Product Manager IV

Job Description

Location: [[req_workLocation]]
Location Address: Pune, State of Mahārāshtra 610011 India (IN)

Careers with CDK Global – where to next?
So who are we and what do we do?
CDK Global is the largest global provider of integrated information technology and digital marketing solutions to automotive dealerships and manufacturers in more than 100 countries worldwide for the world’s biggest car brands. Although we operate on a global scale, we are small by comparison and that is a good thing. It means that we are still a business where every person matters and where anyone can make an impact on our growth and success. We have opportunities in a wide range of business areas so wherever in the world you join us, you will get the support, training and tools you need to make significant steps forward in your career.

Summary:

As the Product Manager you will define the overall product strategy and align development teams and other stakeholders for consistent client delivery. Responsibilities range from increasing the profitability of existing products to planning and developing new products. You will create products from existing ideas, and help to develop new ideas based on your experience and frequent contact with CDK clients and prospects. You must possess a unique blend of business and technical savvy; a big-picture vision, with the drive to make that vision a reality. The CDK Accounting product is a core product within the CDK Drive Dealer Management System (DMS) and is used by all of CDK’s clients to manage their financials (including dealership: income statements, balance sheets, journals, schedules, purchase orders, and expenses, as well as closing month-end financials).

You must enjoy spending time in the market to understand client problems, and finding innovative solutions for the broader market. You will be the Market Expert, Chief Evangelist and Primary Care Giver for your products. CDK practices Agile software development, so you will also be the Product Owner for one or more Sprint Teams.

You must be able to communicate effectively with, and exert influence over, all areas of the company to successfully lead tactical & strategic initiatives. You will work with development and field counterparts to define market-leading solutions that create true value for our clients. You will work with Product Marketing to define and execute the go-to-market strategy & messaging, helping them understand the product positioning, key benefits, and target personas. You will also serve as the internal and external evangelist for your products, frequently working with CDK sales associates and key clients.

Key Responsibilities & Deliverables:

• Manage the entire product life cycle, from planning through development, launch, and retirement phases. Create, maintain and communicate the corresponding Product Roadmaps.
• Identify market opportunities and determine the corresponding business gaps available by addressing those needs. Create a compelling product Vision and Value Proposition for the customer. Develop the Business Case which details how CDK will profitably serve the market need and which results in securing the required development funding.
• Guide the product and sprint backlogs for your sprint teams. You will author user stories, lead sprint team planning sessions, run stand-up meetings, showcases & retrospectives, and work with your sprint team to decompose user stories into development tasks.
• Develop and implement a go-to-market plan, working with all departments to execute. Evangelize the product to all internal & external stakeholders.
• This position requires periodic travel (10-20%) to customers and other CDK destinations in the U.S.

Skills & Experience:

Demonstrated experience in the following areas will differentiate candidates for this position:

• Experience working with publish and subscribe architectures such as XMPP and Kafka as well as the development of and integration of front-end customer consumption
• Should have good Agile experience and sprint execution
• Participation in product management & agile team meetings and activities
• Scrum Master Agile methodologies and exposure to a broad set of programming tools
• Develop, negotiate, deliver and measure the product release priorities
• Experience with collaborative product development between India and the US
• Track record of negotiating complex business environments (i.e. aligning roadmaps with multiple decision-makers in a large corporation) and then working with agile teams to deliver on-time, consistently
• Demonstrated ability to exert influence and make & meet commitments in a highly-matrixed organization
• Ability to analyze business and financial trends relative to product features and market trends
• Ability to develop and present original content demonstrating product and feature value propositions at all levels of the organization
• Excellent written communication skills to audiences needing to understand vision, strategy and execution
• Proven methodology soliciting cross functional feedback to mature product offering
• Manage expectations with senior leadership providing status, action plans and recommendations
• Experience with ensuring product solutions are being built based on SOLID principles and developed in a manner which takes advantage of state-of-the-art technologies.

Qualifications:

• Any degree, plus 10+ years of directly related work experience in a Software, SaaS-based Software, Online Services company
• Candidate should have minimum 6+ years of experience as an Product Manager, Product Owner, Business Analyst or similar position
• At least 5-7 years of Software Product Management experience — SaaS-based and/or Enterprise Applications.
• Experience with Agile tools (eg TFS, Jira or Rally, Version One, etc)

The preferred candidate will also possess:

• An MBA or equivalent graduate degree.
• Accounting educational background and/or hands on experience with a corporations accounting system. The ideal candidate has experience managing business transactions (including income statements, balance sheets, journals and schedules), purchase orders, and expenses, as well as closing month-end financials. Familiarity with all standard accounting procedures, including: General ledger, Receivables, Asset management, Balance sheet, Trend analysis, and Expense tracking.
• Direct experience with the Pragmatic Marketing Framework

Who do we look for? We look for people with the right cultural fit. That means being passionate and enthusiastic and having what it takes to drive our business forward. We also look for people who are keen to develop new knowledge and skills, because our growth is ultimately dependent on yours. What can we offer you? To help us attract and retain the best, we pay people according to performance, not tenure. Excel in your role here and the rewards will be excellent too. We will also help you to grow your career, not only through focused investment in learning and development but also by enabling you to explore the opportunities our global market has to offer. Start your Journey with CDK Global.