Cambium Learning Group
Senior Vice President, Product Strategy
🇺🇸 Remote - US
🕑 Full-Time
💰 TBD
💻 Product Development
🗓️ January 23rd, 2024
PK-5 SaaS UI/UXAs the Senior Vice President of Product Strategy, directly reporting to the President, you will be the visionary force behind the growth and evolution of Learning A-Z’s product portfolio, focusing on PreK-5 education solutions with a foundation in literacy. This role demands a blend of passion, experience, and leadership in steering our teams in product management, design, and content development. Your mission will be to spark curiosity, enhance understanding, and foster a lifelong love of learning in elementary students.
In this pivotal role, you will orchestrate a forward-thinking, multi-year strategy for our SaaS-based, supplemental product range, beloved in the PreK-6 sector. You will be instrumental in refining existing products and innovating new solutions, ensuring they are research-driven, user-friendly, and drive measurable impactful experiences for students, teachers, and administrators. Collaborating with cross-functional peers in finance, operations, engineering, marketing, and sales, your efforts will be in perfect harmony with our overarching business strategy.
Job Responsibilities:
- Spearhead the product planning process in concert with senior leadership, crafting an evolving portfolio that encapsulates educational trends, industry best practices, and customer insights.
- Build strategic partnerships with finance, sales, and marketing teams to drive comprehensive customer research, competitive analysis, and the development of compelling product narratives and business cases..
- Collaboratively work with Engineering and Operations to consistently deliver top-tier SaaS products, focusing on timely delivery, budget adherence, and the implementation of best practices in product development, vendor management, and lifecycle management.
- Provide exemplary leadership and mentorship to the product teams, aligning them with the strategic vision, setting ambitious goals, and fostering a culture of high performance and engagement. Commit to the continuous professional development of team members.
- Embody and articulate the Learning A-Z’s educational vision, ensuring the integrity and quality of our solutions through meticulous oversight of content development, UX/UI design, and the integration of cutting-edge technologies and educational methodologies. Represent Learning A-Z in industry events and engage with educational leaders to maintain our leadership position.
- Lead the conceptualization, design, and launch of innovative products by:
- Developing a strategic, market-responsive product plan informed by diverse market inputs and business needs.
- Crafting and refining prototypes based on customer feedback and research.
- Defining the educational vision, product specifications, use cases, and attributes of each project.
- Ensuring market enthusiasm and readiness through comprehensive go-to-market strategies for impactful product launches.
- Managing resource allocations, project schedules, and budgets in collaboration with ePMO.
- Proactively addressing challenges, optimizing workflows and resources, and establishing processes for continuous improvement in development efficiency and product quality.
- Collaborating with customer-facing teams to support product implementation and gather insights for future product iterations.
- Engage with educational thought leaders, authors, and advisory boards to gather continuous feedback, enhancing the user-friendliness and educational efficacy of our programs.
- Continuously evaluate competitor products, fostering team awareness of market dynamics to seize product opportunities and enhance product performance, with an eye towards increased effectiveness and profitability.
- Assess and recommend strategic partnerships and acquisition opportunities, focusing on enhancing our instructional capabilities.
Education and Experience:
- Educational Background: Possession of a bachelor’s degree (or its equivalent) in Education or a related discipline. A master’s degree or higher is strongly preferred, underlining a commitment to academic excellence and a deep understanding of educational theories and practices.
- Professional Experience: At least ten years of senior leadership experience in product management, content development, product marketing, and product development, specifically within the PreK-6 instructional literacy materials domain. Experience should include a focus on literacy and highlighting an alignment with our literacy-centric mission.
- Track Record in Revenue Growth: Demonstrated success in driving revenue growth within a multi-product organization, particularly through the introduction and enhancement of innovative product initiatives. This experience should reflect an ability to balance creativity with market viability.
- Leadership Expertise: Comprehensive management experience encompassing planning, scheduling, budgeting, team development, and vendor management. This aspect should showcase the candidate’s capability to strategically oversee various operational facets of product development.
- Instructional Design Acumen: A solid background in instructional design, indicating an ability to create educational content that is both engaging and effective. This skill is crucial for developing materials that resonate with our young learners and educators.
- Product Launch Excellence: A proven track record of delivering product launches on time, meeting, or exceeding market needs. This qualification highlights the candidate’s efficiency, foresight, and alignment with market dynamics.
- Elementary Literacy Expertise: A deep-seated experience in the development of elementary literacy products, combined with established relationships with leading experts in the field. This experience is vital for steering our product strategy towards innovative, research-backed literacy solutions.
Core Competencies:
- Adaptability in Fast-Paced Environments: Demonstrated ability to excel in a dynamic, fast-paced setting, seamlessly adapting to evolving circumstances and challenges.
- Dedication to Educational Mission: A profound commitment to education, underpinned by an exceptional mission orientation, ensuring that all strategic decisions are aligned with educational goals.
- Innovative and Strategic Mindset: A fervent passion for innovation and continuous improvement, coupled with a strategic, optimistic, and decisive approach to product strategy and development.
- Understanding of Educational Needs: A deep understanding of the needs and challenges faced by teachers, reflecting a commitment to meeting the real-world requirements of the instructional environment.
- Exceptional Communication Skills: Outstanding communication and presentation abilities, essential for articulating vision, engaging stakeholders, and conveying complex ideas clearly and effectively.
- Influential Leadership:Robust leadership skills with a proven track record of influencing teams and key decision-makers, fostering a culture of high performance and shared vision.
- Empathetic and Inclusive Decision-Making: An approachable demeanor, being a good listener who values diverse perspectives, and makes inclusive decisions that resonate with the company’s vision and values.
- Core Values and Team Spirit: A strong advocate for excellence, creativity, teamwork, integrity, and collaboration, embodying these values in all aspects of work.
- Humor and Openness: A capacity for humor, openness, and accessibility, contributing to a positive and supportive work environment.
- Interpersonal and Relationship Management: Exceptional interpersonal skills, with the ability to build, inspire, and coach successful teams, and to develop trust-based relationships both within and outside the organization.
- Change Management Leadership:Skilled in leading and managing change, both within the product team and across the organization, ensuring smooth transitions and the continuous alignment of product strategies with evolving business needs.
Why Work With Us?
When you work with Learning A-Z, you’ll be helping students across the globe develop the comprehension, curiosity, and continued joy of learning they need to succeed in today’s world.
We’ve been awarded numerous accolades from a wide variety of edtech organizations. Our flagship products Reading A-Z, Raz-Kids, and Raz-Plus are beloved by teachers and students alike, and are currently used by approximately 1/5 of public students in the United States.
An Equal Opportunity Employer
We are dedicated to fostering a culture that celebrates unique backgrounds, ideas, and experiences. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability.
