Sr Director, Product Planning

Polaris Inc.; Plymouth (MN); On-site; USD 210,000 - 265,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Profit-sharing plan

Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)

401(k) with company match

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Wellness programs

Paid time off

Gym & personal training reimbursement

Life insurance & disability offerings

Volunteer time off

Job summary

Polaris Inc. seeks a seasoned leader to own product strategy, portfolio planning, and lifecycle management for the RZR, Xpedition, General, and Sportsman lines within the Off-Road Vehicle organization.

You will supervise Product Directors and Product Managers, shaping plans, priorities, and outcomes across multiple platforms. You will drive long-range planning, investment decisions, and innovation while keeping customer insights at the core.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; MBA or other graduate degree preferred.
• Minimum 12 years of relevant experience in sales, marketing, product planning, product management, and/or product development.
• Minimum 5 years of formal people leadership experience leading professional and/or leadership-level employees.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex product portfolios and influence enterprise-level decisions.
• Strong strategic, analytical, and financial acumen with experience evaluating market opportunities and business performance.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders at all organizational levels, including senior leadership.
• Experience utilizing quantitative and qualitative market research tools and techniques to inform business decisions.
• Ability to operate off-road products competently.
• Ability to travel regularly between Polaris locations and up to 20-35% domestically and internationally as business needs require.
• This position is not eligible for sponsorship.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of the Long-Range Product Plan (LRPP) for the assigned product portfolio, ensuring alignment with business priorities and platform strategies.
• Oversee product proposals, program plans, and business cases for new products and platform investments, driving alignment and securing necessary approvals.
• Direct portfolio strategy and lifecycle management decisions to balance long-term growth opportunities with current business performance objectives.
• Analyze market trends, competitive activity, consumer insights, demographic shifts, and regulatory developments to identify opportunities and risks.
• Ensure Voice of Customer insights are integrated into portfolio strategies, investment decisions, product roadmaps, and innovation initiatives.
• Partner with Operations, Sourcing, Sales, Finance, and PG&A to support profitability, market share, volume, mix, and ownership experience objectives.
• Review portfolio performance, market dynamics, and program progress to inform strategic adjustments and resource allocation decisions.
• Lead, coach, and develop Product Directors and Product Managers while fostering accountability, collaboration, and high performance.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Design, Marketing, Operations, Finance, PG&A, and Executive Leadership to deliver successful product outcomes.
• Represent Polaris at industry events, customer engagements, trade meetings, and executive reviews.
• Identify best practices, improve operating rhythms, and drive consistency across the organization.

Skills

Leadership

Business Acumen

Customer Focus

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA or graduate degree

Job description

Position Overview

At Polaris Inc., we have fun doing what we love by driving change and innovation. We empower employees to take on challenging assignments and roles with an elevated level of responsibility in our agile working environment. Our people make us who we are, and we create incredible products and experiences that empower us to THINK OUTSIDE.

You will lead product strategy, portfolio planning, and lifecycle management for Polaris' RZR, Polaris Xpedition, General, and Sportsman product lineups within the Off-Road Vehicle organization. In this role, you will oversee a team of Product Directors and Product Managers responsible for shaping product strategies, establishing program priorities, and delivering business results across multiple platforms. You will guide long-range product planning, portfolio investment decisions, and innovation initiatives while ensuring customer insights remain central to decision making. Working closely with leaders across Engineering, Design, Operations, Sales, Marketing, Finance, and PG&A, you will help drive sustainable growth and competitive differentiation for the business. This role offers the opportunity to influence enterprise-level product strategy, investment priorities, and the future direction of Polaris' largest off-road vehicle platforms.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of the Long-Range Product Plan (LRPP) for the assigned product portfolio, ensuring alignment with business priorities and platform strategies.
• Oversee product proposals, program plans, and business cases for new products and platform investments, driving alignment and securing necessary approvals.
• Direct portfolio strategy and lifecycle management decisions to balance long-term growth opportunities with current business performance objectives.
• Analyze market trends, competitive activity, consumer insights, demographic shifts, and regulatory developments to identify opportunities and risks.
• Ensure Voice of Customer insights are integrated into portfolio strategies, investment decisions, product roadmaps, and innovation initiatives.
• Partner with Operations, Sourcing, Sales, Finance, and PG&A to support profitability, market share, volume, mix, and ownership experience objectives.
• Review portfolio performance, market dynamics, and program progress to inform strategic adjustments and resource allocation decisions.
• Lead, coach, and develop Product Directors and Product Managers while fostering accountability, collaboration, and high performance.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Design, Marketing, Operations, Finance, PG&A, and Executive Leadership to deliver successful product outcomes.
• Remove organizational barriers, escal…?
• Partner with Product Planning leadership to identify best practices, improve operating rhythms, and drive consistency across the organization.
• Represent Polaris at industry events, customer engagements, trade meetings, and executive reviews.

Desired Competencies

• Leadership: You inspire, guide, and empower others to achieve their best by setting clear direction, fostering trust, and creating an environment where people feel supported, motivated, and accountable for delivering results.
• Business Acumen: You understand how your work impacts financial performance, operational efficiency, and organizational goals, and you make decisions with the broader business context in mind.
• Customer Focus: You prioritize the needs of internal or external customers and use feedback and data to improve outcomes, processes, or experiences.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; MBA or other graduate degree preferred.
• Minimum 12 years of relevant experience in sales, marketing, product planning, product management, and/or product development.
• Minimum 5 years of formal people leadership experience leading professional and/or leadership-level employees.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex product portfolios and influence enterprise-level decisions.
• Strong strategic, analytical, and financial acumen with experience evaluating market opportunities and business performance.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders at all organizational levels, including senior leadership.
• Experience utilizing quantitative and qualitative market research tools and techniques to inform business decisions.
• Ability to operate off-road products competently.
• Ability to travel regularly between Polaris locations and up to 20-35% domestically and internationally as business needs require.
• This position is not eligible for sponsorship.

Salary

The starting pay range for Minnesota is $210,000 - $265,000 per year. Individual salaries and positioning within the range are determined through a wide variety of factors including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge, skills, and geography. While individual pay could fall anywhere in the range based on these factors, it is not common to start at the high end or top of the range.

Eligibility

To qualify for this position, former employees must be eligible for rehire, and current employees must be in good standing.

We are an ambitious, resourceful, and driven workforce, which empowers us to THINK OUTSIDE.

At Polaris we put our employees first, by offering a holistic approach to their health and financial wellbeing. Polaris is proud to offer competitive compensation, including a market-leading profit-sharing plan that is fundamental to our pay-for-performance culture. At Polaris, employees are owners of the company through company contributions to our Employee Stock Ownership Plan and discounted employee stock purchases plan. Employees receive a generous matching contribution to 401(k), financial wellness education and consultation to plan for their financial future. In addition to competitive pay, Polaris provides a comprehensive suite of benefits, including health, dental, and vision insurance, wellness programs, paid time off, gym & personal training reimbursement, life insurance and disability offerings. Through the Polaris Foundation and our Polaris Gives paid volunteer time off, we support employees who actively volunteer