Director, Product Management

Great Minds, a rapidly growing challenger brand in the PK-12 instructional materials space, seeks an experienced Director of Product Management to join our dynamic Mathematics team.

COMPANY PROFILE

Great Minds, a mission driven Public Benefit Corporation, brings teachers and scholars together to craft exemplary instructional materials that inspire joy in teaching and learning. Our English curriculum, Wit & Wisdom®, Eureka Math™ and PhD Science™, all support teachers as they take students beyond rote learning to provide a deeper, more complete understanding of the humanities, mathematics, and the sciences. Founded in 2007, Great Minds now employs more than 1000 people.

For additional information please visit: www.greatminds.org

OUR MARKET POSITION

Great Minds’ Eureka Math is the most widely used curriculum in the history of American education. It enjoys an unrivaled 40+ net promoter score. Eureka and its sister products, Wit & Wisdom English and PhD Science, embrace much higher expectations for all students and all teachers. In a market dominated by scripted, procedural materials that drive expectations down, Great Minds produces curricula that celebrate knowledge, respect the craft of teaching, and acknowledge the true capabilities of students.

Position Summary

The Director, Product Management will work closely with the Great Minds’ Chief Academic Officer (CAO), Mathematics and the Mathematics Director team to provide exemplary product management for the growing Great Minds’ Mathematics product portfolio. The Great Minds approach is collaborative and unique, calling for entrepreneurial methods to product development and management that are consistent with its authentic, effective challenger brand. The Director, Product Management will leverage and shape the math product management team to develop, coordinate, and execute product strategies that grow market share and revenue from schools and districts. This role is an exceptional opportunity for an experienced product director capable of operating successfully in a collaborative, entrepreneurial, and rapid growth environment. While the work is remote and the ideal candidate will work well independently, this will also be a highly collaborative position, necessitating a strong sense of teamwork and cooperation.

Responsibilities

• In close partnership with the CAO, lead strategic planning initiatives with other stakeholders to set goals and prioritize initiatives that yield constant improvement of product offerings, product usage, and quality of implementation through new product or feature development, marketing, product positioning and sales opportunities

• Work effectively with the CAO and other stakeholders to create alignment on strategies, roadmaps, and portfolio tradeoffs, maintaining a prioritized multi-year roadmap

• Conduct and maintain comprehensive product ROI analyses for the math department.

o Support a strategic prioritized roadmap with preliminary ROI analyses

o Anticipate and monitor demand and revenue for current products and services

o Collaborate with finance, accounting, and the math program management and operations team to establish time and expense coding practices that support meaningful cost, budget, and ROI analyses

• Introduce best practices and create and drive processes that enable the overall product strategy and product lifecycle from conception through market release and into efficacy and enhancements, aligning with Great Minds’ philosophies and structures.

o Create replicable processes and templates for each phase of the product development lifecycle, including ongoing product management

o Support the conceptualization and product vision with research, usage analytics, market mapping, competitive analysis, market opportunity, and strategic planning

o Validate through market and user research that product requirements will meet targeted customer demands, compelling current and new customers to purchase and use our products with fidelity; ensure product requirements are clearly delineated, documented, socialized, and executed on.

o Establish product pricing, supported by cost data and market pricing research and in collaboration with leaders from sales and finance departments

o Enable the product management team to serve as the key interface for math products across the organization as they work with content, editorial, program management, digital, production, marketing, and legal teams, and external partners to drive the execution of the product roadmap in alignment with key requirements, ensuring readiness for each product launch

o Provide product training to customer-facing teams including sales, marketing and implementation, and work closely with professional development and coaching teams to drive alignment of messaging across all products, marketing materials and customer interactions

• Lead a growing team of product managers, user researchers and data analysts, serving as the direct supervisor of 3-7 team members.

o Set and monitor annual and quarterly team and individual goals, strategically prioritizing the teams efforts in service of the organizational, and departmental goals and core values.

o Build a positive work culture that elevates the organization’s core values.

o Study work practices of the product management team and solicit regular feedback from the teams they serve

o Provide individual coaching and team development initiatives to mentor and develop the product team members, norming and continually improving team practices and behavioral competencies

• Monitor progress, analyze data, and identify risks for all products, services, and related initiatives.

o Evaluate the effect of internal and external forces on market opportunities and recommend short and long-range product strategies (pricing, positioning, promotion, customer relationship management)

o Proactively identify and resolve strategic and tactical issues that may impair the organization's ability to meet its strategic, financial, and technical goals

• Create and lead effective communication cadences across teams and with stakeholders and executive teams. Maintain a single, accessible source of truth for accurate and timely data relevant to product scope and release dates; produce and present accurate and timely data to support risk mitigation, on-going decision making, and strategic planning.

Required Experience & Attributes:

• Ability to navigate the Great Minds climate, where leadership often drives the vision and product decisions, asking product teams to support decision making with data and research and then deliver solutions and execute

• A strong business acumen, with the ability to think about ROI, strategic pricing, and the potential value of ideas in order to help the team prioritize where and how to spend limited resources

• Knowledge of project breakdowns, budget, and scheduling, and an understanding of how to successfully move a project from prototype through production and to market launch

• Strong organizational habits necessary for successful goal setting, project management, collective decision making, deadline execution, and record keeping

• Embracing of a learner mindset by being receptive to and elevating different perspectives with empathy and curiosity

• Receptivity to feedback and the capacity to prioritize external and internal feedback to drive product and process improvements, accepting criticism as opportunities to learn

• A habit of remaining flexible and positive in ambiguous, fast-paced entrepreneurial environments, bringing a proactive, problem-solving orientation to every task

• Proven track record leading product management of large-scale, complex, product lines

• Expertise in product management tools and processes

• A proven track record of leading in a collaborative and inclusive style, creating the conditions, structure, and the framework for building trust, efficiency, and success while executing across a range of products

• A vision for successfully growing a product management team, assessing its current capacities, strengths and weaknesses, and developing it to an ideal state

• Ability to influence and communicate constraints and opportunities with all levels of stakeholders across a variety of functions

• Impeccable social, oral communication, and writing skills needed to synthesize market, customer, and cross-organizational needs for a specific audience, particularly those new to product mindset, digital development, and/or revenue-driven decision-making

• Competence understanding and communicating requirements across varied functions including, content creators, expert consultants, tech developers, user experience designers, product marketers, finance, and executive leadership

• Deep belief that every child is capable of greatness and a respect and commitment to the importance of high-quality, knowledge-building curriculum

• Appreciation for the challenges and victories faced everyday by classroom teachers

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree

• 7+ years of experience working in education publishing with a track record of success in product development, digital product management, curriculum development and project management

• Demonstrated success in a leadership role during the launch and adoption of a scaled technology product or platform with complex, interrelated work streams

• Extensive experience developing digital products and understanding the unique challenges associated with the transformation of print materials to a digital format

Status

• Full-time

Location

• Remote

• Future travel (10-15%) may be required.

A cover letter and resume are required to be considered for this position.

If selected a background check will be required.

New employees will be required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination, subject to potential accommodation as required by law or otherwise permitted by the Company.

Great Minds is an equal opportunity employer. We will extend equal opportunity to all individuals without regard to race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, disability, age, genetic information, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws. Our policy reflects and affirms the organization’s commitment to the principles of fair employment and the elimination of all discriminatory practices.