span><strong>Portfolio Planning, Prioritisation &amp; Rationalisation</strong></span></h3><p><span>Drive portfolio-level planning and prioritisation across DMS, CRM, Platform, and Cloud Use Cases.</span></p><p><span>Support <strong>capital allocation and sequencing decisions</strong>, balancing growth, margin improvement, platform modernisation, risk, and delivery capacity.</span></p><p><span>Contribute to <strong>portfolio rationalisation efforts</strong>, helping reduce structural complexity, retire low-value initiatives, and align the portfolio with long-term platform direction.</span></p><p><span>&nbsp;</span></p><h3><span><strong>Business Case Assessment &amp; Investment Logic</strong></span></h3><p><span>Develop, review, and challenge <strong>business cases</strong> for major initiatives, including:</span></p><p><span>-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Revenue and retention impact</span></p><p><span>-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Cost-to-serve and efficiency gains</span></p><p><span>-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Delivery cost, risk, and payback timelines</span></p><p><span>Ensure investment decisions are grounded in <strong>credible financial and execution logic</strong>, not optimism or feature-driven narratives.</span></p><p><span>Partner with Finance to align forecasts, funding decisions, and value-realisation tracking.</span></p><h3><span><strong>Product Readiness &amp; Execution Predictability</strong></span></h3><p><span>Strengthen product readiness discipline by defining and enforcing <strong>go-to-market and delivery readiness criteria</strong> for major initiatives.</span></p><p><span>Ensure roadmap commitments are supported by realistic capacity planning, dependency management, and execution confidence.</span></p><p><span>Track execution against plan, surface risks early, and drive corrective action to improve <strong>predictability without slowing teams down</strong>.</span></p><p><span>&nbsp;</span></p><h3><span><strong>Operating Model, Cadence &amp; Performance Visibility</strong></span></h3><p><span>&nbsp;</span></p><p><span>Help define and evolve the <strong>product operating model</strong>, including planning cycles, portfolio governance, and decision frameworks.</span></p><p><span>&nbsp;</span></p><p><span>Design and run consistent <strong>operating rhythms</strong> (QBRs, MBRs, planning reviews, executive updates) across Product and Technology.</span></p><p><span>Own product-level performance visibility through <strong>decision-grade dashboards and metrics</strong>, covering delivery, value realisation, quality, and efficiency.</span></p><h3><span><strong>Executive &amp; Investor Communication</strong></span></h3><p><span>Act as a trusted partner to the CTPO in <strong>executive and investor-level communication</strong>.</span></p><p><span>Own or co-author <strong>written narratives, board materials, and dashboards</strong> that clearly articulate strategy, progress, risks, and outcomes.</span></p><p><span>Serve as a credible counterpart to private equity stakeholders on <strong>execution, data integrity, and delivery confidence</strong>.</span></p><h3><span><strong>Product Leadership Enablement &amp; Challenge</strong></span></h3><p><span>Support and amplify senior product leaders by reducing noise, improving clarity, and raising the bar on strategic and operational rigor.</span></p><p><span>Challenge plans and priorities where needed, while respecting line ownership and accountability.</span></p><p><span>Help create the conditions for product leaders to focus on <strong>outcomes, customer value, and long-term impact</strong>, not alignment overhead.</span></p><h3><span><strong>Long-Term Portfolio &amp; Platform Evolution</strong></span></h3><p><span>&nbsp;</span></p><p><span>Contribute to long-term planning and platform convergence initiatives, supporting Nextlane’s evolution toward a <strong>more unified, platform-led product organisation</strong>.</span></p><p><span>Help ensure that strategy, operating model, and execution scale effectively as complexity reduces and reuse increases.</span></p><h3><span><strong>What This Role Is Not</strong></span></h3><p><span>This role does <strong>not</strong> own individual product roadmaps, delivery teams, or day-to-day execution.</span></p><p><span>It exists to <strong>raise the quality, credibility, and effectiveness of strategy and execution across the entire Product &amp; Technology organisation</strong>.</span></p><p><span><strong>️ What We’re Looking For</strong></span></p><h3><span><strong>Experience &amp; Leadership</strong></span></h3><p><span>Proven senior experience in <strong>product strategy, product operations, or product leadership enablement</strong>, operating at Director or Senior Director level within <strong>SaaS or other mission-critical enterprise software environments</strong>.</span></p><p><span>Background in consultancy firm followed by multiple years embedded in <strong>Product and/or Technology organisations is highly preferred</strong>, with demonstrable ownership of execution—not advisory roles alone.</span></p><p><span>Experience working in <strong>complex, multi-product portfolios</strong>, ideally in legacy-heavy or transformation-driven contexts, supporting senior leaders on prioritisation, planning, and execution trade-offs.</span></p><p><span>Exposure to <strong>PE-backed or investor-driven environments</strong>, including portfolio prioritisation, investment trade-offs, and EBITDA-focused decision-making.</span></p><p><span>&nbsp;</span></p><h3><span><strong>Product, Platform &amp; Commercial Acumen</strong></span></h3><p><span>Strong ability to <strong>shape, challenge, and operationalise portfolio-level product strategy</strong>, balancing innovation, platform modernisation, and operational stability.</span></p><p><span>Demonstrated capability translating strategy into <strong>quantifiable business impact</strong>, including:</span></p><p><span>·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Revenue growth and retention levers</span></p><p><span>·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Cost-to-serve and efficiency improvements</span></p><p><span>·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Capacity and value trade-offs</span></p><p><span>Comfortable <strong>developing, assessing, and defending business cases</strong> with clear articulation of ROI, risk, and strategic rationale at executive and board level.</span></p><p><span>Solid understanding of <strong>modern product development models</strong>, including Product–Engineering collaboration, platform architectures, and delivery constraints.</span></p><h3><span><strong>Product Readiness, Planning &amp; Execution Rigor</strong></span></h3><p><span>Experience establishing or operating within <strong>product readiness and planning disciplines</strong>, ensuring initiatives are execution-ready before commitment.</span></p><p><span>Ability to improve <strong>delivery predictability and roadmap credibility</strong> through realistic forecasting, dependency management, and execution insight—without slowing teams down.</span></p><p><span>Comfortable working across planning horizons (quarterly, annual, multi-year) and translating long-term strategy into near-term execution focus.</span></p><p><span>&nbsp;</span></p><h3><span><strong>Organisational &amp; Stakeholder Leadership</strong></span></h3><p><span>Experience <strong>leading or building small, high-impact teams</strong> focused on strategy enablement, analysis, and execution insight.</span></p><p><span>Strong collaborator across <strong>Product, Engineering, Finance, GTM, Support, Professional Services, and Executive Leadership</strong>, able to resolve trade-offs in complex, matrixed environments.</span></p><p><span>Credible senior presence with <strong>executive leadership and private equity stakeholders</strong>, able to communicate clearly on strategy, progress, risk, and outcomes.</span></p><h3><span><strong>Preferred Experience</strong></span></h3><p><span>Experience supporting <strong>portfolio rationalisation and platform convergence</strong>, including simplification of overlapping products and capabilities.</span></p><p><span>Exposure to <strong>legacy-to-cloud transitions</strong>, including customer-safe migration strategies and sequencing considerations.</span></p><p><span>Experience assessing or supporting <strong>AI-enabled product initiatives</strong> with clear commercial rationale, including understanding of:</span></p><p><span>·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Use-case prioritisation</span></p><p><span>·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Cost and scalability implications</span></p><p><span>·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Operational and margin impact</span></p><p></p><h3><span><strong>Languages &amp; Communication</strong></span></h3><p><span>English: Fluent (primary working language).</span></p><p><span>Second European language preferred (I.e. French, Spanish).</span></p><p><span>&nbsp;</span></p><p><span>Exceptional <strong>written and verbal communication skills</strong>, including the ability to:</span></p><p><span>·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Influence senior leaders without authority</span></p><p><span>·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Produce clear executive memos and board-level materials</span></p><p><span>·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Translate complex topics into actionable narratives</span></p><p><span>&nbsp;</span></p><h3><span><strong>Domain &amp; Background (Preferred)</strong></span></h3><p><span>Background in top-tier strategy consulting and/or an MBA is a strong plus, particularly where it has been applied to real operating contexts involving portfolio trade-offs, investment decisions, and execution challenges.</span></p><p><span>Experience working across international markets and culturally diverse, distributed teams, with the ability to operate effectively in complex, multi-country environments.</span></p><p><span><strong>&nbsp;</strong></span></p><p><span><strong>🤝 Our Recruitment Process:</strong></span></p><ol><li><p><span><strong>15-minute introductory call</strong> with our Talent Acquisition Specialist.</span></p></li></ol><p><span>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Interviews with C-level executives and Product VPs</strong> to evaluate strategic alignment and leadership fit.</span></p><p><span>3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Case study / business scenario presentation</strong>.</span></p><p><span>4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Final <strong>cultural fit interview</strong>.</span></p><p><span>&nbsp;</span></p><p><span><strong>🌍 Diversity, Inclusion &amp; Belonging</strong></span></p><p><span>At Nextlane, we are committed to creating a space where <strong>everyone feels valued and respected</strong>. We firmly believe that diversity in experiences and backgrounds strengthens our culture and drives innovation.</span></p><ul><li><p><span><strong>Support for people with disabilities.</strong> If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, let us know so we can provide the best possible experience.</span></p></li><li><p><span><strong>Equal opportunities for all:</strong> We welcome applications regardless of age, gender, origin, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law.</span></p></li></ul><p><span>&nbsp;</span></p><p><span>Join <strong>Nextlane</strong> and become part of the technological revolution in the automotive industry.</span></p><p><span>Discover why we are a great place to develop your talent!</span></p>