Product Development Directors

Employers

Product development directors work for many different types of companies, such as automotive, clothing, cosmetics, computers, hardware and software, health care, pharmaceutical, insurance, and finance, to name just a few. The Department of Labor (DOL) does not provide information on product development directors. The profession that shares some of the same tasks and responsibilities as those of product development directors is advertising, promotions, and marketing managers. According to the DOL, there are 286,800 of these workers employed in the United States.

Starting Out

Many product development directors get their start through an entry-level job in product development. They may start as a product development coordinator and then move up to become a product development assistant. Ask your school's career services office for assistance in the job search. Also conduct your own search by looking for job listings on professional associations' Web sites, such as the Product Development and Management Association (https://www.pdma.org), and by searching for jobs on sites such as Glassdoor, Indeed, LinkedIn, and others.