We believe in the power and joy of learning
At Cengage Group, our employees have a direct impact in helping students around the world discover the power and joy of learning. We are bonded by our shared purpose - driving innovation that helps millions of learners improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.
Our culture values diversity, engagement, and discovery
Our business is driven by our strong culture, and we know that creating an inclusive and diverse workplace is absolutely essential to the success of our company and our learners, as well as our individual well-being. We recognize the value of diverse perspectives in everything we do and strive to ensure employees of all levels and backgrounds feel empowered to voice their ideas and bring their authentic selves to work. We achieve these priorities through inclusive programs, benefits, and initiatives that are integrated into the fabric of how we work every day. To learn more, please see https://www.cengagegroup.com/about/inclusion-and-diversity/ .
The Associate Portfolio Product Manager is a Portfolio Product Management (PM) role at Cengage with an expectation that you are ready to independently lead and demonstrate the full PM responsibilities within 12-24 months. This particular Associate Portfolio PM role will cover our Higher Education World Languages portfolio within the Social Sciences & Humanities team.
Associate Portfolio PMs serve the same function as Portfolio PMs for their given product group. Similar to the PM, the APM is responsible for crafting the product strategy, making product decisions, and leading a cross-functional pod. The APM role differs from the PM role in that there is a larger focus on learning and development. During one's time in the role, an Associate Portfolio PM hones the skills and proficiencies expected of full Portfolio PMs.
Essential Duties/Responsibilities:
Lead a profitable product line and develop a strategic business plan in partnership with the Portfolio Product Director. The ideal candidate can be objective and willing to make hard choices regarding investment prioritization for the good of the overall organization. Ability to:
use data to make market-informed business proposals, take mitigated risks and inform strategic decisions, translate strategy into organized end-to-end development plans with budgets, resources, performance goals, and key milestones.
execute plans effectively by hitting deadlines and goals.
demonstrate strong communication skills with keen ability to facilitate team meetings, focus groups, interviews, presentations and trainings.
understand the basic tenants of learning design and theory.
establish yourself as product champion and team leader - taking on accountability and ownership.
Understand, analyze, identify, define, and size market segments associated with the assigned portfolio.
Lead product lifecycle of multiple products simultaneously within scope and budget.
Fully understand and track all product activity that affects assigned portfolio, including any product launches/enhancements and competitor movement. Develop a keen understanding of all competitors; develop an ability to anticipate competitor activity as it pertains to product medium or subject area.
Identify and test product ideas within segments, including the administration of focus groups, advisory boards, reviews, customer meetings and sensing as appropriate.
Regularly analyze product and portfolio plans to align forecasting and measurement of progress towards goals; provide business case for investment decisions. Suggest and monitor production budgets and schedules.
Partner closely with Marketing and Sales teams to seed and secure adoptions and work closely with colleagues in other functional areas (Development, Production, Marketing, Sales, Technology, etc.).
Make presentations at company sales meetings, campus visits, and academic conventions in support of sales efforts and to drive sales.
Skills you will need here:
Basic (Required)
Creative and curious problem solver and collaborator
Understanding of the educational software and publishing industry
Excellent at articulating vision and strategy and helping team members understand how their work impacts business success
Customer-focused; understands how customer needs and challenges translate into opportunities
Commitment to results; Enthusiastic -can-do- demeanor and persistence
Strong negotiation and influence skills
Experience using standard research methods and user testing models
BA or BS degree
Experienced user of MS PowerPoint, Excel, Word
Ability to tell a product story through numbers - the financials, product usage, the market
Ability to self-manage and self-access personal progress against achievements and results with a high degree of accountability and personal vitality
Passion for improving education
Experience working on teams that built digital solutions and software
Familiarity with agile development process
Background in customer-facing positions
Understanding of how financial calculations and digital metrics are used in product management
Ability to travel during peak selling seasons
Preferred
Experience leading a team
Experience in writing requirements and crafting user stories
Work experience in education technology, non-traditional players, or software development
Cengage Group is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, marital status, parental status, cultural background, organizational level, work styles, tenure and life experiences. Or for any other reason. You may view Cengage's EEO/Affirmative Action Policy signed by CEO Michael Hansen (https://p.widencdn.net/pdvq6j/EEO_Policy_Statement_January_2017) and Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law notice (http://embed.widencdn.net/pdf/plus/cengage/ybs5gt19ik/eeopost-merged.pdf) by visiting their corresponding links.
Cengage Group is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at accommodations.ta@cengage.com or you may call us at +1 (617) 289-7917.
About Cengage Group
Cengage Group, a global education technology company serving millions of learners, provides affordable, quality digital products and services that equip students with the skills and competencies needed to be job ready. For more than 100 years, we have enabled the power and joy of learning with trusted, engaging content, and now, integrated digital platforms. We serve the higher education, workforce skills, secondary education, English language teaching and research markets worldwide. Through our scalable technology, including MindTap and Cengage Unlimited, we support all learners who seek to improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.
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