Product Director of Platforms, Wirecutter

About the position

Wirecutter, a product recommendation company owned by The New York Times Company, is dedicated to providing evidence-based advice on the best things to buy. We are committed to helping people make informed decisions, saving them time, effort, and money through rigorous testing and expert recommendations. As we continue to expand our reach, we are looking for a visionary Product Director of Platforms to lead the development and evolution of our core platforms, including our Content Management System (CMS) and Commerce Platform. As the Product Director of Platforms, you will provide strategic leadership for Wirecutter's foundational platforms. You will drive the strategy and execution of our CMS migration and the evolution of our commerce platform, ensuring they are scalable, efficient, and aligned with our business goals. You will lead a team of Senior Product Managers, promoting a collaborative environment. You will report to our VP of Product, Wirecutter. You will be a driver in delivering exceptional digital product experiences that enhance our journalism and drive audience engagement and revenue. This is a hybrid role based in New York City.

Responsibilities

• Develop a comprehensive platform strategy aligning with Wirecutter and The New York Times' objectives, including CMS and commerce platform evolution.
• Drive the successful planning, execution, delivery of and migration to the new CMS, ensuring a smooth transition and ongoing optimization.
• Lead the development of a modern, scalable commerce platform, streamlining our affiliate link management and product database operations and optimizing our merchant partnerships.
• Manage and mentor Senior Product Managers, fostering a collaborative and high-performance team environment.
• Partner with engineering, design, editorial, and other teams to ensure alignment on platform development.
• Define and analyze performance metrics for our platform goals, using large data sets to inform product decisions and identify improvement opportunities.
• Champion user needs, ensuring platform experiences are intuitive, engaging, and aligned with user-centered design principles.
• Contribute to technical planning and build vs. buy decisions, ensuring platforms are built with scalability, maintainability, and relevant technologies like AI/ML.

Requirements

• 7+ years of product management experience
• 3+ years experience managing complex platform initiatives including CMS and/or ecommerce, affiliate, AdTech or MarTech platforms
• 3+ years of experience in product development involving large, complex datasets
• 2+ years of experience in people management

Nice-to-haves

• Experience working with AI tooling to automate rote processes.
• Experience with multimedia management tools.
• Experience working with remote and/or hybrid teams.
• Experience in a mid-sized, scale-up company.
• Experience in data analytics, technical product management or commerce operations.
• Familiarity with SEO best practices.