Product Director

Founded in 2012 and recently named one of the nation’s fastest-growing private businesses by Inc. Magazine, RedShelf is a Chicago-based EdTech company helping to make education both more affordable for students and increase learning effectiveness through its industry-leading digital platform. Partnering with more than 400 publishers and 1,900 campuses nationwide, we provide leading-edge digital course materials and an end-to-end Content Delivery System for effortless distribution of course content and engagement solutions.

Job Summary:

The Product Director is responsible for owning a suite of RedShelf’s best-in-class products through the entire product development lifecycle, and driving breakthrough products through their own work contributions, directing/delegating to their staff, and working with cross-functional teams members. This position will play a key role in hiring, coaching, mentoring, and growing our team of 15 product managers. This role is expected to support 2-5 direct reports. Additionally, you'll play an active role on projects, helping guide strategic product decisions and ensuring we deliver great products for our customers and strategic partnerships.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Coach and oversee a team of associate product managers and product managers
• Work with key stakeholders, customers, and other groups within the industry to create business cases for upcoming product initiatives. 
• Communicate product vision and scope/value of initiatives to management, customers, stakeholders, and the execution team. 
• Define scope/requirements of product initiatives to ensure proper product-market fit with a minimally viable mindset. 
• Owns their product roadmap(s) and works with Stakeholders and the Engineering Director to ensure everyone is in alignment with priorities being set.
• Collaborate with development counterparts to define solution-level architecture around product feature needs. 
• Coordinate cross-functional team (sales, service, marketing, etc) around go-to-market activities for product launches.
• Instrument product key performance indicators and measurements to intimately understand the customer journey.
• Oversee and direct all aspects of the product development lifecycle (including requirements documentation, quality assurance, release planning, etc) for their portfolio of products.
• Constantly challenge the status quo to optimize for speed-to-market and minimum viable functionality.

Qualifications

• 7 years of experience working in online product management; with a focus on creating innovative, customer-facing features. 
• 4 years of experience leading a team/managing direct reports.
• Bachelor’s in business and/or technical related field.
• Proven ability to thrive, and drive execution, in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
• Capable of balancing multiple priorities and deadlines - from start to finish.
• Strong understanding of technology at the solution-architecture level.
• Proven ability to influence cross-functional teams without formal authority.
• Has the ability to rapidly understand new products and requirements, adapt quickly to the changing needs of the business, and quickly create continuity and cohesion if ambiguity exists.
• Proven ability to identify and own highly integrated areas between products.
• Comfortable giving and receiving critical feedback.
• Experience working within an Agile/Scrum environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Other Desirable Skills/Experience

• The ideal candidate is self-sufficient and highly motivated, self-directed, and possess high energy and a passion for RedShelf 
• Knowledge and appreciation of the advances in higher educational software, course materials, and digital publishing
• Previous experience owning products that were required to meet accessibility standards
• Ability to be flexible and agile with constant changes and time restraints
• Team player mentality with an entrepreneurial spirit

Why RedShelf?

RedShelf prides itself on maintaining an informal but fast-moving, hard-working, entrepreneurial culture. Our team members are smart, innovative, and passionate about improving education through digital technology.

We offer the best of both worlds: the energy and opportunity of a rapidly-growing organization, coupled with the stability of an extensive client base, strong financial backing, and proven track record of success. In addition to a forward-thinking environment with ample opportunity for professional and personal growth, our team members enjoy competitive compensation and benefit packages, including company stock options.

RedShelf is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women, people of color, individuals with a disability, veterans, and others who would enrich the diversity of RedShelf are encouraged to apply.