Product Strategy Director – Opower

Opower is a close-knit team of people helping utilities decarbonize. We use artificial intelligence and behavioral science to influence millions of emissions-reducing utility customer actions every day. We know that for years to come, energy efficiency is the biggest, fastest, most affordable decarbonization pathway available to our clients, and it’s our job to help them realize that potential.

We’re looking for a Product Strategy Director for our Opower Energy Efficiency products. Opower product strategists own the health and growth of big SaaS revenue streams. They are the external leaders of their product line: they forge meaningful relationships with strategic clients and industry colleagues, they know precisely how and where the market is moving, and they shape the conversation at industry events. They’re also the internal leaders of their product line: they get alignment across teams to set product and go-to-market strategy and coordinate execution of it.

This role is perfect for an analytical mind, creative storyteller, and cross-functional leader who thrives on delivering revenue growth real-world impact. You’ll work closely with product management, sales, marketing, client success, and executives to define what’s next for Opower Energy Efficiency products. You’ll serve as a founding partner for new products and business capabilities and run the cross-functional projects that bring them to market. You’ll collaborate with marketing on the messaging and content that makes our buyers say “yes, that’s it” and empowers sales to earn their business. You’ll collaborate with talented, high-energy, often silly Opower colleagues across the company. You’ll tell our story in the market, grow our business, and grow our decarbonization impact in the world. This is an opportunity to change how utilities interact with consumers and how millions of people use energy.

In this role, you will

• Define long-term product strategy and vision for Opower Energy Efficiency products, collaborate with executives to align on goals, and coordinate across teams to deliver growth
• Conduct ongoing market & competitor research and analysis to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities, and you’ll get the right differentiation and growth initiatives done.
• Deeply understand your buyer’s needs, wants, and buying process, and what it takes to make your product their obvious choice.
• Keep close tabs on the financial health of your product line and accurately forecast future performance.
• Launch new product and business capabilities hand-in-hand with product management and product marketing. You’ll coordinate cross-functionally on product definition & success criteria, pricing, differentiation, marketing plans, sales collateral & training, and field execution
• Craft authentic messaging that clearly shows our buyers we understand their problems, and our products solve them better than anyone else.
• Enable sales to understand our buyers as well as you do, impress the heck out of their clients and prospects, and earn their trust.
• Collaborate with the marketing team to create the content your buyers need at every stage of their buying process: white papers, ebooks, videos, articles, product overviews, presentations, proposal language, case studies, etc.
• Engage often with sales, clients, partners, and industry experts to keep tabs on what’s working, what’s not, and continually improve our product strategy, messaging, marketing plans, sales collateral, and client experience before and after the sale.
• Be a public-facing subject matter expert and thought leader: publish articles, speak at webinars and conferences, and generate recognition and demand for what Opower does best.

To thrive in this role, you need to be…

• Passionate about how urgently the world needs energy efficiency and energy consumer engagement to get to net zero.
• A credible expert in utilities, demand-side management regulatory frameworks, and behavioral energy efficiency programs.
• A strong leader and teacher. You know how to get alignment, run a big project, lead cross-functionally as a servant, and empower the people around you to get things done.
• A proactive team player and coach. You employ extraordinary organization, attention to detail, and follow-through. You address issues before they’re issues. You dig in and participate in the success of the team.
• A communicator like no other. You’re an authentic, passionate, engaging storyteller.
• An enthusiastic professional. Maybe you had too much energy as a kid? But now you’re hardworking and unstoppable.
• Infinitely curious and analytical. You run toward complexity, and you enjoy research, analysis, and synthesis.
• Creative, even when you’re daydreaming. You’ve got a knack for making complex stuff simple and compelling. You take pride in a clean set of slides.
• Experienced in the commercial details of managing a SaaS product line: packaging, pricing, discounting thresholds, revenue and profitability reporting, etc.
• A quick learner. You’re fascinated by the utility industry, decarbonization, energy efficiency and SaaS technology.
• Personable. You crave time with buyers, and you’re game to travel at least every couple months to get it.
• Resilient and adaptable. You’re compelled to fight and win.
• A college graduate with a bachelor’s degree and 10+ years of relevant experience

Bonus points if …

• You have experience implementing utility demand-side management portfolios or programs.
• You have a well-established network of senior utility leaders and/or regulators.
• You have experience leading product strategy for a large SaaS product line