Director, Software Product Strategy

Description

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

The Director of Software Product Strategy leads the software product portfolio within the residential energy ecosystem, overseeing products such as the Installer commissioning app and portal, Fleet Manager (monitoring and management system), Homeowner mobile app, API services for integration, and grid services software enabling Virtual Power Plant (VPP) and other energy services. This role has a strategic and unifying purpose: to define the vision for how software enhances and differentiates our energy solutions, and to implement an ownership model (inspired by “Single-Threaded Owner (STO)” principles) where each major software product has clear, focused leadership. The Director of SW Product Strategy ensures that our software offerings provide a seamless, integrated experience for installers and homeowners and unlock new value streams (like grid services and virtual power plants) for the company. This leader balances innovative feature roadmap planning with rigorous execution, aligning software development efforts (across US, India and Korea teams) with market needs and the hardware roadmap. The role exists to guarantee that software is not an afterthought but a core part of the product value proposition, driving customer engagement and business growth.

This position is based out of San Francisco or Santa Clara, California, with 20% business travel (domestic and international).

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Define an ambitious vision and strategy for the suite of software products that support our energy solutions.
• Develop a clear roadmap for each major software offering from mobile apps for system owners and installers to cloud-based monitoring, analytics, and grid integration services. Ensure the roadmap addresses customer needs and keeps us ahead of competitors’ software capabilities.
• Implement a “Single-Threaded Owner” model for software projects, assigning dedicated product owners (managers) for key software products or features. Mentor and guide these product managers to take end-to-end ownership of their domains, while ensuring their work aligns with the overall product strategy. Maintain oversight on how each product owner’s roadmap interconnects, eliminating silos and ensuring a cohesive ecosystem.
• Act as the chief product liaison with software engineering, UX/UI design, and CS teams. Work closely with these teams to translate product requirements into development plans, and be deeply involved in the software development lifecycle from sprint planning to feature testing
• Ensure that requirements are well understood and that engineering efforts remain tightly aligned with product goals. Drive cross-functional alignment by coordinating with firmware/hardware teams for features that span hardware-software
• Engage with users of our software (installers using the commissioning app, homeowners using the monitoring app, etc.) to gather feedback and identify pain points or opportunities. Stay informed on industry trends in energy management software, such as home energy automation, AI-driven energy insights, or utility demand response programs. Translate these insights into software requirements and innovative features that keep our products on the cutting edge.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 12+ years of product management experience with a focus on software products with at least 5 years in a leadership capacity (director or equivalent). A track record of leading product strategy for complex software or cloud-based services, ideally in domains like energy management, or IoT software. Prior experience delivering mobile applications and web platforms through multiple release cycles is essential.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience). Strong understanding of modern software development practices (cloud architectures, APIs, agile methodologies) and the ability to engage with architects and engineers on technical trade-offs.
• Solid grasp of the energy industry as it pertains to software including awareness of home energy monitoring solutions, installer operational software, and grid services platforms. Understanding of concepts like Virtual Power Plants, demand response, net metering, and how software interfaces between residential systems and utility grids. Knowledge of relevant protocols or standards (for example, OpenADR, IEEE 2030.5, SunSpec Modbus, etc.) is a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to set a strategic vision for software products and then drive execution to achieve it. Proven success in defining product roadmaps and delivering results that moved key metrics. Can balance long-term strategic projects with short-term iterations/improvements.
• Experience managing and mentoring product managers or product owners. Able to inspire and motivate a team, provide clear direction, and foster a high-performance culture. Comfortable delegating ownership to team members (in line with STO principles) while maintaining appropriate oversight.
• Excellent collaboration skills, with experience working in a matrixed environment. Able to synthesize input from design, engineering, data science, marketing, and operations into a coherent plan. Experience coordinating work across different geographic locations or time zones is important (e.g., U.S. and Asia development teams).
• Strong proficiency in analyzing product data and using metrics to guide decisions. Familiar with tools for product analytics (Google Analytics, Mixpanel, etc.) and A/B testing frameworks. Able to set and track KPIs for software products and derive insights from them.
• Given the fast-evolving nature of software and the energy tech domain, must be quick to adapt and continuously curious. Stays up-to-date with emerging technologies (AI, edge computing, UI/UX trends) and evaluates how they could apply to our products.
• Strong understanding of North American solar and ESS market dynamics and regulatory frameworks.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Direct experience at a company that develops software for solar/energy. This could provide valuable insight into user needs and pitfalls in this space.
• Experience working in or implementing an STO-type model. Understanding how to drive focus and ownership in a product team structure will be advantageous.
• A good eye for user experience and design. While not a designer, a successful product leader in this role appreciates what makes a great user interface and user journey. Any experience closely collaborating with UX teams or conducting user research is a plus.
• If APIs and integrations are part of the product scope, experience building products for developers or engaging with open-source communities can be useful. It indicates an ability to think about external developers as customers and create platforms that others can build upon.
• Deep knowledge of PV, Microinverter, ESS, Fleet Management, API, and grid integration technologies.
• Experience in strategic planning, product commercialization, or sales in the North American solar and ESS market.

Hanwha Q CELLS America Inc. (“HQCA”) is a Qcells company, one of the world’s largest manufacturers and providers of solar photovoltaic (PV) products and solutions. Headquartered in Irvine, California, HQCA has been rapidly expanding its business in North America through the expansion of products and solutions, including distributed energy solutions, direct-to-homeowner solar sales and financing, and EPC services. We provide an opportunity to be part of an exciting and growing world-class global business in an interesting and expanding industry of the future.

The salary range is required by the California Pay Transparency Act and may differ depending on the location of those candidates hired nationwide. Actual compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to, skill set, education, licenses and certifications, essential job duties and requirements, and the necessary experience relative to the job’s minimum qualifications.

• This target salary range is for CA positions only and should not be interpreted as an offer of compensation.

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