Senior Director, Product
Development
POSITION
SPECIFICATION
Company
Overview
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with over 900 properties in more than 95 countries and 110,000 talented associates at our owned and managed properties. Our internationally renowned brands include: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Sheraton, Westin, Le Méridien, Four Points by Sheraton, W Hotels, Aloft and Element, as well as Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high-quality vacation interval ownership resorts. As a relatively new company, we embrace change and foster innovation. We are continuously looking for people with the intellect, talent and enthusiasm to help us push boundaries and achieve new goals.
Job Description
As the leader of the
Product Development team, oversee the development and maintenance of Starwood’s
branded web sites. In this capacity,
you will lead and manage four groups: Product Planning and Analysis, Program
Management and Globalization, OnDemand Enhancements, and Quality Assurance. You
will work closely with business, creative and technology leaders to ensure that
site development priorities and objectives are clearly understood,
communicated, and fulfilled.
Importantly, the Sr. Director of Product Development must lead by
example. You must be experienced in managing and leading people and initiatives
in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
The ideal candidate
is a PMP Certified Project/Program Manager with at least eight years of
interactive program management experience.
Requires significant and current experience in the production of
interactive and transactional web sites and/or software applications. The individual must come from a background
of managing a great number of concurrent projects and overseeing an annual
production budget of at least $10MM.
Specific
Responsibilities
Advance
Planning and Delivery
·
Lead advance
planning with GWS and other groups for annual development agenda and budget
·
Support GWS
annual revenue goal through delivery of major projects and initiatives listed
below
·
Ensure delivery
of monthly product releases
·
Ensure
effective and efficient operation of OnDemand team
·
Track, analyze
and report overall delivery performance
·
Capital budget strategy and execution
·
Alignment and
adherence to Starwood and PM best practices, standards and guidelines
·
Drive
continuous operational improvement across the Web Team
·
Proactively
identify and manage issues and risks
·
Develop and
communicate product delivery and quality strategy
·
Supervise and
maintain daily, project as well as overall optimal functional performance of
the web sites
·
Oversee GWS
Crisis Response team
Budget
Management
·
Oversee GWS
project budget management processes
·
Overall billing
and account management supervision
·
Oversee
departmental budget status reporting and analysis
Communication
and Coordination
·
Ensure weekly
Web Team Operations status communication is maintained throughout GWS and
partner divisions
·
Ensure Project
List and Project Calendar are maintained
·
Maintain key
communication points and relationships with technology and business teams
·
Continue to
develop and deepen partnership with Technology team
Globalization
·
Oversee
Globalization operations
·
Ensure optimum
coverage and efficient operation of Quality Assurance Language team
·
Drive cost
efficiency and process improvements in globalization management
Development
of Others
·
Provide
guidance and support to direct reports and team members
·
Mentor and
coach direct reports to perform their responsibilities successfully
·
Plan for
succession; develop and grow direct reports to assume greater levels of
responsibility
·
Proactively
request additional resources as needed
·
Provide tools
and training to direct reports and team members
·
Cross train
staff to ensure coverage in the event someone is out or unavailable to perform
function
Key Skills, Abilities & Competencies
· Six to twelve years of interactive program management experience
· Financial analysis and budget management experience
· Strong process analysis and development skills
· Business systems analysis experience
· Strong Quality assurance experience
· Globalization experience
· Ability to manage and resolve conflict effectively
· Excellent interpersonal skills
· Excellent time management skills
· Strong mentoring and people development skills
·
Experience
negotiating contracts and managing vendors
·
Experience leading cross-functional teams to identify,
manage and resolve issues and risks
·
Experience with SAP
·
Proficiency with
MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Project
·
Familiarity
with process methodology, RUP preferred
Education/Certification
·
PMP
certification highly preferred
·
BA or BS
required, MBA preferred
Position
Location:
White
Plains, NY
Search Contact:
Jamie Peil
Executive Recruiter
InSearch Worldwide Corporation
(203) 355-3086
peil@insearchworldwide.com