Senior Product Manager[FLEXJOBS]

Company: ACT - American College Testing

Location: Remote

Posted on: May 31

Title: Senior Product Manager

Location: Remote Position United States

Job Description:

At ACT Your Work Makes a Difference

Education has power a power that changes lives forever. It creates opportunities that lift up individuals, their families, and sparks societal change that echoes through generations to come. From our grassroots we have fought the good fight for fairness in education, and we remain devoted to helping anyone who struggles to access that power. This is what matters to us and we must do better -- weve never been more sure of our purpose.

ACT Education Corp. team members are part of an organization dedicated to an important mission: Helping people achieve education and workplace success. Advancing the mission internally, by helping team members achieve education and workplace success of their own, is core to our values. ACT values a diverse workplace and is committed to fostering an inclusive environment in which every team member has equal opportunity to grow.

We want our team members to have the well-being and confidence they need to do their best work, in an environment where both they and ACT thrive. To support this, our total rewards include company paid life insurance, medical, dental, vision, flexible health and dependent spending accounts, 401(k) retirement savings with company match, paid holidays, paid time off, and so much more.You can find a comprehensive list of our benefitshere.

We are seeking aSenior Product Managerwith passion and experience for creating high impact solutions that make a real difference for the learners, families, and educators we serve. The Senior Product Manager will drive the complex aspects of product management in the data and research backed strategy for the Direct to Learner Market, namely for the ACT National assessment and its companion test prep products. This role focuses on the innovation, development, and management of the flagship ACT assessment utilized by millions of learners and thousands of schools across the country. This role is responsible for contributing to and delivering to the product strategic goals, recommending investment and development priorities, leading cross-functional matrixed teams, and creating incredible experiences for all internal and external customers, always keeping the students at the heart of our efforts.

The finalist will be hired at the salary and level commensurate with their qualifications. For this position, we anticipate offering an annual salary in the range of $95,000 to $135,000. ACT manages salaries within the range based on relevant factors including, skills, experience, and internal equity. The position is incentive eligible.

Location: Remote(can also be onsite or hybrid if in Iowa City, Iowa area)

A Day in the Life:

• Serve as the leader for your product - driving its vision, strategy, roadmap, development, activation, and success.
• Engage with internal and external stakeholders, customers, and influencers to explore, identify, and assess their needs, opportunities, and problems to solve that will provide them with maximum value and positive impact.
• Collaborate across the enterprise to develop/recommend and evaluate business plans for your products that align to strategic goals and investment priorities, to market demands and opportunities, and to technical and financial resources.
• Stay ahead of industry trends and leverage emerging technologies for competitive advantage.
• Identify, evaluate, prioritize, and execute feature and functionality ideas, growth experiments, and long-term strategic plans.
• Partner with cross-functional matrixed teams to prepare and implement initiatives, features, and requirements from the products strategic roadmap to enter the active development and release cycle.
• Build relationships and trust through clear communication and alignment across internal and external teams and stakeholders to inform and deliver on product roadmaps.
• Create and execute on successful market development and go-to-market plans with marketing, sales, and relationship management teams for new features, iterations, and products.
• Develop and deliver internal and external product presentations and demos.
• Mentor other product managers and coordinate with them on building and rolling out functionality across multiple platforms and markets.
• Build the company public profile through networking, presentations, and conferences.
• Provide strategic updates and proposals upwards through the product operating model to senior leadership.

Role Progression:

• Within 1 monthyou will have a high-level understanding of the ACT National assessment and companion products as well as the Direct to Learner Market (D2L) that this position will focus on. You will be getting to know the D2L cross functional team, the work you will do together, and the place of your products in that ecosystem.You also will have started to develop relationships with individuals across the organization who you will be partnering with on a regular basis.
• Within 3 monthsyou will be fully leading the ACT D2L product and have solid understanding of the product operating model we use. You will also have developed relationships with our external test prep providers and will be facilitating regular meetings with them.You will be evolving the vision, strategy, roadmap, prioritization, and problems to solve for the ACT and its prep products.
• Within 6 monthsyou will have established yourself as the leader of the ACT and test prep products with solid engagement and collaboration with the team and internal and external stakeholders and have a measurable impact in the construction and implementation of the product roadmaps.

About You:

• At least 5 years of experience that includes demonstrated product management experience in education and/or education technology industry along with a proven track record of leading and launching products at scale.
• Experience executing within software and/or technology product development life cycles.
• Ability to lead teams, set product design standards, and facilitate collaboration across cross-functional teams.
• Ability to balance business, user, and technical needs to create effective roadmaps and prioritize product improvements.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with ability to effectively articulate ideas and build consensus within the teams to ensure alignment, and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Leadership and collaboration skills, with the ability to think strategically, and lead and work effectively in cross-functional teams and drive consensus in decision-making.
• Strong analytical mindset and problem-solving skills, with ability to use data and user feedback to refine product direction and drive continuous improvement.
• Adept at balancing long-term vision with short-term execution and effectively manage timelines, priorities, and resources to deliver successful outcomes.
• Manages change and navigates positively in an environment experiencing change at a fast pace.
• Skills and knowledge required for success in this position attained through experience and education (bachelors degree in technology, business, education, or related area of study), or a combination of both.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior assessment product management experience.
• Product or marketing experience in the direct-to-consumer education markets.
• Experience specifically in the High School to College/Career transition space.