Role Overview

The Product Director is the strategic leader responsible for the "what" and "why" behind every Longhorn Developers (LHD) project. They lead the creation and adoption of new projects through ideation and validation, conducting research to understand student needs and identifying solutions — whether new or existing projects — to address these needs. This director oversees the overall progress of every project, and ensures that every project is focused on solving a real, pressing student problem, and has the appropriate resources and team to succeed. They are the central hub of communication, aligning the vision between stakeholders and the project teams to ensure LHD builds impactful and well-defined products.

A crucial aspect of the Product Director role is the level of autonomy and leadership expected. As an Executive Board member, the Product Director should not expect extensive guidance in their day-to-day operations. Instead, they are expected to be the source of guidance and expertise for others in their domain. They must take initiative to advance the goals and mission of LHD as set by the President, and fulfill all key responsibilities listed below as a minimum expectation.

However, a truly successful and effective director will go beyond these minimum requirements. They will proactively pursue their own initiatives to advance LHD's mission, introduce innovative ideas, and improve current processes based on their product management expertise. This includes identifying opportunities for enhancement in areas not explicitly mentioned in this position document. The ideal candidate will be a self-starter who can operate independently while maintaining alignment with organizational objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Product Vision & Strategy
  • Define and drive the overall product strategy for the organization, ensuring it aligns with LHD's mission to tackle student problems at UT Austin.
  • Oversee the process of identifying and validating new project ideas, ensuring they meet a genuine user need.
  • Develop and maintain a high-level roadmap for all LHD products.
  • Ensure a data-informed approach to product decisions, encouraging teams to use user feedback, and analytics to guide their choices.
• Leadership & Team Management
  • Provide direct leadership, training, and mentorship to the Product Lead of each project team.
  • Establish best practices for product management within LHD, including how to write user stories, prioritize features, and manage backlogs.
  • Foster a collaborative environment where Product Leads can share insights and learn from one another.
  • Pursue new project adoptions and assist the President with discussions to student developers.
  • Lead the onboarding and establishment of new and adopted projects.
  • Conduct regular check-ins with Product Leads to monitor project progress, identify project roadblocks, and ensure timelines are met.
  • Maintain the LHD Notion Workspace (including documents, databases, and forms)
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Act as the key liaison between the product teams and the executive board.
  • Collaborate closely with the Software Engineering Director and UX Design Director to ensure a unified and efficient process for building and launching products.
  • Assist the Events Director with the planning and execution of LHD events such as project showcases, demo days, info sessions, or identify relevant project management-related workshop topics for each academic semester.
  • Ensure clear communication of product goals and user needs to the development and design teams so they have the context required to build the right solutions.
• Finance Management
  • President
• Recruitment & Onboarding
  • Recruit Product Leads with the President; assist Product Leads in recruiting team leadership (Technical Leads/UX Design Leads) or membership (Developer Fellow, UX Design Fellow) vacancies with the appropriate executive director.
  • Onboard new Product Leads: grant Notion org access, configure doc file permissions, and orient them to LHD’s product management workflow.

Qualifications & Skills

• Required
  • Demonstrated understanding of product management principles (e.g., user research, roadmapping, prioritization), tools (Notion), and agile development methodologies.
  • Experience conducting user interviews or analyzing user feedback.
  • Excellent communication, leadership, and organizational skills.
  • Ability to think strategically and align project details with high-level goals.
  • Experience working collaboratively with diverse, cross-functional teams (Technical/Design Teams).
  • Must be an active student at The University of Texas at Austin.
• Preferred
  • Previous experience in a product management, UX design, or lead engineering role, preferably within LHD.
  • Capacity to serve as Product Lead for an LHD project, if necessary.

Term of Office

The Product Director is expected to serve a full academic year, with renewal determined by majority approval of the Executive Board.