Product Director

Motivo; Carson (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

High-quality insurance

401(k) matching

Monday–Thursday 4/10 workweek

Profit-sharing bonuses

Generous vacation

Job summary

Motivo is seeking a Product Director to lead a portfolio of complex engineering programs and manage a team of Project and Product Managers. You will cultivate deep client partnerships, drive business growth, and champion continuous improvement across Motivo’s processes and tools.

As a member of the leadership team, you will translate a big-picture vision into concrete, client-ready solutions, guide strategy and roadmapping, and ensure successful project execution across varied technology domains.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive leadership in engineering, design, NPI, or product development.
• Proven history managing senior stakeholder relationships, handling executive escalations, and delivering CX.
• Success building, mentoring, and managing high-performing teams, shaping culture, and resolving personnel challenges.
• Ability to formalize and scale operating systems, processes, and cross-functional governance frameworks.
• Experience negotiating major follow-on contracts, managing scope creep, and optimizing portfolio profitability.
• Strong written and verbal communication bridging technical teams, management, and clients.
• Ability to travel domestically up to 20% of the time.

Responsibilities

• Client Management & Business Development: build long-term client relationships; onboard new clients and negotiate major contracts.
• Organizational Leadership: mentor a team of 3–6 PMs/PMs; define staffing and performance expectations; drive process improvements; expand external footprint.
• Project & Product Management Oversight: oversee planning, approvals, and continuous improvement of PM/PM functions; ensure high stakeholder satisfaction.

Skills

8+ years leadership

Client relationship management

Strategic leadership

Systems builder

Commercial acumen

Communication

Travel readiness

Job description

About Motivo

Motivo is a project-based company delivering excellence in mechanical and electrical system design and prototype builds. We have a history in successfully taking concepts through to actual finished solutions. Our work spans a wide range of market segments including mobility/automotive, aerospace, robotics, and clean energy, to name a few. Every team member will experience a wide variety of challenging projects, offering rich opportunities for professional growth. We are passionate about solving complex engineering challenges, striving for excellence within every unique project constraint, and believe in having fun while we do it!

About the Role

Motivo is seeking a Product Director to lead a portfolio of complex engineering and product development programs. You will manage a team of direct-report Project and Product Managers to deliver creative solutions, cultivate deep client partnerships, and drive sustained business growth. As a member of the leadership team, you will also champion continuous improvement across Motivo’s people, processes, and tools. If you are a builder who thrives in ambiguity and can translate a big-picture vision into concrete, client-ready solutions, we want you on our team.

What You’ll Do

1. Client Management & Business Development (40%)

Success at Motivo starts with deep client empathy. We manage our projects to build long-term relationships, not short-term wins. We have a reputation for being just as dedicated to our clients’ missions as their internal team - going the extra mile to ensure they are successful.

• Relationship Management: Act as the senior escalation point across all engagements to ensure a top-tier client experience (CX).
• Client Strategy: Establish the strategic direction for business unit accounts, integrating market trends and client insights into long‑term portfolio planning.
• Business Capture: Collaborate with Business Development to onboard new clients, and lead negotiations to close major follow‑on contracts.

2. Organizational Leadership (30%)

The Product Director is a force‑multiplier, leading a diverse team of professionals.

• Team Guidance & Mentorship: Structure, support, and mentor a team of 3–6 project and product managers, making key resource and project assignments.
• Personnel Management: Define staffing needs, set clear performance expectations, identify skill gaps, support development plans, and proactively resolve performance shortfalls.
• Process Optimization: Identify, document, and scale core PM processes and cross‑functional tools to ensure continuous operational improvement.
• Corporate Citizenship: Cultivate an internal culture of collaboration while expanding Motivo’s external footprint through community and non‑profit connections.

3. Project & Product Management Oversight (30%)

At Motivo, Project & Product management have overlapping but distinct responsibilities. Product Managers have a specific focus on helping clients define product features and development roadmaps, typically in early‑phase engagements. The Project teams handle much of the day‑to‑day management during project execution. As the team lead, the Product Director is responsible for oversight, approvals and continuous improvement of the team’s project and product management functions.

• Planning & Execution: Oversee project planning complexities, approve PM estimates, and develop recovery strategies for major deviations or overruns.
• Quality & Reporting: Support reporting workflows to maintain high stakeholder satisfaction, tracking how reporting impacts client engagement.
• Contract & Scope Management: Review and approve Change Orders and PM contracts while collaborating internally to improve governance templates.
• Resource Loading: Balance PM workload and project assignments, partnering with HR to resolve resource constraints.
• Strategy & Roadmapping: Mentor Product Managers on early‑phase product roadmapping, feature definitions, and client alignment communications.

Qualifications

Required

• Experience: 8+ years of progressive leadership in engineering, design, NPI, or product development.
• Client Focus: Proven history managing senior stakeholder relationships, handling executive escalations, and delivering excellent CX.
• Leadership: Success building, mentoring, and managing high‑performing teams, shaping culture, and resolving personnel challenges.
• Systems Builder: Ability to formalize and scale operating systems, processes, and cross‑functional governance frameworks.
• Commercial Acumen: Experience negotiating major follow‑on contracts, managing scope creep, and optimizing portfolio profitability.
• Communication: Strong written and verbal skills capable of bridging technical teams, corporate management, and client executives.
• Travel: Ability to travel domestically up to 20% of the time.

Preferred

• Experience in complex hardware sectors (automotive, aerospace, robotics, autonomous systems, energy).
• Strong familiarity with engineering workflows, product lifecycles, and NPI complexities.
• PMP Certification or an MBA (or equivalent exposure to business cases and startup economics).
• Forward‑thinking approach to integrating Gen AI tools into workflows to drive team efficiency.
• US Citizenship or Permanent Residency (due to export‑controlled industries).

Who you are

Maybe you’re a startup product leader who has shipped complex hardware, but now you’re ready to turn your hard‑won insights into more stable, repeatable success across new and interesting industries. Maybe you’re an engineering or operations leader at a traditional company or technology giant, feeling weighed down by slow‑moving bureaucracy and a lack of creative imagination. Maybe you’re an empathetic consultant who is looking for a healthier, more sustainable environment than the cutthroat “up‑or‑out” grind. Whoever you are, if you’re a builder who thrives in ambiguity and loves mentoring a team, we are excited to have you come join us.

Benefits

We’re convinced that the team and the projects are hands‑down the best part of working at Motivo. To support that, we offer a solid benefits package, including high‑quality insurance, a 401(k) match, generous vacation time, and our Monday–Thursday 4/10 workweek. We offer profit‑sharing bonuses, which are tied to overall company performance, because we believe in winning together; we’re transparent about the company’s numbers, and when our hard work drives financial success, employees may share in the upside.

• Base Salary Range: $140,000 - $160,000
• Salary is dependent on experience, knowledge, and interview performance.