What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director of Product (Final Draft) position at 401 Cast & Crew LLC?
About Us
At Cast & Crew, we’ve empowered creativity and supported the global entertainment industry for decades. Together with our family of brands - Backstage, CAPS, Checks & Balances, Final Draft, Media Services, Sargent-Disc, and The TEAM Companies – we operate as a combined entertainment technology and services provider offering industry standard screenwriting accounting software, digital payroll products, data & reporting, and a host of creative tools. The industry continues to move faster than ever, and the need for our expertise, our technology, and our people has never been greater. We are a production’s best ally every step of the way. #OneCastOneCrew
Final Draft has published Final Draft® software – the number-one selling screenwriting application in the world – for over 30 years. Final Draft automatically paginates and formats your script to industry standards, allowing writers to focus on what they do best – writing scripts. Used by such industry giants as J.J. Abrams, James Cameron and Aaron Sorkin, Final Draft software is the professional’s choice and the entertainment industry standard. In addition to its flagship software product, Final Draft offers the annual Big Break℠ Contest – a screenwriting competition that launches careers, and awards over $80,000 in cash and prizes. Final Draft also offers the Final Draft Go® app for iPhone and iPad, making creativity truly portable.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Role:
Final Draft is seeking a dynamic, growth-minded DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT to play a pivotal role in developing the leading software serving film and television writers. The Director of Product will set our future product vision, devise our product strategy, and own the roadmap for all our product offerings. As Director of Product, you will be the influential leader for our team of two passionate product managers and a UI/UX designer who aim to make the industry’s leading screenwriting software even easier to use, focusing on a better user experience for pros and hobbyists alike. We value strong process, data, innovation, flexibility, humility, and collaboration. While we are open to remote candidates based in the USA, there is a strong preference for Los Angeles-area candidates for this role.
This position requires a data driven, ambitious, and motivated individual who will work closely with both customers and internal stakeholders to create elegant solutions that not only solve real-world production problems but also delight our creative users. The Director of Product will gain a deep understanding of the company's current software and professional writers’ needs which will be instrumental in defining the overall vision, roadmap, and strategy for the future of the product. In this role, the Director of Product will define and drive the product strategy and vision based on sound judgment, extensive user and market research, stakeholder interviews, and analytics. They will build and maintain a high-value, feature-rich product roadmap that preserves the current desktop tool that filmmakers rely on while simultaneously building a web-based, AI-enabled product for the evolving needs of the filmmaking industry.
The Director of Product will work closely with the development team to ensure that all requirements are clearly communicated and understood through user stories, PRDs, mockups, prototypes, and other key artifacts. Additionally, they will provide direction for the overall design and usability of the product, ensuring an intuitive user experience. A key part of the role also involves supporting the Product Marketing and Sales teams in developing go-to-market strategies for new features and product launches. As we are a lean team in a scaling organization, you must covet the opportunity to be a hands’ on contributor in a senior leadership role.
The Director of Product will report to the President of Final Draft.
What You’ll Do:
Set and champion a bold product vision for Final Draft, collaborating with senior leaders and stakeholders to build the most innovative writing tool on the market.
Oversee the product lifecycle, from initial market research and defining scope to ensuring products are positioned for maximum market impact.
Develop and implement product strategies that align seamlessly with the company’s vision, ensuring offerings are consistently integrated and delivered with excellence.
Collaborate with engineering teams to transform ideas into reality, ensuring features are delivered on schedule and exceed expectations.
Manage and prioritize the product backlog, balancing competing needs to optimize development and deliver exceptional user experiences.
Leverage analytics tools like Amplitude, Looker, and Google Analytics to evaluate product success, refine strategies, and make data-driven decisions for future iterations.
Assess opportunities, build compelling business cases, and prioritize initiatives that maximize value and align with the product strategy.
Foster a collaborative and high-performing product team, providing mentorship and professional development in a supportive environment.
Partner with cross-functional teams, including engineers, analysts, marketing, and customer success, to research, ideate, and prioritize impactful new opportunities.
What we’re looking for from you:
Executive presence; you possess gravitas and authority, and you’re a leader that your team and organization trust implicitly to make appropriate and data-driven decisions
Experience hiring, managing, mentoring, and leveling up a remote product team
Exceptionally strong process that you can articulate clearly, thoroughly, and concisely to technical and non-technical audiences
Adept at using qualitative and quantitative research methods and methodologies, including market landscaping and competitor analysis, to support product decisions
A deep understanding of trends, technologies, and best practice, you possess the adequate knowledge and flexibility to determine the appropriate software development methodology (Scrum, Kanban, etc) for each unique situation
Highly motivated self-starter with strong experience in product lifecycle management and familiarity with cloud-based, platform-agnostic technology environments.
Technical acumen; you may not be a developer, but you are able to understand and confidently communicate with engineers, analysts, designers, and other resources
Excellent stakeholder management skills, including driving consensus and alignment
Strong problem-solving skills and willingness to roll up one’s sleeves to get the job done
Skilled at working effectively with cross-functional teams in a matrix organization
Experience with Agile/Scrum development methodology
High EQ with soft skills in adaptability, conflict resolution, and stakeholder management.
Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Business, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field
Proven work experience of 5 years as a Director of Product, Product Manager, or similar role in product management.
Special Work Conditions
- Sedentary – Involves sitting most of the time but may involve walking or standing for brief periods of time. Some positions may entail exerting up to 15 lbs. of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force to lift, carry, push, or pull.
Benefits
Cast & Crew provides a comprehensive package of employee benefits including: Medical, Dental, Vision, PTO, health and wellness programs, employee discounts, and more! Note: Cast & Crew benefits are subject to eligibility requirements.
Cast & Crew is an equal opportunity employer committed to hiring a diverse workforce and sustaining an inclusive culture. It is our policy to provide equal employment opportunities to all individuals based on job-related qualifications and ability to perform a job, without regard to age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, creed, national origin, disability, genetic information, veteran status, citizenship or marital status, and to maintain a non-discriminatory environment free from intimidation, harassment or bias based upon these grounds.
CA residents
Your personal information may be collected in connection with certain services provided by Cast & Crew or its affiliated companies. A summary of your California privacy rights can be found at: https://www.castandcrew.com/privacy-policy/
Salary : $165,000 - $175,000
