VP Capability of Product Management

We are the world’s learning company with more than 24,000 employees operating in 70 countries. We combine world-class educational content and assessment,powered by services and technology, to enable more effective teaching and personalized learning at scale. We believe that wherever learning flourishes so do people.

Organizational Information

At Pearson, we’re committed to a world that’s always learning and to our talented team who makes it all possible. We are bold thinkers and standout innovators who push the boundaries of technology. We create seeds of learning that become the catalyst for the world’s innovations. Within the Pearson Virtual Schools (PVS) division we have reimagined K-12 education through our virtual school and curriculum offerings. Our schools, Connections Academy and Pearson Online Academy, provide a best-in-class online learning environment for K-12 students to acquire the skills and confidence they need to adapt and thrive in a changing world. We also support school districts with curriculum, teachers, and technology as they make the shift to online. The COVID-19 pandemic introduced significant disruption and transformation to the K-12 learning market. And as a result, our category has seen explosive growth and our business has experienced enormous increases in awareness and enrollments. This presents an incredible opportunity for our team to chart a ground-breaking path through this shifting environment to achieve continued success.

The VP of Capability Product Management for our learning experience portfolio is a senior leader adept at setting strategy as well as driving execution excellence. This individual will lead a team managing products within Pearson’s Virtual Schools curriculum and courseware portfolio. This team of Directors of Product Management, Product Managers, and Product Owners aims to improve National & State Standards coverage, state testing & graduation requirements, student academic & emotional growth, student engagement, teacher satisfaction, and learner outcomes across the portfolio. They do this by understanding market dynamics, identifying customer needs, defining product component strategy, setting Feature & Story level roadmaps, supporting engineering & architecture in development, and communicating effectively with internal and external stakeholders. The team works closely with Solution Product Management and Product Delivery to ensure product strategy is carried through into delivery.

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Qualifications

This individual will be responsible for the successful completion of the following assignments and tasks:

• Own the component & capability level pieces of the product including contributing to & leading some discovery sessions, identifying problems and opportunities, rapidly validating our assumptions with stakeholders & customers, and defining the capability solutions that we deliver to our customers;
• Work closely with the Head of Software Engineering to ensure efficient implementation of product improvements and facilitate engineering involvement in product discovery;
• Collaborate and work cross-functionally with the solution, marketing, delivery and customer success teams and address stakeholder concerns;
• Assess market demand globally for new product or market innovations that could materially impact Pearson’s ability to compete and win in;
• Create a development plan to deliver capabilities and innovations that enhance the value proposition of products in your portfolio in alignment with the product strategies and Pearson’s overall strategy;
• Identify new innovations from across Pearson that have the opportunity to create value for your portfolio and bring them to market;
• Ensure alignment with key stakeholders on product development plan and expected returns from new capability investment. Incorporate stakeholder inputs into the development of product improvement plans;
• Ensure that requirements for digital and/or functional development of enabling technology are prioritized. Understand external digital trends and translate these into capability and innovation strategies, team mindset and ways of working;
• Maintain deep awareness of competitive offerings and their positioning;
• Recruit, retain and develop top product management talent which include a team of 3 Directors of Product Capabilities (Curriculum & Platform Learning Experience), 11 Product Managers and 12 Product Owners;
• Work with our product management, content & software development teams to define a vision for OBL’s curriculum, our value proposition, and translating that vision & value proposition into a catalog of instructional materials that deliver academic outcomes and school performance;
• Lead the engagement model with Efficacy, Data & Analytics, Customer Success, and partner schools to assess the performance of our content & capabilities for the improvement and optimization of our curriculum and learning experience;
• Balance commercial considerations alongside customer and learner needs to make the best mid and long-term decisions;
• Lead the development and refinement of curriculum product roadmaps based on our strategy and investment priorities, through the completion of quarterly Epics, Features, Capabilities, and Stories;
• Remove impediments for teams and accelerate develop when opportunity arises;
• Other duties as assigned.

Competencies:

• Communicates point of view in a compelling way and with expertise across a wide range of projects and internal/ external clients
• Solves problems by using expertise to evaluate multiple sources of information, and creating innovative solutions to problems
• Digital Transformer: Continuously improving and learning, able to identify and create real-time, iterative solutions to external or internal obstacles.
• Understand the Business: Has/develops a knowledge of Pearson’s business and product strategies. Brings digital mindset and product management experience to bear in solving challenges and capturing opportunities.
• Drive focus on learner outcomes: Understands and supports the delivery of learner outcomes and experience led product development; leads teams able to embed efficacy and learning research capabilities when building content, assessment and technology capabilities and approaches to implementation
• Collaboration: Acts as a member of cross-functional leadership teams with minimal guidance. Partners closely with Geographies, Global Product Centers of Expertise, and Technology.
• Innovator: Investigates and validates new approaches for product development based on emerging pedagogies and technology.

Skills & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent (advanced degree preferred)
• Minimum 10 years product management experience, including experience managing digital products
• Proven track record of first class leadership skills; able to inspire and motivate teams around a continuously evolving agenda designed to delight our customers
• Ability to balance strategic thinking/long term opportunities with operational focus
• Strong learner/educator empathy and ability to translate customer insights into winning product management strategies
• Deep understanding of the digital world and able to translate this into product strategy and development, team mindset and ways of working
• Experience developing and communicating a vision and strategy for your portfolio to engage and excite the organization as well as customers and learners
• Relationship management skills and the ability to use them to drive value both within Pearson and externally
• Persuasive negotiator and influencer
• Robust decision making - based on evidence and data
• Strong commercial understanding: financially fluent and with a facility for data and its interpretation to commercial advantage
• Passion for education and learning
• Possesses a global outlook and approach
• Demonstrates a centered, value driven leadership style
• Operates as a self aware, effective team player
• Experience of working and thriving in a global matrix organization
• Thorough understanding of information architecture principles and practices
• Knowledge of Microsoft and Google business applications preferred.
• Advanced knowledge of Learning Management Systems (LMS), Educational Management Systems, or Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems is preferred.

Familiarity with SAFe Agile principles

Colorado-based individuals expressing interest in this position can expect a starting salary range of $160,000-$190,000, and are eligible to participate in an annual incentive plan. Benefits available to eligible employees can be seen at: https://pearsonbenefitsus.com/

Pearson is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer and a member of E-Verify. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. All employment is decided based on qualifications, merit, and business need. All 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.

Learning is the most powerful force for change in the world. More than 20,000 Pearson employees deliver our products and services in nearly 200 countries, all working towards a common purpose – to help everyone achieve their potential through learning. We do that by providing high quality, digital content and learning experiences, as well as assessments and qualifications that help people build their skills and grow with the world around them. We are the world’s leading learning company. Learn more at pearsonplc.com.

Pearson believes that wherever learning flourishes, so do people. We are committed to being an anti-racist company in everything we do. We value the power of an inclusive culture and a strong sense of belonging. We promote a culture where differences are embraced, opportunities are accessible, consideration and respect are the norm, and all individuals are supported in reaching their full potential. Through our talent, we believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion make us a more innovative and vibrant place to work. People are at the center, and we are committed to a sustainable environment and workplace where talent can learn, grow, and thrive.

To learn more about Pearson’s commitment to a diverse and inclusive workforce, please click here: http://www.pearson.com/careers/diversity-and-inclusion.html

Pearson is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer and a member of E-Verify. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. All employment is decided based on qualifications, merit, and business need. All 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.

Job: PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

Organization: Virtual Learning

Schedule: FULL\_TIME

Req ID: 2107466