Director, Product Development

Job Description

Cinedigm continues to be a home for a diverse mix of enthusiast content all focused around a core mission of entertaining the world through a portfolio of fan-centric destinations. An innovator in the digital transformation of the entertainment industry for more than two decades, Cinedigm's ultimate goal is to build destinations that immerse viewers in content they love.

NOTE: Cinedigm is currently a 100% work-from-home company. While we may return to an office environment in the future, we do not have plans to return to an office setting until after Q3 of calendar year 2021. When we return to an office environment, this position will be based in Los Angeles, and the incumbent will be required to work from the office on a part or full-time basis, as needed. We are committed to providing a safe work environment for all employees.

The Director of Product Development will help define the product requirements and roadmap for the company's Matchpoint Blueprint application framework for mobile, web, set-top boxes, and Connected TVs. The Product Manager will help refine the front-end user interface and continually expand the featureset in order to improve the overall user experience. This role will have a specific focus on re-imagining and improving on the standard video streaming experience as currently implemented across major ad-supported and subscription-based services. A key focus will be placed on building strong partnerships across internal and external stakeholders to execute against these requirements and assist in managing a short and long-term development roadmap. Strong collaboration with various business units comprised of a team of engineers, graphic designers, and production and operations staff will be critical to developing an improved user experience for both our end-users and our advertising partners.

Key Duties:
• Gather and document product requirements for the overall app experience and establish product release plans that accurately set expectations for the implementation and delivery of new features and functionality.
• Manage the development schedule and effectively communicate project status and development roadmap to senior management team, internal/external stakeholders, as well as internal/external development teams.
• Establish and manage the short and long-term product roadmap for both the subscription-based and ad-supported user experiences within the product; evaluate and assess the feasibility of meeting the roadmap requirements and adjust as needed.
• Work with peers within other departments and business units to ensure alignment of proposed product enhancements with established business needs.
• Provide thought leadership on best practices for a best-in-class user experience across all relevant app platforms (mobile, web, Connected TV, set-top boxes).
• Partner tightly with UX/UI and creative team on defining design guidelines and implementing a unified and cohesive aesthetic across all app platforms.
• Clearly communicate forthcoming features set and app functionality to ensure all internal stakeholders understand proposed improvements and how this will impact the user experience.
• Utilize in-app analytics to monitor key performance indicators to formulate additional improvements and roadmap recommendations based on user data.
• Research and analyze emerging trends in the marketplace and regularly conduct competitive analysis of competing services to keep abreast of the competition and to help guide product requirements.
• Understand consumer behavior for products and features.
• Design & execute A/B tests to validate or invalidate hypotheses that are critical to the development and implementation of our product strategy.
• Utilize data-driven decision-making for prioritizing product feature backlog.
• Explore and learn ''How and Why?'' consumers engage with video streaming services; become their voice and represent their needs throughout the product development cycle.
• Partner with engineering to create schedules and own all product-related commitments and operational plans; anticipate and make necessary tradeoffs to balance product/business needs versus technical constraints/limitations.

Essential Qualifications:
• 5+ years of experience in product development, app/game development and/or related product experience at an entertainment media company, direct to consumer (DTC) company and/or a video streaming OTT service.
• Established experience with streaming video technology and thorough understanding of video encoding/transcoding, encryption/decryption, and digital distribution of video assets.
• Experience writing product requirement documents and the ability to execute upon these requirements with software development teams.
• Ability to use critical thinking, strategy, and a consumer-driven lens to address. market opportunities with creative solutions and establish a strategic product roadmap.
• Ability to understand how architecture implementation can affect the user experience.
• Experience in an agile development process (Scrum) strongly preferred.
• Thorough knowledge of the competitive landscape including all major SVOD, AVOD and OTT services.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills required.
• Must be self-motivated and accountable.
• Must be a strategic thinker and possess excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to adapt rapidly in a fast-moving environment with shifting priorities and the ability to react quickly, dynamically, and effectively.
• Ability to understand and effectively interact with technical teams and execute on complex software development projects.
• Comfortable working in a fast-moving environment that is ever-changing, with grey or undefined areas; candidate must be able to establish their own path.
• A strong passion for television, movies, entertainment, and technology.
• Possesses a deep understanding of the video streaming industry as well as the digital advertising space.
• Can effectively execute against an established vision via small, medium, and long-term projects.
• Thrives in a team that believes in working fast, being accountable, and learning from mistakes.

Cinedigm is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not tolerate or promote discrimination or harassment of any kind. Cinedigm does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, legally protected medical condition, family care status, military or veteran status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other basis protected by local, state, or federal laws. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-gq8jn1-216-73-216-56-42 in your application.