Associate Director, Product Software and Transformation

Openkrill; United States; Remote; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Crosslake seeks an Associate Director to join its Value Creation team within the Product, Software and Transformation practice. This UK-based remote role involves working with private equity investors and portfolio company leadership to turn product, software and technology opportunities into measurable business outcomes.

You will lead value creation engagements, define questions, build workplans, manage streams and translate analyses into practical recommendations that executives can act on.

Qualifications

• Experience operating at a level comparable to a high-performing consulting Engagement Manager, Project Leader, Associate Director or Senior Consultant.
• Strong consulting toolkit, ideally developed in a leading strategy, digital or transformation consultancy, or through comparable experience in high-stakes advisory or transformation environments.
• Proven ability to take ambiguous problems, impose structure, develop hypotheses, drive rigorous analysis, manage teams and translate findings into a clear executive storyline.
• Meaningful functional depth in one or more of transformation, product, software delivery, operating model design, technology strategy or technology architecture.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including the ability to size opportunities, build business cases, quantify benefits, understand investment needs and evaluate strategic trade-offs.
• Credibility with senior executives and functional leaders, including CEOs, CFOs, CTOs, CPOs and leaders across product, engineering, architecture and transformation.
• Confidence operating at the intersection of business strategy, product, software and technology, with enough domain understanding to ask the right questions and challenge the quality of recommendations.
• A hands-on leadership style: senior enough to build confidence with executives, while close enough to the work to guide analysis, challenge team thinking and personally shape the storyline.

Responsibilities

• Lead value creation engagements day to day, including defining the key questions, building the workplan, managing workstreams and keeping the team focused on the issues that matter most to the client.
• Bring structure to complex product, software and transformation challenges, breaking broad opportunities into clear hypotheses, analyses, workstreams and decision points.
• Develop compelling executive-level narratives that synthesise analysis, client input and specialist perspectives into practical recommendations.
• Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across business, product, technology and finance, helping clients navigate competing priorities and align around decisions.
• Translate effectively between commercial and technical audiences, ensuring recommendations reflect business priorities, product realities, architecture implications and delivery feasibility.
• Link product, software and transformation initiatives to value creation economics, including opportunity sizing, business cases, investment requirements, benefits, trade-offs and execution risks.
• Challenge assumptions, pressure-test recommendations and identify where deeper product, engineering, architecture, data, cybersecurity or transformation expertise is needed.
• Drive engagements beyond analysis towards clear decisions, prioritised actions and a pragmatic path from recommendation to execution.

Job description

(this role is UK based remote)

Associate Director, Product Software and Transformation

What we believe

Technology is no longer just an enabler of business strategy. It is the business strategy. And with AI reshaping how companies operate, compete and grow - while rapidly accelerating the pace of change - the stakes have never been higher.

Our role

We're focused on helping private equity investors and portfolio company leaders drive value creation through technology. In a world where investors deploy trillions annually into software and tech-enabled businesses, we're the team that makes sure the underlying technology actually delivers.

Our approach

The expert judgment of our experienced practitioners is complemented by proven frameworks, tech-enabled solutions, and objective data to help organizations navigate critical technology decisions across diligence, transformation, growth, cybersecurity, AI, and operational execution.

What we value

Everything we do is grounded in five core values: Service. Curiosity. Credibility. Commitment. Creativity.

If you're energized by solving complex technology challenges and helping others succeed in critical moments, you'll fit right in.

About the role

Crosslake is looking for an Associate Director to join its Value Creation team within the Product, Software and Transformation practice. In this role, you will work with private equity investors and portfolio company leadership teams to turn product, software and technology opportunities into measurable business outcomes.

Role responsibilities

• Lead value creation engagements day to day, including defining the key questions, building the workplan, managing workstreams and keeping the team focused on the issues that matter most to the client.
• Bring structure to complex product, software and transformation challenges, breaking broad opportunities into clear hypotheses, analyses, workstreams and decision points.
• Develop compelling executive-level narratives that synthesise analysis, client input and specialist perspectives into practical recommendations.
• Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across business, product, technology and finance, helping clients navigate competing priorities and align around decisions.
• Translate effectively between commercial and technical audiences, ensuring recommendations reflect business priorities, product realities, architecture implications and delivery feasibility.
• Link product, software and transformation initiatives to value creation economics, including opportunity sizing, business cases, investment requirements, benefits, trade-offs and execution risks.
• Challenge assumptions, pressure-test recommendations and identify where deeper product, engineering, architecture, data, cybersecurity or transformation expertise is needed.
• Drive engagements beyond analysis towards clear decisions, prioritised actions and a pragmatic path from recommendation to execution.

What we're looking for

• Experience operating at a level comparable to a high-performing consulting Engagement Manager, Project Leader, Associate Director or Senior Consultant, with a track record of leading complex client engagements.
• A strong consulting toolkit, ideally developed in a leading strategy, digital or transformation consultancy, or through comparable experience in high-stakes advisory or transformation environments.
• Proven ability to take ambiguous problems, impose structure, develop hypotheses, drive rigorous analysis, manage teams and translate findings into a clear executive storyline.
• Meaningful functional depth in one or more of transformation, product, software delivery, operating model design, technology strategy or technology architecture.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including the ability to size opportunities, build business cases, quantify benefits, understand investment needs and evaluate strategic trade-offs.
• Credibility with senior executives and functional leaders, including CEOs, CFOs, CTOs, CPOs and leaders across product, engineering, architecture and transformation.
• Confidence operating at the intersection of business strategy, product, software and technology, with enough domain understanding to ask the right questions and challenge the quality of recommendations.
• A hands-on leadership style: senior enough to build confidence with executives, while close enough to the work to guide analysis, challenge team thinking and personally shape the storyline.
• A practical, action-oriented mindset aligned with Crosslake's values of service, curiosity, credibility, commitment and creativity.