We are looking for an extraordinary leader for our Cars.com Product Marketing org that can help us bring new products to market. Our heritage and core strength is in helping shoppers find the car that’s best for them. But our most compelling growth opportunities are in technology products that help marketers at car dealerships, OEMs and adjacent businesses. We work with every top tier brand in the automotive space, and engage shoppers to drive them online or in store. Accordingly, this role demands a deep understanding of both B2B and B2C Product Marketing: You're savvy when it comes to articulating the value of consumer tech to a massive consumer audience. You know what retailers care about, what their motivations are, and how these translate to compelling product positioning; you use that understanding to tell stories that bring the product to life by using great B2B marketing that helps our clients succeed in a quickly changing media landscape. You need to understand how the industry is changing, how Cars.com can help companies succeed, by going deep enough on a technical level to impress marketing clients but in a simple manner that translates technical advantages into business outcomes. You will become a trusted advisor to our clients and prospects, and help them identify value out of our Platform as seamlessly as possible.

You’ll be working with internal teams, including Product, Consumer Marketing, Sales, and B2B Marketing, every single day, collaborating and using your excellent communication skills to gain alignment internally and drive market adoption together: You’re a strong ally to Sales, using both technical and business skills to help generate business as quickly as possible. You’re an expert in B2C product strategy, positioning, pricing and marketing delivery. We are innovating and launching products at our fastest pace ever, so you work best under pressure and you know how to motivate a team to produce great work on a deadline.

Key Responsibilities:

The Senior Director of Product Marketing will lead product marketing efforts to generate demand for existing consumer (B2C) features and customer (B2B) products, as well as shape the direction of future innovations to gain competitive advantage.

• Leadership -- direct & mentor a team of product marketers to build momentum for consumer features (B2C) as well as customer products (B2B) that span automotive manufacturers (Tier 1 / OEMs) and franchise / independent dealerships (Tier 3)
• Strategy – thorough understanding of the market and client/consumer needs, and ability to to develop a product (or solution) strategy and roadmap to achieve goals
• Competitive Intel – thorough understanding of competitive products, pricing, packaging and strategy; Utilize market, competitive, consumer, and customer research to shape how solutions are positioned in the marketplace
• Marketing – ability to create a marketing plan leveraging all of the tools available (paid, earned, owned) to generate awareness and familiarity of our major product offerings
• Lead the development of go-to-market plans – including market and competitive analysis, strategy, customer segmentation, product positioning, naming conventions, value propositions, and lifecycle marketing programs
• Lead cross-functional teams (across Product, Sales, PR / Comms, Brand, Demand Gen, Social Media, etc.) to amplify go-to-market efforts and support ongoing product adoption
• Develop and lead the company’s sales enablement strategy; collaborate with sales training on ongoing education and engagement across the field that results in customer retention and revenue growth

Position Criteria:

• 15+ years of Product Marketing and/or automotive exp, with strong digital marketing / media background
• Proven ability to create commercialization strategies that drive results as well as value propositions and value-based messaging that resonates and differentiates
• Ability to manage multiple projects across multiple stakeholders within the organization to drive results that exceed expectations
• Advanced project management and process development skills with ability to manage integrated marketing programs
• Strong Marketing, messaging, and writing skills -- must be capable of making brand-first decisions related to message in real-time as needed
• Ability to work and thrive in a fast-paced environment, manage multiple projects/events simultaneously and respond to changes in priorities
• Meticulous attention to detail with a strong emphasis on thoroughness, accuracy & follow up
• High level of energy and enthusiasm; desire and drive to go beyond the status quo
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite; advanced Excel experience preferred
• Bachelor's degree in Business Management & Marketing, Communications

Required Skills/Competencies:

• Proven ability to lead and manage product marketing and sales enablement functions as well as ability to collaborate with clients and stakeholders across the organization to achieve business objectives
• Ability to lead a team to create new standards and processes that raise the bar in terms of both quantity and quality of work as well as outcomes / business results
• Strategic thinker and experienced writer with the ability to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary
• Creative problem solver with ability to manage difficult situations and offer valuable solutions
• Understanding of the digital marketing landscape – including attribution -- and emerging competitors (Google, Facebook, etc.)