Is 'senior eCommerce strategy product data manager' too long
June 27, 2017 7:57 PM Subscribe
My job's duties and reach have changed and I need a new title to reflect what I do now. Everything I can think of seems clunky or too specific or doesn't accurately describe my responsibilities. I need help figuring out a title that is a level above where my current one is (more senior) and reflects most/all of what I oversee now.
Current title: Product Manager (of a small-to-mid-sized building materials company)
Job: Two main parts- I manage our rapidly growing eCommerce retail channel (strategy, content, analysis) but also act as the gatekeeper/manager for all of our product data and testing (working with manufacturers to obtain specifications, entering info into and maintaining internal databases, conducting materials testing on site).
Current title reflects some/all of the product and data side but none of the eCommerce side, which is not ideal. I've been at the company for 6 years and in the Product Manager position for 4 and the new title should reflect a seniority jump.
Titles I've considered: Director of eCommerce, Senior eCommerce (Product) Manager, eCommerce Data Director, eCommerce and Product Data Something?
I want to add in the valuable, growing eCommerce keyword there, but I don't want to lose the Product side either. The title of this question is a joke, but I fumble when I try to marry it all together. Are there other good terms that reflect an upward move that aren't Senior Manager or Director? What the heck should my title be?
Current title: Product Manager (of a small-to-mid-sized building materials company)
Job: Two main parts- I manage our rapidly growing eCommerce retail channel (strategy, content, analysis) but also act as the gatekeeper/manager for all of our product data and testing (working with manufacturers to obtain specifications, entering info into and maintaining internal databases, conducting materials testing on site).
Current title reflects some/all of the product and data side but none of the eCommerce side, which is not ideal. I've been at the company for 6 years and in the Product Manager position for 4 and the new title should reflect a seniority jump.
Titles I've considered: Director of eCommerce, Senior eCommerce (Product) Manager, eCommerce Data Director, eCommerce and Product Data Something?
I want to add in the valuable, growing eCommerce keyword there, but I don't want to lose the Product side either. The title of this question is a joke, but I fumble when I try to marry it all together. Are there other good terms that reflect an upward move that aren't Senior Manager or Director? What the heck should my title be?
Senior product manager, director of e-commerce.
You get to have at least two role titles in your job title(s).
E-ink is cheap, choose two or thre short descriptions of domain and roles and you'll be fine.
posted by SaltySalticid at 8:28 PM on June 27, 2017
You get to have at least two role titles in your job title(s).
E-ink is cheap, choose two or thre short descriptions of domain and roles and you'll be fine.
posted by SaltySalticid at 8:28 PM on June 27, 2017
I suggest Director of Product Management, eCommerce & Data. If you want simplicity, then Director of Product Management is just as good. Other alternatives would be VP/SVP/EVP or "Head of Product" but the last would probably need the specification of eComm and Data unless you also run the entire product portfolio. :)
As someone who has dug through many many job titles, it would thoroughly confuse me if someone were a Product Manager and a Director at the same time (especially if it were not "Director of Product" or "Director of Product Management"). And if you can be a director instead of a snr. manager, even better. Where I come from (the Bay Area), directors are a step more senior. They are also usually considered executives — helpful leverage for the next job search whenever that may be, especially since your titles will be discounted coming from a smaller company. Ideally you would grow a team under you in this new position.
posted by hotchocolate at 10:38 PM on June 27, 2017
As someone who has dug through many many job titles, it would thoroughly confuse me if someone were a Product Manager and a Director at the same time (especially if it were not "Director of Product" or "Director of Product Management"). And if you can be a director instead of a snr. manager, even better. Where I come from (the Bay Area), directors are a step more senior. They are also usually considered executives — helpful leverage for the next job search whenever that may be, especially since your titles will be discounted coming from a smaller company. Ideally you would grow a team under you in this new position.
posted by hotchocolate at 10:38 PM on June 27, 2017
Response by poster: I'm not hell-bent on dumping Product Manager (I like it too, while also agreeing that it is a bit vague), but I suppose I wanted to loop in the eCommerce bit up front since it is a rapidly growing field. And the seniority jump. Thanks for input so far.
posted by rachaelfaith at 6:02 AM on June 28, 2017
posted by rachaelfaith at 6:02 AM on June 28, 2017
Whatever you decide on your title, I would incorporate the other elements by doing as others have suggested and making it part of the LinkedIn headline, ex.
Product Manager with experience in eCommerce in the retail building materials industry
or however you choose to wordsmith it.
posted by randomkeystrike at 8:09 AM on June 28, 2017
Product Manager with experience in eCommerce in the retail building materials industry
or however you choose to wordsmith it.
posted by randomkeystrike at 8:09 AM on June 28, 2017
Best answer: You want to go with a standard tech industry title, so it will fit neatly into the hierarchy at future employers.
Directors manage a lot of people -- dozens to hundreds. If you're a director, and you manage few or no people, future employers are going to look askance.
I wouldn't put eCommerce, or any other specific application area in there. Product managers are supposed to be able to work on anything (even though that's unrealistic, but whatever).
I'd just go with Senior Product Manager or Principal Product Manager.
posted by miyabo at 7:09 PM on June 28, 2017
Directors manage a lot of people -- dozens to hundreds. If you're a director, and you manage few or no people, future employers are going to look askance.
I wouldn't put eCommerce, or any other specific application area in there. Product managers are supposed to be able to work on anything (even though that's unrealistic, but whatever).
I'd just go with Senior Product Manager or Principal Product Manager.
posted by miyabo at 7:09 PM on June 28, 2017
Response by poster: Thanks for the input. I went with Senior Product Manager, and will rework my LinkedIn to accurately reflect the eCommerce portion.
posted by rachaelfaith at 12:12 PM on June 29, 2017
posted by rachaelfaith at 12:12 PM on June 29, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
If you're getting a bump (congrats!), Senior Product Manager is a good title. Put the word "ecommerce" all over your resume, and you'll have to get a new phone number for all the recruiters pestering you.
Also note that Product Manager is an odd title and nobody agrees what it means. In some companies, its a lower-level person who breaks down Agile stories. In other companies it's an executive. You can define you.
posted by Pacrand at 8:20 PM on June 27, 2017 [5 favorites]