Director, Product Management (Remote - Option for Hybrid in MN)

Are you passionate about making a difference? Would you like to spend your working hours changing lives and leaving the world better than it was? Do you want to help eliminate barriers to higher education for students in need? Consider joining the amazing team at Scholarship America, where we're hard at work creating brighter futures for students-and building the plans that will help us grow to do even more.

Director of Product Management

• Full time
• Remote or Option for Hybrid in Bloomington or St Peter, MN
• Internal/External Position Opening

The Director of Product Management will be responsible for leading portions of the Product Management team in the development of new products, solutions, and features to market in a way that ensures our ability to deliver in an efficient and effective manner while keeping the students and their success at the center of our efforts. This role requires a strategic thinker who can bridge the gap between operations and technology, driving innovation and efficiency across our technical product portfolio

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Strong product management leadership displayed by selecting, integrating and operationalizing a complex set of capabilities in pursuit of business value, managing the complex roadmap associated with such a journey.
• Utilizing superior judgment in capability prioritization, partner & talent assessment, use case selection.
• Leverage leadership best practices and values to provide direction, coaching, regular feedback, ongoing development with staff members resulting in high levels of employee engagement and performance.
• Manage business transformation to scale, managing complex road maps and re-imagining what's possible.
• Using data to guide decisions and evaluate product outcomes with a focus on product performance and return on investment.
• Stewardship of talent and team building where coaching, developing and retaining strong product management talent, improving the quality and outcomes driven by your product management managers and individual contributors is part of our daily routine.
• Effective leadership in a matrixed environment with the ability to build relationships at senior levels, tell compelling stories to build alignment on our vision, and work effectively cross-functionally.
• Ownership of the products, solutions and features and their potential impact on the market and the organization as a whole.
• Recruit, interview, and make staffing selection decisions to strategically deliver on business goals and objectives through the talent of the team.
• Represent the voice of the customer by developing deep expertise and empathy for the students, partners and staff that use our products.
• Responsible for creating and implementing a long-term vision and strategy for all assigned product lines.
• Research and identify product solutions through applicable resources, student needs, as well as potential partners.
• Provides input to the creation of department strategies and is accountable for execution within the business groups and across the Product/IT division.
• Works side by side the Development and Project Management staff to ensure divisional collaboration, responsiveness to Product Council prioritized roadmaps and execution plans run on time, on budget and in scope.
• Oversee the product line's life cycle and evolve it as needed.
• Evaluate market competition and position the product line so that it appeals to our partners.
• Write data informed business cases for new initiatives that include market analysis, impact, milestones and success metrics and introduce it to the broader leadership team and key stakeholders.
• Present business cases, product and project updates to the leadership teams in a compelling and concise way.
• Create product strategy for each product line and forecast performance of individual solutions.
• Identify business trends utilizing real data, compile analysis reports that are delivered to key stakeholders.
• Implement a comprehensive management plan for each product and hold regular stakeholder meetings to keep all interested parties updated in project progress.
• Define, refine, and manage documented user requirements for business processes and execute to meet objectives.
• Facilitate cross functional relationships ensuring all stakeholder input is considered.
• Track project performance, specifically to analyze the successful completion of short- and long-term goals; use data collection for analysis and revised action plans.
• Meet budgetary objectives and adjust as needed.
• Develop comprehensive project plans to be shared with clients as well as other staff members.
• Use and continually develop leadership skills.

These essential and additional job functions are not to be construed as a complete statement of all duties performed. Employees will be required to perform other job-related marginal duties as assigned.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Knowledge of student financial aid processes and the higher education industry.
• Proven experience developing and implementing successful product initiatives that drove impact in the marketplace.
• Experience in leading and developing product management teams.
• Experience monetizing solutions that meet market or partner demands.
• Ability to synthesize complex data into actionable goals.
• Experience with using data to inform change and decision making.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to adjust messaging to different audiences.
• Strong motivational skills, especially when it comes to leading initiatives.
• Experience with process improvement, mapping and design.
• Advanced time management skills.
• Practical application ability with Microsoft Office and Visio or equivalent.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate complex concepts into user-friendly technical solutions.
• Travel required up to 10%, potentially four trips annually.

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• 10+ years of product management experience, with at least 2 years focused on education technology.
• P&L leadership either at the Product or Department level.
• Adaptability and innovation in a rapidly changing industry.
• Bachelor's degree in business, marketing or other related degree.
• Experience with implementing solutions with equity driven goals.

Full Pay range: Exempt ($94,400 - $118,000 - $141,600)

Application deadline: May 28^th, 2025

At Scholarship America, our team members are motivated by our core values: Student Impact, Teamwork, Inclusion, and Curiosity. Our vision is to empower an America where those with the most need have the opportunity to thrive through equitable pathways to education and training and we are seeking fantastic team members to make that happen.

We know the best person for the job could be anywhere and that's why this position can work remotely within the continental United States or in a hybrid manner from either our office in Bloomington or Saint Peter, MN. Our employees enjoy a team-based, flexible work schedule, allowing them to flex around our core hours of Monday-Friday from 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Central Time. Scholarship America is committed to our team's work/life balance and our strong learning and development culture supports knowledge growth and professional development for all employees across foundational and job-specific skills.

Scholarship America offers employees a robust total rewards package, focused on supporting their health and well-being now and in the future. We offer comprehensive choices for the following:

• Insurance (medical, dental, vision, basic life)
• Disability (short-term & long-term)
• Flexible spending accounts (medical & dependent care)
• 403(b) retirement fund with a 3% company match

In addition to schedule flexibility, we also provide paid time away from work (vacation, sick, personal, and up to fifteen paid holidays annually), plus employee & dependent educational reimbursement programs which support our overall mission.

Details on our company mission, vision, values, and goals can be found at www.scholarshipamerica.org.

We are an equal opportunity employer and believe in the power of a diverse workplace to better serve a broad range of student needs. All qualified candidates who meet the minimum requirements are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, parental or marital status.

With $5 billion in distributions to students since 1958, Scholarship America is the leading administrator of private scholarships in the United States.