Director, Product Strategy & Operations

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Director, Product Strategy & Operations

Company: Adobe

Location: San Jose, California, United States (also open to San Francisco, California, United States)

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Strategy & Operations

Date Posted: May 22, 2026

Experience Level: 10+ Years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• This role is central to the operational infrastructure of Adobe's AI-powered creative product portfolio, including Adobe Firefly, Photoshop, and Premiere Pro.

• It involves designing, implementing, and scaling a robust operating model that connects strategic vision with flawless execution across a large product engineering organization.

• The position requires driving cross-functional alignment, enhancing execution excellence, and fostering a culture of data-driven decision-making and accountability.

• This is a senior leadership position with significant ownership, executive visibility, and the opportunity to shape the future operating framework of a strategically vital product group.

📝 Enhancement Note: The title "Director, Product Strategy & Operations" strongly indicates a Revenue Operations or GTM Operations adjacent role focused on the internal workings of product development and launch, rather than a direct sales or marketing operations function. The emphasis on "AI-powered creative products" and "portfolio management" suggests a focus on the operational aspects of product lifecycle management and market readiness.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design and own the comprehensive operating cadence for the Creative Product Group, including Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs), annual planning cycles, leadership syncs, and strategic business reviews.

• Develop and maintain critical systems, processes, and tools that enable the organization to operate efficiently at scale, encompassing goal tracking, decision-making frameworks, and cross-functional dependency management.

• Define clear decision rights, establish critical issue resolution paths, and implement robust accountability mechanisms, standardizing planning artifacts, key metric dashboards, and reporting structures.

• Own the development and tracking of Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) across the entire organization, ensuring clear ownership, measurable outcomes, and consistent progress monitoring.

• Lead operating forums dedicated to reviewing critical metric performance, ensuring leadership alignment on business health, and driving progress against strategic objectives.

• Spearhead the rollout of a unified operating model across multiple product areas, beginning with high-priority products and expanding based on proven success.

• Collaborate closely with embedded Product Generation Managers (PGMs) and Business Operations (BizOps) leads to ensure adoption of shared frameworks while accommodating team-specific needs.

• Foster a community of practice across the product portfolio to enhance coordination and consistency without imposing centralized control.

• Align Product, Engineering, Design, and Go-To-Market (GTM) teams around shared objectives and measurable outcomes, ensuring roadmap commitments are realistic, capacity-aligned, and financially justified.

• Increase transparency and predictability throughout product development cycles, identify operational inefficiencies, and implement process improvements to boost velocity and output quality.

• Improve cross-functional handoffs, reduce execution friction, and establish performance management mechanisms for early risk identification and course correction.

• Build and lead a high-performing product strategy and business operations team, setting clear performance expectations and fostering a culture of data-driven decision-making, ownership, and continuous improvement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly delineate a strategic operational leadership role. The emphasis on "operating model," "QBRs," "annual planning cycles," "OKRs," and "cross-functional alignment" are core tenets of advanced Revenue Operations and Sales Operations functions, particularly those supporting product-led growth or complex product portfolios. The mention of "GTM" further solidifies its relevance to GTM operations.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree required.

• MBA or equivalent operational experience strongly preferred. Experience:

• 12+ years of experience across product strategy, business operations, product management, finance, or consulting.

• Minimum of 5 years in a senior leadership capacity.

• Demonstrated experience owning portfolio-level business performance and operational governance.

• Proven track record of designing and running complex operating rhythms, including annual planning cycles, OKRs, and executive-level business reviews, with exceptional precision and follow-through.

• Prior experience supporting a global, large-scale product, engineering, or technology organization is strongly preferred.

• A background in management consulting, investment banking, or an internal strategy/operations role at a technology company is a significant plus.

• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively within large, global, matrixed organizations and drive alignment across diverse collaborators. Required Skills:

• Exceptional operational rigor: demonstrated ability for follow-through, accuracy, and bringing structure to complex, fast-moving initiatives.

• Strong financial competence: comfort navigating forecasting and budget models.

• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills: ability to synthesize complex data into clear, actionable insights and executive-level recommendations.

• Relationship building: ability to build trust quickly across all organizational levels, from individual contributors to C-suite executives.

• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills: ability to create crisp, executive-quality content rapidly and under pressure.

• Discretion: comfort operating with confidentiality on sensitive organizational and strategic matters. Preferred Skills:

• Prior experience at a large-scale SaaS, technology, or digital media company.

• Experience in a creative, AI, or consumer software environment is strongly preferred.

• Familiarity with product-led growth (PLG) operational frameworks.

• Experience with Agile and Lean methodologies in a product development context.

📝 Enhancement Note: The extensive experience requirement (12+ years with 5+ in leadership) and the emphasis on operational governance, planning cycles, and cross-functional alignment point towards a senior-level operations role. The preference for SaaS, AI, and creative environments indicates a need for understanding complex product ecosystems and potentially high-growth markets, aligning with advanced Revenue Operations and GTM Strategy roles.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrable experience in designing and implementing scalable operating models for complex product portfolios.

• Case studies showcasing the successful development and execution of OKR frameworks and strategic planning cycles.

• Examples of building and maintaining critical systems, processes, and tools for goal tracking, decision frameworks, and dependency management.

• Evidence of improving cross-functional alignment and execution efficiency through process optimization.

• Documentation or presentations illustrating financial justification for roadmap commitments and resource allocation. Process Documentation:

• Workflow designs and optimization strategies for annual planning, QBRs, and leadership syncs.

• Implementation and automation of decision-making frameworks and accountability mechanisms.

• Measurement and performance analysis of key operational metrics and OKRs.

• Standardization of planning artifacts, critical metric dashboards, and reporting structures.

• Development of cross-functional collaboration models and community-of-practice frameworks.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of "operating model," "OKRs," "planning cycles," and "dashboards" strongly suggests that candidates will need to showcase their ability to design, implement, and manage these operational processes. A portfolio demonstrating these capabilities will be crucial for demonstrating strategic and execution-oriented operations expertise.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• The U.S. pay range for this position is $169,700 - $323,350 annually.

• In California, the pay range for this position is $223,300 - $323,350 annually.

• Pay within this range will vary based on work location and may also depend on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Benefits:

• Comprehensive Benefits Programs.

• Annual Incentive Plan (AIP) for non-sales roles.

• Potential for long-term incentives in the form of a new hire equity award.

• Sales roles receive total target compensation (TTC = base + commission) and sales commission plans. Working Hours:

• Standard working hours are typically 40 hours per week, consistent with a full-time professional role.

• While specific flexibility is not detailed, the nature of a Director-level role in a fast-paced tech environment often implies a need for adaptability and commitment beyond standard hours, especially during critical planning or review periods.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is comprehensive and location-specific, reflecting typical executive-level compensation for senior operations and strategy roles within major tech companies. The inclusion of AIP and equity awards indicates a performance-driven compensation structure common for Director-level positions, emphasizing both individual and organizational success.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Software, Technology, Digital Media, Creative Tools, AI. Adobe is a leader in software for creative professionals, marketing, and document management, with a significant and growing focus on AI-driven innovation.

Company Size: Adobe is a large enterprise with over 30,000 employees worldwide. This scale implies complex organizational structures, established processes, and significant cross-functional collaboration requirements.

Founded: Adobe was founded in 1982. Its long history signifies stability, market leadership, and a deep understanding of its customer base and industry evolution.

Team Structure:

• The role sits within the Creative Product Group, a large, multi-product engineering and product organization.

• It operates in close partnership with the Sr. Director of CPG Strategy & Operations, indicating a structured operations function within the product group.

• Collaboration is expected with Product, Engineering, Finance, Sales, Marketing, and Executive Leadership teams.

• The role starts as a senior individual contributor (IC) with a clear path to building and leading a team as the operating model scales. Methodology:

• Data-driven decision-making is a core tenet.

• Emphasis on operational rigor, follow-through, and bringing structure to complex initiatives.

• Focus on designing and implementing scalable operating models and efficient cadences.

• Driving accountability and continuous improvement across product development and GTM efforts.

• Building bridges across functions and fostering inclusive team cultures.

Company Website: https://www.adobe.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Adobe's established presence and scale as a technology giant mean that operational roles are often about refining and optimizing existing, complex systems rather than building from scratch. The emphasis on "AI-powered creative products" suggests a forward-looking and innovative culture within this specific product group.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Director-level position, indicating a senior leadership role responsible for significant operational strategy, execution, and potentially team management. It requires a blend of strategic thinking, operational expertise, and strong leadership capabilities.

Reporting Structure: The role reports into the Sr. Director of CPG Strategy & Operations, placing it within a dedicated operations function supporting the Creative Product Group. This structure allows for focused operational support and strategic alignment.

Operations Impact: The role's impact is substantial, directly influencing the efficiency, effectiveness, and strategic execution of a portfolio of AI-powered creative products. It plays a crucial part in translating product strategy into tangible business outcomes, driving revenue growth, and ensuring market success.

Growth Opportunities:

• Team Leadership: A clear path exists to build and lead a high-performing product strategy and business operations team, developing management and leadership skills.

• Strategic Influence: Opportunity to shape the operating model and strategic direction for one of Adobe's most important product organizations, gaining significant executive visibility and influence.

• Skill Development: Deepen expertise in product strategy, operational governance, AI product lifecycles, and large-scale enterprise operations within a leading technology company.

• Specialization: Potential to become a subject matter expert in the operational aspects of AI-driven creative technologies and SaaS product portfolios.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "clear path to building and leading a team" is a significant growth indicator, typical for Director roles that are foundational to expanding operational capacity. The focus on strategic execution for a core product portfolio offers substantial career advancement potential within Adobe or the broader tech industry.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is specified as "On-site," indicating a traditional office-based work environment. This suggests a preference for in-person collaboration, team synergy, and direct engagement within Adobe's corporate offices.

Office Location(s): Primarily San Jose, California, with potential flexibility for San Francisco, California. These locations are major hubs for the technology industry, offering access to talent, resources, and a vibrant professional ecosystem.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The on-site nature facilitates direct interaction with colleagues, fostering team cohesion and spontaneous problem-solving.

• Tools and Technology: As a Director at Adobe, access to a comprehensive suite of enterprise-grade productivity, collaboration, and analytics tools is expected, supporting efficient operations and data analysis.

• Team Interaction: The role requires close collaboration with various departments (Product, Engineering, Finance, Sales, Marketing, GTM), necessitating strong interpersonal and communication skills within a dynamic office setting.

Work Schedule: While a standard 40-hour work week is implied for full-time employment, Director-level roles in fast-paced tech environments like Adobe often require flexibility. Periods of intense activity, such as annual planning or major product reviews, may necessitate working beyond standard hours to ensure critical deadlines are met and operational cadences are maintained.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement suggests Adobe values in-person collaboration for strategic roles. This environment is conducive to building strong working relationships and fostering a cohesive team dynamic crucial for operational alignment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Likely a recruiter or hiring manager screen to assess basic qualifications, experience, and alignment with the role's strategic and operational focus.

• Hiring Manager/Team Interviews: In-depth discussions covering operational strategy, experience with operating models, OKR development, cross-functional leadership, and problem-solving capabilities. Expect detailed questions about past successes and challenges.

• Executive/Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with senior leaders and peers from Product, Engineering, Finance, and GTM to evaluate strategic thinking, communication skills, executive presence, and ability to influence across departments.

• Case Study/Presentation: A potential component could involve a case study or a presentation based on a hypothetical operational challenge or a review of a past project from your portfolio, demonstrating your approach to strategy, execution, and problem-solving.

• Final Round: May involve a final discussion with senior leadership to assess overall fit and strategic alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Operating Model Design: Showcase examples of how you've designed, implemented, and scaled operating cadences (QBRs, planning cycles, reviews) and the impact they had.

• Quantify OKR Success: Present clear examples of OKR development, tracking, and how they drove measurable business outcomes. Use data to illustrate achievements.

• Demonstrate Cross-Functional Leadership: Include case studies where you successfully aligned disparate teams (Product, Eng, GTM, Finance) towards common goals, detailing the strategies used to achieve buy-in and overcome resistance.

• Showcase Process Improvement: Detail specific operational inefficiencies you identified and the process improvements you implemented, quantifying the benefits (e.g., increased velocity, reduced friction, improved predictability).

• Executive Communication Examples: Include examples of executive-level presentations, strategic documents, or dashboards you've created, emphasizing clarity, conciseness, and data-driven insights.

Challenge Preparation:

• Operational Cadence Design: Be prepared to discuss how you would structure QBRs, annual planning, or leadership syncs for a complex product organization.

• OKR Strategy: Practice articulating how you would define, cascade, and track OKRs for a portfolio of AI-powered products.

• Cross-Functional Alignment Scenarios: Prepare for questions on how you would drive alignment between Product, Engineering, and GTM teams, especially when priorities may conflict.

• Data Synthesis and Recommendation: Be ready to analyze a set of operational data (hypothetical or from your experience) and present actionable recommendations to senior leadership.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "designing, implementing, and scaling operating models," "OKR development," and "cross-functional execution," along with the need for "executive-quality content," indicates that the interview process will heavily scrutinize the candidate's ability to structure and manage complex operational frameworks and communicate effectively at the highest levels. A strong portfolio is essential.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Product Management & Development Tools: Familiarity with tools used in product development lifecycles (e.g., Jira, Confluence) is likely beneficial for understanding team workflows.

• Project Management Software: Proficiency with enterprise-level project and portfolio management tools to track initiatives, dependencies, and progress.

• Collaboration Suites: Deep expertise in tools like Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace for document creation, communication, and data analysis.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Business Intelligence (BI) Platforms: Experience with tools like Tableau, Power BI, or Looker for creating dashboards and analyzing key operational metrics.

• Spreadsheet Software: Advanced proficiency in Excel or Google Sheets for financial modeling, data manipulation, and detailed analysis.

• Data Warehousing Concepts: Understanding of data structures and how to access and leverage data from enterprise data warehouses.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: While not a direct sales role, understanding CRM principles (e.g., Salesforce) is beneficial for understanding Go-To-Market (GTM) operations and customer-facing metrics.

• Business Process Management (BPM) Tools: Familiarity with tools that aid in mapping, analyzing, and optimizing business processes.

• Presentation Software: Mastery of tools like Adobe PowerPoint or Keynote for creating executive-level presentations and reports.

📝 Enhancement Note: While specific tools are not listed, the role's focus on operational modeling, planning, and execution implies a need for proficiency in standard enterprise productivity, BI, and project management tools. The ability to leverage data from various sources and present it clearly is paramount.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Operational Rigor: A commitment to accuracy, follow-through, and meticulous execution in all operational processes.

• Data-Driven Decision-Making: A strong emphasis on using data and analytics to inform strategic choices and measure performance.

• Collaboration & Partnership: Building bridges across diverse teams and fostering strong, trust-based relationships to achieve shared objectives.

• Ownership & Accountability: Taking responsibility for outcomes and driving initiatives to completion with a clear sense of ownership.

• Continuous Improvement: A proactive approach to identifying inefficiencies and implementing process enhancements to drive ongoing optimization.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: The role demands seamless collaboration with Product, Engineering, Finance, Sales, Marketing, and GTM teams, requiring strong communication and negotiation skills.

• Process Review Culture: Expected to foster an environment where operational processes are regularly reviewed, discussed, and improved based on feedback and performance data.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of best practices and operational insights across the product portfolio to build consistency and collective intelligence.

📝 Enhancement Note: Adobe’s stated values ("people, purpose, and community") combined with the role's operational focus suggest a culture that balances ambitious goals with employee well-being and collaborative achievement. The emphasis on "building bridges" highlights the importance of interpersonal skills in this cross-functional role.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating a Large Matrixed Organization: Driving alignment and execution across multiple departments and stakeholders in a large enterprise can be complex.

• Balancing Strategic Vision with Operational Execution: Ensuring that high-level strategies are translated into practical, executable operational plans and rhythms.

• Scaling Operating Models: Successfully rolling out and embedding new operating frameworks across diverse product teams while allowing for necessary customization.

• Managing Competing Priorities: Ruthlessly prioritizing initiatives and resources in a fast-paced environment where many things may appear urgent.

• Building a New Team (Future): Establishing and leading a high-performing operations team from a nascent stage requires strong leadership and talent development skills.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Strategic Operations Leadership: Gaining experience in shaping the operational strategy of a major product group within a leading tech company.

• AI & Creative Tech Domain: Deepening understanding of the operational dynamics specific to AI-driven product development and the creative software market.

• Executive Mentorship: Opportunity to work closely with senior leaders, gaining insights into executive decision-making and strategic planning.

• Team Building & Management: Developing leadership skills through the process of building and managing a dedicated operations team.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges highlight the need for a candidate who is not only operationally sound but also possesses strong change management, strategic thinking, and interpersonal skills to navigate a complex organizational landscape. The growth opportunities are substantial, offering a clear path toward senior operational leadership.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your experience designing and implementing an operating model for a large product organization. What were the key components, challenges, and outcomes?"

• "How have you approached OKR development and accountability across multiple teams? Provide a specific example of how your OKR process drove significant business impact."

• "Walk me through a time you had to drive alignment between Product, Engineering, and GTM teams on a critical initiative. What strategies did you employ, and what was the result?"

• "How do you identify and address operational inefficiencies within a product development lifecycle?"

• "Describe your approach to financial justification for product roadmaps and resource allocation. What data points are critical?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Adobe's mission and its focus on AI-powered creative tools?"

• "How would you foster a data-driven culture within the Creative Product Group?"

• "How do you build trust and influence stakeholders across different functions and levels in a large organization?"

• "Describe your leadership style and how you foster an inclusive team environment." Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Case Studies: For each significant project or initiative, clearly define the business problem, your role and approach, the specific operational processes you designed/implemented, the metrics you tracked, and the quantifiable results achieved.

• Focus on Impact: Emphasize the "so what?" – how did your work directly contribute to business objectives like revenue growth, increased efficiency, improved product velocity, or better strategic alignment?

• Visualize Data: Use clear, concise charts and dashboards to illustrate key metrics and performance trends. Ensure your visuals are executive-friendly.

• Tell a Story: Frame your experiences as compelling narratives that highlight your problem-solving skills, strategic thinking, and operational execution capabilities.

• Connect to Adobe: Where possible, draw parallels between your experience and Adobe's strategic priorities or operational challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview questions are designed to probe the candidate's strategic thinking, operational execution capabilities, and leadership potential. A strong emphasis will be placed on demonstrating a proven ability to design, implement, and scale complex operational frameworks within a large, dynamic tech environment.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the official Adobe Careers portal via the provided link.

• Portfolio Customization: Curate your resume and any supplementary portfolio materials to prominently feature your experience with designing and scaling operating models, OKR development, annual planning, QBRs, and cross-functional leadership. Quantify achievements with specific metrics.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly highlights your 12+ years of experience, with at least 5 years in senior leadership roles, and uses keywords relevant to product strategy, business operations, operational governance, and GTM execution.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your experience with specific examples that demonstrate your operational rigor, analytical skills, and ability to drive cross-functional alignment. Prepare to discuss your approach to strategic challenges and present your portfolio effectively.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research Adobe's Creative Product Group, its AI initiatives (like Adobe Firefly), and its stated company values. Understand how your operational expertise can contribute to their strategic goals and innovative product portfolio.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.