From Vision to Execution: The Chief Product Officer Job Description

Morgan Lichtenstein 5 min read 21 Aug 2023

There are a lot of challenges that come along with seeing a product from start to finish.

By having an experienced C-level executive on your team who's committed to researching, strategizing, and maximizing the success of your next product launch, you can ensure success.

Enter the Chief Product Officer (CPO), a corporate leader who can bring your product and project management teams exactly where they need to go.

Ready to make your next critical product hire 6–8x faster than traditional recruitment methods? Hunt Club specializes in hiring top executives through a powerful combination of networks and technology.

About the Chief Product Officer

A CPO oversees all matters related to a company's products. Typically, this includes direct oversight of the product and project management team as they brainstorm, develop, test, improve, and release new products to the market.

Products can range from:

New SaaS tools
Consumer electronics
Clothing and apparel
Healthcare products
Financial products
Consumer goods
+ So much more

In addition to overseeing and directly supervising product management teams, CPOs are also responsible for creating a development strategy that reflects the overall vision and needs of the organization. Likewise, a CPO is heavily involved in market research and testing to ensure it meets or exceeds the end client's or user’s needs.

The work of a CPO doesn't end when a product hits its launch date, either. These professionals also develop metrics and performance indicators to gauge performance after a product is released, pinpointing areas that need revision or further improvement.

At What Point Should a Company Look To Hire a Chief Product Officer?

You might be wondering whether your company could benefit from bringing a CPO on board. In general, any company that releases products to the public and is committed to ensuring that they reflect the company's vision and customer needs should consider hiring a CPO.

But what are some specific scenarios in which your company should think about hiring a CPO?

Consider bringing on a CPO if…

Your product development costs have increased without an equal boost in revenue.
Your organization is undergoing a digital transformation and needs a leader who can embrace emerging technologies and reshape its product portfolio.
Your new product’s KPIs are lacking and you need someone to analyze the company's product teams and processes as a whole to improve outcomes.
You’re experiencing product market fit challenges and/or have a complex product.
Your product or service is part of a highly competitive landscape.

Chief Product Officer Responsibilities and Duties

So, what exactly does a Chief Product Officer do on a daily basis? While their exact roles and responsibilities can vary from one organization to the next, there are some general duties that will be included in nearly every CPO job description out there. These may include:

Overseeing the entire product development lifecycle, from concept to launch.
Developing a product vision and product that drives revenue and aligns with customer needs and overall business goals.
Extensively researching realistic project timelines, costs, and ideal KPIs/metrics.
Working and communicating across a number of cross-functional teams, including product management, engineering, marketing, and the executive board/stakeholders.
Exploring and researching marketing initiatives for new products.
Conducting market research to identify customer needs, market trends, and opportunities.
Using data and insights to make informed product decisions.
Planning and executing product launches, including marketing strategies, pricing, and distribution channels.
Identifying and mitigating potential risks associated with product development, including technical, financial, and market-related risks.
Managing relationships with external vendors, suppliers, and partners involved in product development and delivery.
Building high-performing product teams, including hiring, mentoring, and developing talent and fostering a culture of collaboration, creativity, and accountability within their teams.

Common Chief Product Officer Skills and Qualifications

If your company needs to hire a CPO, you want to find the right person for the job. Specifically, there are some qualifications (including both hard and soft skills) that you'll want to look for in a potential candidate.

Ideal skills for a CPO include:

Familiarity with relevant technologies and tools used in product development, which may vary depending on the industry (e.g., software development tools, manufacturing processes, hardware design).
The ability to create and manage product roadmaps, outlining the strategic direction and future development plans.
Strong technical writing skills to create product specifications, documentation, and user manuals.
Familiarity with Agile and Scrum methodologies commonly used in product development for iterative and collaborative project management.
Proven leadership skills, ideally with previous experience serving as a CPO or in a product management role.
Ability to make sense of large amounts of data and metrics for sound decision-making based on analytics.
Understanding of user experience (UX) principles to ensure products are user-friendly and meet customer expectations.
Familiarity with intellectual property (IP) laws and strategies to protect and leverage intellectual property assets.
Knowledge of digital marketplaces and platforms (e.g., app stores, ecommerce platforms) for distribution and monetization.
Understanding of financial aspects of product management, including cost analysis, pricing strategies, and basic revenue forecasting.
Resolute problem-solving and ability to address customer and team challenges that arise during product development and lifecycle management.
Effective verbal and written communication skills, both verbal and written, especially when conveying product strategies and vision to internal teams, stakeholders, and executives.

Chief Product Officer Education

In general, a company hiring a CPO will want candidates who have a minimum of a bachelor's degree in a field related to business, engineering, computer science, and design.

However, in some cases, companies give preference to applicants who hold more advanced degrees — such as a Master's in Business Administration (MBA) or Product Management.

In addition to a formal education, the strongest candidates for a CPO position also tend to have extensive experience working in product management or development roles in the past. Many companies hiring a CPO prefer people with at least 10 years of experience doing this type of work or candidates who have successfully served in CPO roles in the past.

Chief Product Officer Certifications

Some candidates may choose to set themselves apart with additional training and certifications. A few relevant certifications that a CPO may carry include:

Chief Product Officer vs. Chief Technology Officer: What's the Difference?

Often, the job of the CPO can get confused with that of the Chief Technology Officer (CTO), since they have some overlapping responsibilities. Both ultimately aim to optimize the customer experience and improve business outcomes through tech or products, but CTOs and CPOs take on different responsibilities to get there.

	Chief Product Officer (CPO)	Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Overall Focus	Oversees all product design, development, user experience, and customer feedback on new products to drive revenue.	Oversees the organization’s technology infrastructure, and strategy, and ensures all tech aligns with business goals.
Main Metrics and KPIs	Product revenue/profitability/sales Customer acquisition cost Customer satisfaction and Net Promoter Score Feature adoption Time-to-market	Security and data privacy metrics Server uptime and response times Project delivery time Incident response times

Who Does a Chief Product Officer Report to?

While a CPO will most often be working alongside product development and marketing teams, they must ultimately report to the company's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in most cases.

This may mean providing updates to the CEO and other board members regarding the success of a new product, timeline updates on products in development, and other pertinent news.

Hiring a Chief Product Officer? Hunt Club Can Help

Ultimately, a great CPO can fuel your business growth by improving product innovation and leading your product management and dev teams in the right direction. Of course, the process of finding the best candidate for this important position can be overwhelming — and the last thing you want is to make the wrong choice.

This is where our team at Hunt Club can help.

Our executive recruiters, tech-driven Search Platform, and unique network recruiting approach can help you identify the right product talent for the job 6–8x times faster than traditional recruiting methods.