Director, AI Product Management

Role Summary

• This is not a traditional Product Director role. You will not be managing a SaaS backlog or optimizing incremental features. As Director, AI Product Management, you are a senior strategic operator deployed into Brightstar's portfolio companies to drive enterprise-wide AI transformation.

• You will own the vision, roadmap, and execution of high-stakes AI interventions—partnering directly with executives, shaping strategy, and leading cross-functional pods of engineers, data scientists, and designers to deliver production-grade AI systems. Your mandate is to turn bold ideas into deployed systems that unlock millions in EBITDA uplift, operational efficiency, and risk reduction.

• Your success will be defined by the measurable business value you create. This is a rare opportunity to combine C-suite strategy, deep product leadership, and financial accountability in one role, while shaping the future of how AI rewires industries.

What You'll Do

• Lead AI Product Strategy

• Define the vision, roadmap, and business case for AI interventions across portfolio companies.

• Prioritize initiatives based on financial impact, feasibility, and strategic fit, ensuring AI products directly move P&L levers.

• Drive AI Interventions

• Partner with C-suite executives to diagnose high-impact opportunities and translate them into concrete product strategies.

• Reimagine core processes from first principles with an AI-first lens, not incremental automation.

• Own the Product Lifecycle

• Lead cross-functional pods (engineers, data scientists, SMEs, UX) to design, build, and scale production-grade AI systems.

• Operate as the accountable owner from concept through deployment and sustained adoption.

• Bridge Business & Technology

• Serve as the connective tissue between portfolio company leadership, Brightstar's investment team, and technical teams.

• Translate financial targets into technical requirements and ensure engineering efforts align to measurable business outcomes.

• Institutionalize Product Excellence

• Capture insights from deployments and codify them into reusable frameworks, roadmaps, and best practices that scale across companies.

• Scout and assess emerging AI technologies and vendors, ensuring portfolio products stay at the leading edge.

• Build AI fluency across portfolio leadership and teams, ensuring that adoption is not only successful but sustainable.

What You'll Need

• 10-15+ years of product management experience, including leading technical, data-driven, or AI-enabled products at scale.

• Proven track record of shipping complex enterprise-grade systems from ambiguous concept to full production.

• Deep conceptual understanding of AI/ML technologies (LLMs, RAG systems, predictive modeling, agentic AI) and how to apply them in real business contexts.

• Strong systems thinking skills, with working knowledge of data infrastructure, APIs, and cloud platforms (AWS/GCP/Azure).

• Demonstrated financial acumen: experience building quantitative business cases, linking product roadmaps to P&L, EBITDA, ROI.

• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to influence executive leaders and inspire technical teams.

• A hands-on, ownership-driven mindset with the ability to thrive in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.

Nice-to-Haves

• An MBA or advanced degree with focus on business, technology, or strategy.

• Prior experience at a top-tier consulting firm (digital, AI, or transformation focus).

• Hands-on coding or technical background (Python preferred).

• Direct experience in Private Equity, Venture Capital, or AI-native startups.