Senior Director, Product Strategy

About Us

At Nextlane, we don't just develop software solutions – we create the future of the automotive industry.

We are a company that combines advanced technology with a clear vision: simplifying and digitizing every step of the automotive customer journey, empowering manufacturers and dealerships to thrive in a constantly evolving market.

We believe in the value of every team member, offering opportunities for you to develop and contribute to meaningful solutions.

So… What does it mean to be a #Nextlaner?

• Be part of a growth-oriented culture.

• Collaborate with colleagues from all over the world.

• Believe in the Power of ideas and the diversity of thought.

• Be committed to provide an environment where you can learn, grow, and collaborate on projects that make a global impact.

Our success is measured not just by results, but also by the growth and satisfaction of those who are part of our company.

At Nextlane, you'll have the opportunity to innovate, push boundaries, and work on solutions that are transforming the automotive world.

Your Responsibilities

Your ResponsibilitiesProduct Strategy Definition & Execution Enablement

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.

Translate strategic objectives into clear multi-year plans, annual priorities, and executable roadmaps, ensuring assumptions, dependencies, and trade-offs are explicit and understood.

Challenge strategic proposals constructively, using data, delivery constraints, and commercial logic to improve decision quality and focus.

Portfolio Planning, Prioritisation & Rationalisation

Drive portfolio-level planning and prioritisation across DMS, CRM, Platform, and Cloud Use Cases.

Support capital allocation and sequencing decisions, balancing growth, margin improvement, platform modernisation, risk, and delivery capacity.

Contribute to portfolio rationalisation efforts, helping reduce structural complexity, retire low-value initiatives, and align the portfolio with long-term platform direction.

Business Case Assessment & Investment Logic

Develop, review, and challenge business cases for major initiatives, including:

Revenue and retention impact

Cost-to-serve and efficiency gains

Delivery cost, risk, and payback timelines

Ensure investment decisions are grounded in credible financial and execution logic, not optimism or feature-driven narratives.

Partner with Finance to align forecasts, funding decisions, and value-realisation tracking.

Product Readiness & Execution Predictability

Strengthen product readiness discipline by defining and enforcing go-to-market and delivery readiness criteria for major initiatives.

Ensure roadmap commitments are supported by realistic capacity planning, dependency management, and execution confidence.

Track execution against plan, surface risks early, and drive corrective action to improve predictability without slowing teams down.

Operating Model, Cadence & Performance Visibility

Help define and evolve the product operating model, including planning cycles, portfolio governance, and decision frameworks.

Design and run consistent operating rhythms (QBRs, MBRs, planning reviews, executive updates) across Product and Technology.

Own product-level performance visibility through decision-grade dashboards and metrics, covering delivery, value realisation, quality, and efficiency.

Executive & Investor Communication

Act as a trusted partner to the CTPO in executive and investor-level communication.

Own or co-author written narratives, board materials, and dashboards that clearly articulate strategy, progress, risks, and outcomes.

Serve as a credible counterpart to private equity stakeholders on execution, data integrity, and delivery confidence.

Product Leadership Enablement & Challenge

Support and amplify senior product leaders by reducing noise, improving clarity, and raising the bar on strategic and operational rigor.

Challenge plans and priorities where needed, while respecting line ownership and accountability.

Help create the conditions for product leaders to focus on outcomes, customer value, and long-term impact, not alignment overhead.

Long-Term Portfolio & Platform Evolution

Contribute to long-term planning and platform convergence initiatives, supporting Nextlane's evolution toward a more unified, platform-led product organisation.

Help ensure that strategy, operating model, and execution scale effectively as complexity reduces and reuse increases.

What This Role Is Not

This role does not own individual product roadmaps, delivery teams, or day-to-day execution.

It exists to raise the quality, credibility, and effectiveness of strategy and execution across the entire Product & Technology organisation.

What We're Looking For

Experience & Leadership

Proven senior experience in product strategy, product operations, or product leadership enablement, operating at Director or Senior Director level within SaaS or other mission-critical enterprise software environments.

Background in consultancy firm followed by multiple years embedded in Product and/or Technology organisations is highly preferred, with demonstrable ownership of execution—not advisory roles alone.

Experience working in complex, multi-product portfolios, ideally in legacy-heavy or transformation-driven contexts, supporting senior leaders on prioritisation, planning, and execution trade-offs.

Exposure to PE-backed or investor-driven environments, including portfolio prioritisation, investment trade-offs, and EBITDA-focused decision-making.

Product, Platform & Commercial Acumen

Strong ability to shape, challenge, and operationalise portfolio-level product strategy, balancing innovation, platform modernisation, and operational stability.

Demonstrated capability translating strategy into quantifiable business impact, including:

·       Revenue growth and retention levers

·       Cost-to-serve and efficiency improvements

·       Capacity and value trade-offs

Comfortable developing, assessing, and defending business cases with clear articulation of ROI, risk, and strategic rationale at executive and board level.

Solid understanding of modern product development models, including Product–Engineering collaboration, platform architectures, and delivery constraints.

Product Readiness, Planning & Execution Rigor

Experience establishing or operating within product readiness and planning disciplines, ensuring initiatives are execution-ready before commitment.

Ability to improve delivery predictability and roadmap credibility through realistic forecasting, dependency management, and execution insight—without slowing teams down.

Comfortable working across planning horizons (quarterly, annual, multi-year) and translating long-term strategy into near-term execution focus.

Organisational & Stakeholder Leadership

Experience leading or building small, high-impact teams focused on strategy enablement, analysis, and execution insight.

Strong collaborator across Product, Engineering, Finance, GTM, Support, Professional Services, and Executive Leadership, able to resolve trade-offs in complex, matrixed environments.

Credible senior presence with executive leadership and private equity stakeholders, able to communicate clearly on strategy, progress, risk, and outcomes.

Preferred Experience

Experience supporting portfolio rationalisation and platform convergence, including simplification of overlapping products and capabilities.

Exposure to legacy-to-cloud transitions, including customer-safe migration strategies and sequencing considerations.

Experience assessing or supporting AI-enabled product initiatives with clear commercial rationale, including understanding of:

·       Use-case prioritisation

·       Cost and scalability implications

·       Operational and margin impact

Languages & Communication

English: Fluent (primary working language).

Second European language preferred (I.e. French, Spanish).

Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to:

·       Influence senior leaders without authority

·       Produce clear executive memos and board-level materials

·       Translate complex topics into actionable narratives

Domain & Background (Preferred)

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.

Experience working across international markets and culturally diverse, distributed teams, with the ability to operate effectively in complex, multi-country environments.

Our Recruitment Process:

1. 15-minute introductory call with our Talent Acquisition Specialist.

2.     Interviews with C-level executives and Product VPs to evaluate strategic alignment and leadership fit.

3.     Case study / business scenario presentation.

4.     Final cultural fit interview.

Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

At Nextlane, we are committed to creating a space where everyone feels valued and respected. We firmly believe that diversity in experiences and backgrounds strengthens our culture and drives innovation.

• Support for people with disabilities. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, let us know so we can provide the best possible experience.

• Equal opportunities for all: We welcome applications regardless of age, gender, origin, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Join Nextlane and become part of the technological revolution in the automotive industry.

Discover why we are a great place to develop your talent

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