Edtech.com's Summary

Pearson is hiring an Advanced Specialist, Commercial Portfolio Manager. This role requires leading a portfolio of higher education courseware products by employing data-driven investment decisions, portfolio strategy, and customer-focused market insights to drive growth, profitability, and learner outcomes while balancing external market engagement with portfolio management and cross-functional execution.

Highlights

Own and manage commercial performance and P&L of a portfolio including digital platforms, eTexts, and print solutions.
Lead long-term portfolio strategy, prioritize lifecycle management, and launch or sunset products based on market needs and ROI.
Engage extensively with customers and market through interviews, conferences, advisory boards, and field sales interaction to gather insights.
Use business acumen, analytics, and financial modeling to guide portfolio decisions and monitor KPIs for portfolio health and performance.
Collaborate cross-functionally with Sales, Marketing, Product Management, and other teams to develop and execute go-to-market strategies.
Incorporate emerging technologies and generative AI into portfolio strategy and partner with technology teams to pilot innovations.
Manage relationships and contracts with authors, subject-matter experts, institutions, and external partners in coordination with legal.
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required with demonstrated expertise in commercial portfolio or product management, including digital products.
Experience with market analysis, customer research, financial analysis, go-to-market strategy, and adapting to dynamic environments is essential.
This position requires 10-25% travel and is eligible for Pearson’s annual incentive program.

Advanced Specialist, Commercial Portfolio Manager Full Description

Commercial Portfolio Manager

Overview

Pearson is seeking an experienced Commercial Portfolio Manager to lead a portfolio of higher education courseware products, including digital platforms, eTexts, and print solutions. This role combines commercial ownership, portfolio strategy, customer-centric decision-making, and market foresight to support sustainable growth, strong learner outcomes, and long-term market relevance in a rapidly evolving education landscape.

Reporting to the Director of Commercial Portfolio Management, the Commercial Portfolio Manager serves as the voice of the market and customer, translating market and customer insights into disciplined, data-driven investment decisions, portfolio strategy, and cross-functional execution that balance educational impact with financial performance.

The role is intentionally balanced between external market engagement (approximately 45-50%) and portfolio management and execution activities (approximately 50%), ensuring close alignment between customer needs, market realities, and commercial outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Portfolio Strategy, Planning & Growth Ownership

Own the commercial performance of a defined portfolio, using data-driven investment decisions to support profitability, market share, and return on investment.
Lead long-term portfolio planning, balancing near-term performance with long-term growth through disciplined prioritization, lifecycle management, and performance measurement.
Develop and execute portfolio strategies informed by customer needs, market dynamics, competitive positioning, and business objectives, including launching new offerings, piloting innovative models, and sunsetting underperforming products.
Maintain title- or product-level P&L ownership, building and managing business cases with clear ROI assumptions and adjusting investments based on performance.

Customer and Market Insights

Represent the voice of the customer and market through ongoing engagement with instructors, students, sales partners, authors, and discipline thought leaders.
Conduct qualitative and quantitative market research through virtual and in-person faculty interviews, campus visits, conferences, product demonstrations, focus groups, advisory boards, and field engagement with sales.
Lead 360° market analysis by synthesizing customer insights, competitive intelligence, and market data to identify growth opportunities, emerging risks, and portfolio implications.
Track and assess trends such as digital adoption, platform competition, OER/low-cost alternatives, learning efficacy expectations, and GenAI-enabled experiences, translating findings into actionable portfolio recommendations.

Data-Driven Decision Making & Business Acumen

Apply business acumen, analytics, and financial modeling to guide portfolio decisions, optimize investment allocation, and manage profitability.
Use data to evaluate options, test assumptions, solve complex problems, and recommend practical, value-oriented solutions.
Define and monitor KPIs to assess portfolio health, learner outcomes, and commercial performance, adjusting strategies and tactics as needed.

Go-to-Market Strategy & Cross-Functional Execution

Shape and support integrated go-to-market strategies in partnership with Sales, Marketing, Product Management, Content Strategy, UX, Efficacy & Learning Research, Demand Planning, and Customer Support.
Partner with Sales on enablement, pipeline focus, high-impact customer interactions, and adoption-driving activities.
Communicate portfolio strategy, market insights, and recommendations clearly and effectively to a range of stakeholders, including senior leaders.
Provide guidance during development and production when scope, schedule, or budget risks arise, ensuring alignment with approved business cases and portfolio priorities.

Innovation, AI & Future-Ready Portfolio Leadership

Incorporate emerging technologies, digital platforms, and generative AI into portfolio thinking to inform strategy, improve analysis, and support decision-making.
Partner with product and technology teams to evaluate, pilot, and scale innovative offerings and business models that support future portfolio needs.
Adjust plans and priorities in response to market shifts, organizational change, or new technologies.

Relationship Management

Build and maintain productive relationships with authors, subject-matter experts, institutions, thought leaders, and external partners to support portfolio differentiation and value creation.
Manage contracts in partnership with legal, including author agreements, royalties, and partnership terms.
Support and mentor team members, contributing to a collaborative, learning-oriented, and improvement-focused culture.

What Success Looks Like

A well-balanced portfolio that delivers measurable financial results, strong ROI, and positive learner outcomes.
Portfolio strategies that are informed by market insight and responsive to competitive and technological change.
Consistent, meaningful customer engagement informs decisions and strengthens market alignment.
Effective cross-functional collaboration that translates strategy into high-quality, market-ready products.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
Experience in commercial portfolio, product, or business management, including digital and platform-based products.
Strong business acumen and data-driven decision-making skills, including financial analysis, performance measurement, and ROI-based investment planning.
Demonstrated ability to conduct market analysis and customer research and translate insights into portfolio and go-to-market actions.
Experience contributing to or leading go-to-market strategies in partnership with Sales and Marketing.
Ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, fast-changing environments and adapt plans as needed.
Working knowledge of digital learning technologies and emerging AI capabilities, with the ability to assess portfolio and commercial impact.
Strong communication, influencing, and stakeholder management skills.
Experience managing author, SME, institutional, or external partner relationships, including contract and negotiation oversight.
Higher education or education-market experience strongly preferred; prior college sales or field-facing experience a plus.

• This role requires travel about 10-25% of the time.

mpensation at Pearson is influenced by factors including skill set, experience, and location.

This position is eligible for Pearson's annual incentive program. Information on benefits can be found here .

Applications will be accepted through May 30, 2026 .This window may be extended depending on business needs.

Pearson is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a member of E-Verify. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit and business need. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status or any other group protected by law. We actively seek qualified candidates who are protected veterans and individuals with disabilities as defined under VEVRAA and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act.

If you are an individual with a disability and are unable or limited in your ability to use or access our career site as a result of your disability, you may request reasonable accommodations by emailing TalentExperienceGlobalTeam@grp.pearson.com.

Job: Portfolio Management

Job Family: GO_TO_MARKET

Original Job Description

Commercial Portfolio Manager

Overview

Key Responsibilities

Portfolio Strategy, Planning & Growth Ownership

Own the commercial performance of a defined portfolio, using data-driven investment decisions to support profitability, market share, and return on investment.
Lead long-term portfolio planning, balancing near-term performance with long-term growth through disciplined prioritization, lifecycle management, and performance measurement.
Develop and execute portfolio strategies informed by customer needs, market dynamics, competitive positioning, and business objectives, including launching new offerings, piloting innovative models, and sunsetting underperforming products.
Maintain title- or product-level P&L ownership, building and managing business cases with clear ROI assumptions and adjusting investments based on performance.

Customer and Market Insights

Represent the voice of the customer and market through ongoing engagement with instructors, students, sales partners, authors, and discipline thought leaders.
Conduct qualitative and quantitative market research through virtual and in-person faculty interviews, campus visits, conferences, product demonstrations, focus groups, advisory boards, and field engagement with sales.
Lead 360° market analysis by synthesizing customer insights, competitive intelligence, and market data to identify growth opportunities, emerging risks, and portfolio implications.
Track and assess trends such as digital adoption, platform competition, OER/low-cost alternatives, learning efficacy expectations, and GenAI-enabled experiences, translating findings into actionable portfolio recommendations.

Data-Driven Decision Making & Business Acumen

Apply business acumen, analytics, and financial modeling to guide portfolio decisions, optimize investment allocation, and manage profitability.
Use data to evaluate options, test assumptions, solve complex problems, and recommend practical, value-oriented solutions.
Define and monitor KPIs to assess portfolio health, learner outcomes, and commercial performance, adjusting strategies and tactics as needed.

Go-to-Market Strategy & Cross-Functional Execution

Shape and support integrated go-to-market strategies in partnership with Sales, Marketing, Product Management, Content Strategy, UX, Efficacy & Learning Research, Demand Planning, and Customer Support.
Partner with Sales on enablement, pipeline focus, high-impact customer interactions, and adoption-driving activities.
Communicate portfolio strategy, market insights, and recommendations clearly and effectively to a range of stakeholders, including senior leaders.
Provide guidance during development and production when scope, schedule, or budget risks arise, ensuring alignment with approved business cases and portfolio priorities.

Innovation, AI & Future-Ready Portfolio Leadership

Incorporate emerging technologies, digital platforms, and generative AI into portfolio thinking to inform strategy, improve analysis, and support decision-making.
Partner with product and technology teams to evaluate, pilot, and scale innovative offerings and business models that support future portfolio needs.
Adjust plans and priorities in response to market shifts, organizational change, or new technologies.

Relationship Management

Build and maintain productive relationships with authors, subject-matter experts, institutions, thought leaders, and external partners to support portfolio differentiation and value creation.
Manage contracts in partnership with legal, including author agreements, royalties, and partnership terms.
Support and mentor team members, contributing to a collaborative, learning-oriented, and improvement-focused culture.

What Success Looks Like

A well-balanced portfolio that delivers measurable financial results, strong ROI, and positive learner outcomes.
Portfolio strategies that are informed by market insight and responsive to competitive and technological change.
Consistent, meaningful customer engagement informs decisions and strengthens market alignment.
Effective cross-functional collaboration that translates strategy into high-quality, market-ready products.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
Experience in commercial portfolio, product, or business management, including digital and platform-based products.
Strong business acumen and data-driven decision-making skills, including financial analysis, performance measurement, and ROI-based investment planning.
Demonstrated ability to conduct market analysis and customer research and translate insights into portfolio and go-to-market actions.
Experience contributing to or leading go-to-market strategies in partnership with Sales and Marketing.
Ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, fast-changing environments and adapt plans as needed.
Working knowledge of digital learning technologies and emerging AI capabilities, with the ability to assess portfolio and commercial impact.
Strong communication, influencing, and stakeholder management skills.
Experience managing author, SME, institutional, or external partner relationships, including contract and negotiation oversight.
Higher education or education-market experience strongly preferred; prior college sales or field-facing experience a plus.

• This role requires travel about 10-25% of the time.

mpensation at Pearson is influenced by factors including skill set, experience, and location.

This position is eligible for Pearson's annual incentive program. Information on benefits can be found here .

Applications will be accepted through May 30, 2026 .This window may be extended depending on business needs.

Job: Portfolio Management

Job Family: GO_TO_MARKET

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Advanced Specialist, Commercial Portfolio Manager

Edtech.com's Summary

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