Director of IT Product Strategy & Portfolio

Job Description

About the Organization

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED) supports economic growth by fostering business development, infrastructure investment, industry advancement, and consumer confidence. EOED operates through nine state agencies and five quasi-public agencies (QPAs) that deliver essential public programs and services.

EOED supports economic growth across Massachusetts through its network of agencies and partnerships, promoting business innovation, infrastructure investment, and consumer protection. The office embraces a culture of equity, inclusion, and collaboration-values that inform all aspects of its work.

The Executive Office of Economic Development is committed to creating and sustaining a work culture that is welcoming, inclusive, and mutually respectful to all its employees regardless of race, color, age, creed, religion, national origin, ethnicity, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran or disability status. We strive to reflect diversity in all facets and levels of our agency. The Executive Office of Economic Development values inclusiveness and diversity within their employee and management teams. Within our community we strive to create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable, and welcoming.

The Executive Office of Economic Development is committed to ensuring a diverse and inclusive workplace where all employees feel respected, valued, and empowered to maximize their skills and talents to serve our citizens.

About the Director of IT Product Strategy & Portfolio Role

EOED is seeking to hire a Director of IT Product Strategy & Portfolio who will work closely with EOED agencies to lead product strategy development, product delivery and execution, portfolio planning, and product management discipline across the Secretariat's digital and application landscape. This role will help shape enterprise product strategy for EOED while guiding prioritization across a portfolio of products and platforms that support agency operations and constituent-facing services.

The Director of IT Product Strategy & Portfolio will partner closely with agency leadership, program directors, legal, finance, procurement, data and analytics teams, EOTSS, and third-party consultants to modernize priority platforms, align product investments with organizational goals, and promote user-centered digital services. This role will balance strategy and delivery oversight, helping EOED establish strong product practices, develop shared product visions across agencies, and incorporate practical and responsible AI capabilities into applications and technical programs.

The primary work location for this role will be One Federal Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110. The work schedule for this position is Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM EST. This position would be expected to follow a hybrid model of reporting to work that combines in-office workdays and work from home days as needed.

Product Strategy and Portfolio Leadership Responsibilities

• Develop and refine EOED's enterprise product strategy in partnership with Secretariat and agency leadership.
• Oversee a portfolio of digital products, platforms, and application modernization initiatives across EOED agencies, while maintaining a portfolio-level view of product investments, dependencies, risks, and opportunities.
• Lead portfolio roadmap planning and prioritization to ensure EOED resources are directed to the highest-value opportunities.
• Partner with agency leaders and product owners within each agency to define product direction, business outcomes, and delivery priorities.
• Incorporate AI opportunities, dependencies, and governance considerations into product portfolio planning, roadmap development, and investment prioritization.
• Establish and implement standardized product management processes, frameworks, and governance models across EOED agencies to enable consistent prioritization, planning, delivery, and performance measurement.

• Develop product visions for major EOED products in collaboration with agency product owners, ensuring agency-specific product visions where appropriate.
• Create buy-in and alignment for product direction across cross-functional teams, executive stakeholders, and agency leadership.
• Guide product owners and delivery partners in balancing short-term operational needs with long-term platform modernization goals.
• Use qualitative and quantitative inputs, including user feedback, operational insights, policy requirements, and performance data, to inform roadmap decisions.

• Coordinate closely with EOTSS on statewide technology initiatives, shared services, architectural considerations, and delivery dependencies.
• Guide the evaluation, selection, and management of technology platforms and tools in partnership with legal, finance, and procurement teams to support the work of EOED agencies.
• Work closely with third-party consultants and implementation partners to ensure alignment with EOED priorities, delivery expectations, and quality standards.
• Monitor progress across product initiatives and elevate risks, blockers, and resourcing needs to leadership as appropriate.
• Support high-quality delivery practices by ensuring product priorities, user needs, and organizational goals remain aligned throughout implementation.
• Define and institutionalize enterprise product operating procedures and portfolio management practices, ensuring alignment across agencies, vendors, stakeholders, and technology partners.

• Promote user-centered design and high-quality user experience across EOED's public-facing and internal digital products.
• Champion product discovery practices that incorporate user research, feedback loops, journey mapping, and service design principles.
• Ensure products meet the needs of businesses, residents, municipalities, agency staff, and other partners while improving service effectiveness and staff workflows.
• Incorporate practical and responsible AI capabilities into EOED applications and technical programs, including workflow enablement, internal productivity improvements, and citizen-facing functionality where appropriate.
• Partner with stakeholders to evaluate AI use cases for feasibility, value, governance, privacy, and operational readiness.

• Eight (8) or more years of experience in product management, digital product leadership, technology strategy, or related IT leadership roles, including responsibility for complex cross-functional initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience leading product strategy, roadmap development, and stakeholder alignment across complex, multi-stakeholder environments.
• Strong understanding of product management principles, service design, user-centered design, and modern digital delivery practices.
• Experience with application modernization, enterprise platforms, workflow tools, regulated operational systems, and practical AI adoption in enterprise or public-sector settings.
• Knowledge of Agile and related software development lifecycle methodologies, with the ability to adapt product practices to organizational context.
• Strong communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills, including experience coordinating with third-party vendors, consultants, and implementation partners.
• Experience working with government agencies, community groups, businesses, nonprofits, and other stakeholders, with knowledge of economic development programs, policy, incentives, and related business regulations desirable but not required.