NWEA™ is a research-based, not-for-profit organization that supports students and educators worldwide by creating assessment solutions that precisely measure growth and proficiency—and provide insights to help tailor instruction. For 40 years, NWEA has developed innovative Pre-K–12 assessments, including our flagship interim assessment, MAP® Growth™; our progress monitoring and skills mastery tool, MAP® Skills™; and the OECD Test for Schools (based on PISA). Educators trust our professional learning offerings to accelerate student learning and our research to support assessment validity and data interpretation. Our tools are trusted by educators in 140 countries and more than half the schools in the U.S.
Position summary
Reporting to the Sr. Vice President, Product Management and
Publishing, the Vice President of Product Management is a key member of senior
leadership. This position is responsible for providing leadership and
management for Product Management in the creation of multi-year, integrated, and
enterprise level product and solution vision and strategies (NWEA’s product
portfolio). This position requires a strong and current understanding of the
educational ecosystem and related markets. Additionally, this position is
responsible for transforming organizational strategies into product and
business planning requirements, artifacts and initiatives used by the
enterprise to tactically execute and deliver compelling products and services
into a complex and multi-faceted marketplace. Working across the organization,
the Vice President of Product Management ensures that the product vision and
results align with the organizational mission and meets internal and external
goals for revenue generation, profitability, and partner satisfaction.
The VP and Product Management team will be product evangelists
(internally & externally). This includes responsibility for collaborating
with others, communicating and clarifying strategies, articulating roadmaps and
priorities, and creating the necessary artifacts and deliverables that move the
vision and strategies from concept to reality within the organization. This
position and the group of directors managed by this role will translate partner
needs and innovative ideas into great products, solutions and services while
managing complex product and business decisions and related trade-offs at the
enterprise level.
This position provides leadership for a team of highly
skilled product management leaders and their staff and enables the team to be
effective collaborators across the organization. The Product Management team designs,
develops and manages product/services/business line strategy and plan and
execute the product lifecycle including the definition of market and product
opportunities, market requirements, product roadmap and release, market and
competitive positioning, feature definition, and feature development
priorities. This position works closely with, Marketing, Product Engineering,
Research, Publishing, Professional Learning, and Partner Accounts on
go-to-market strategy and execution including release readiness.
The ideal candidate is a leader of leaders and brings a
background in educational assessment that demonstrates vision, leadership,
collaboration, and an entrepreneurial spirit in the educational assessment
arena.
Responsibilities
Lead the creation of product portfolio
vision and strategy in support of NWEA’s vision. Drive and facilitate the
planning process to provide focus and alignment on critical strategies and
resultant products and services that delight our partners. Aggressively
identify opportunities for improvement, and incorporate new business and
product features on an ongoing basis.
Evangelize and socialize product or
services strategy, vision and value proposition with internal and external
stakeholders.
Work closely with our alliance partners
to ensure that the common services and offerings we jointly provide remain
aligned and are delivered to the market without interruption.
Lead the team to proactively meet with
partners (customers) and prospects to assess needs, identify opportunities, and
build relationships for dynamic product enhancement dialogue.
Regularly interact with product user groups, industry
leaders, and the learning community to stay abreast of industry changes and to
influence policy.
Identify opportunities to optimize
product line profitability through value-based pricing, production efficiency
recommendations, and competitive and market intelligence to improve partner
retention rates and partner satisfaction.
Work with staff to routinely review and
report out P&L at product, bundle, and portfolio levels for all products
and services.
Identify and build cross-functional team
collaboration experiences on a real-time and strategic basis within NWEA.
Attend key industry conferences, capture
strategic takeaways and socialize this information within the Product
Management team.
Develop and direct a high-performance
product management team of directors and their staff charged with optimizing
the organization’s portfolio of products and services.
Drive toward clarity of purpose and role
for all functions and activity
Skills and Abilities
Ability to lead and drive toward NWEA’s
vision and in support of NWEA’s mission by developing world class products and
refinements to existing products without being confined to traditional
market-driven analysis
Ability to effectively lead high
performing teams and create an environment in which talent is nurtured and
developed
Ability to lead in a dynamic, fast
changing environment is essential, while demonstrating strong drive for results
and execution
Exceptional skills in partnering with
clients and staff and in developing and maintaining long term supportive and
collaborative relationships
Ability to establish priorities and
results within the team and within the cross-functional teams at NWEA while
concurrently managing unrelated, multiple, and complex technical requirements
on a timely basis
Ability to make timely decisions and
produce results through the effective implementation of products, programs, and
scalable processes
Capable of establishing a business case
for all products, processes, metrics, and margins that justify resource
requirements and anticipated results
Strong written and oral communication is
a must as is tremendous creativity, flexibility, and comfort leading through
ambiguity
Consistent, proactive, and healthy
cross-functional communication skills that set a leadership standard that
motivates the team and all business relationships
Demonstrated ability to drive results
and to work effectively across multiple groups
Strong ability to influence, persuade
and negotiate in support of the product roadmap and organizational initiatives
Ability to identify, maximize, and
leverage internal and external resources to meet objectives
Sound business judgment and knowledge of
financial issues impacting product profitability including the ability to read
a financial statement, manage the P&L of the product line, and deliver
forecasted margins and market performance
Solid understanding of technology
including Business Intelligence and analytics
Ability to travel as required, up to 25%
Must be able to perform the physical and
intellectual requirements of the role, with or without accommodation
Education and Experience
Bachelor's degree in education, technical,
or business discipline or equivalent experience; advanced degree (e.g., MBA,
Ph.D.), or equivalent experience preferred
Minimum ten years’ experience in product
management, product development, product marketing or related discipline
associated within the education industry, with at least five years in progressive
product management leadership
Solid knowledge of/experience with the
Product Lifecycle Management processes including product requirements
definition, product business plan development, new product introduction, etc.
Domain knowledge and demonstrated
understanding of the assessment and related services marketplace as well as the
educational marketplace in general
Experience with all aspects of go-to-market
planning and launch
Demonstrated success in developing and
launching complex technology products and software offered in a SaaS model
Certified and Proficient with Pragmatic
or 280 group Product Management frameworks or similar
Investment and budget optimization and
P&L management associated with new and existing products and
professional staff
Benefits
NWEA’s generous benefits package includes: 100% employer paid medical, dental and vision insurance premiums for eligible employees; company-paid public transportation, indoor bicycle racks, and free on-site parking; convenient location near public transportation near the Pearl District in downtown Portland; additional monthly compensation in the form of Benefit pay; and a 15% annual employer contribution toward our 403b retirement plan. In addition, NWEA’s culture promotes work-life balance. Accordingly, we offer 4 weeks’ PTO in the first year, 5 weeks’ PTO after the first-year anniversary, and 6 weeks’
PTO after the second-year anniversary and in subsequent years. Our employees also enjoy flexible work schedules.
Interested in this job?
Please apply directly on out website at:
https://nwea.hodesiq.com/jobs/default.aspx?JobID=5500568
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NWEA™ is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. For our EEO Policy Statement, please visit our website. If you’d like more information on your EEO rights under the law, please visit thefollowing EEOC website.