**Head of Digital Product Model Management, Global Schools**
**Description**
**Headof Digital Product Model Management, Global Schools**
At Pearson, we’re committed to a world that’s always learning andto our talented team who makes it all possible\. We are bold thinkers andstandout innovators who motivate each other to explore new frontiers in anenvironment that supports and inspires us to always be better\. By pushing theboundaries of technology — and each other to surpass these boundaries — wecreate seeds of learning that become the catalyst for the world’s innovations,personal and global, large and small\.
Pearson is looking for a talented, driven, and entrepreneurialleader to build and execute strategy for new product offerings in the GlobalSchools markets\. The successful candidate will be responsible for synthesizingcustomer and market insights to define and promote value propositions for newproducts and identify corresponding areas for growth and innovation\. As part ofthese efforts, the Head of Digital Product Model Management, Global Schoolswill lead a cross\-functional team to identify customer problems and ideate,explore, and validate solution concepts that solve them\. This individual willchampion successful product designs through the full product lifecycle toensure they deliver their promise for learners and instructors\.
**Reporting to** : Managing Director, Global Product Managementand Design
**The Role:** This is a high\-visibility leadership role withresponsibility for the direction and performance of existing and new School productinitiatives in the global markets\. To be successful in this position you willneed to collaborate with the School portfolio team, synthesize diverse inputsto establish strategic vision for existing and emerging products and motivate across\-functional team to explore, validate and transition successful solutionsthat deliver on this vision\. You will assemble and execute a pipeline ofproduct and market investigation activities, prioritizing based on anticipatedROI and risk\. A key performance metric will be the financial contribution ofnew product initiatives to Pearson’s bottom line\. In short, you will beexpected to identify, incubate, and execute innovative product ideas that willdrive long\-term product success and contribute to Pearson’s growth andprofitability goals\.
**Qualifications**
**The Candidate:** We seek an individual who will cultivate and manage a world\-class team of Manager\- and Director\-level Product Management leads who cover specific subcategories \(e\.g\. global markets\)\. This individual will direct the team’s collaboration with experts across the Global Schools line\-of\-business, including Geography leadership, discipline\-specific portfolio managers, marketing, content development, text/media production, learning and user experience design, program management, and platform/capability product managers\.
**Responsibilities**
**Identify growth opportunities in Global School education markets**
+ Analyze market data to strategize new product opportunities and/or inform potential adoption of products in new markets
+ Commission and synthesize market research activities, informed by on\-going dialog with customers, editorial teams, and our learning design group
**Drive category growth**
+ Define and implement an outcomes\-oriented, learner\-centric, market\-and product\-validation approach to ongoing development
+ Own and deliver on financial goals, including developing and implementing a plan to achieve year\-over\-year growth
+ Identify and deliver against long\-term category success metrics \(e\.g\. profitability, NPS scores, digital registration growth\)
+ Work alongside customers \(and sales?\) to identify and promote opportunities for growth
**_Champion brand values_**
+ Act as a brand manager forproduct models, communicating and evangelizing the brand internally while ensuring all new titles are aligned with the product’s core value proposition
+ Articulate and evolvebrand differentiation based on ongoing analysis of market research, competitive intelligence, and user feedback
+ In concert with Pearson’s efficacy team, define and deliver againstefficacy goals
+ Drive pre\- and post\-release validation activities to ensure releases \(expected or actual\) deliver on their value propositions
**_Develop business strategy for new products and markets_**
+ Synthesize customer insight and market research to define value propositions, business justification, and user requirements for new product concepts and/or for expanding existing products to other global regions
+ Identify corresponding short\- and long\-range success metrics \(e\.g\. NPS scores, digital registration growth, profitability\) for these initiatives
+ Assess problem\-solution fit, product\-market fit, and business model fit and develop corresponding validation strategies
**_Design and validate product concepts_**
+ Cultivate an outcomes\-oriented, learner\-centric, iterative, market\-and product\-validation approach to new product and market exploration activities
+ Collaborate with User Experience, Learning Design, Engineering, platform/capability Product Managers and/or external partners to translate business and product strategy into detailed requirements and prototypes
+ Lead design iterations based on quantitative and qualitative product feedback from early\-stage prototypes
+ Lead activities to validate fit, learner outcomes, and market demand from users and customers
**_Transition successful prototypes_**
+ Collaborate with capability product managers and engineering to identify potential platforms, technologies, and partners for accelerating development
+ Present validation findings to senior executives to secure resources for ongoing development
+ Transition successful prototypes to scaled product model management teams for further development, laying the groundwork necessary for their ongoing evolution and profitability
**Education and experience**
+ Bachelors required
+ MBA or advanced degree preferred
+ 15 years relevant experience\. Ideal candidates will also have 5 years in a Technical Product Management role managing iterative, test\-based software development / product design efforts
+ Demonstrated experience developing compelling product visions combined with a track record of successful execution
+ Recognized as an outstanding leader capable of building high performance teams and collaborating with senior leadership on high\-growth initiatives
**Skills and personal qualities**
+ Ability to hit the ground running – a confident, entrepreneurial self\-starter who can work with little management guidance or direction
+ Passion for education, technology, and building immersive learning experiences
+ Ability to deal with ambiguity, find creative resolutions and drive for results
+ Experience in working with a highly experimental portfolio \(e\.g\. launch, fail and then apply lessons learned to relentlessly try again\)
+ Methodological expertise in user\-centered design, with a track record of developing early\-stage prototypes into successful market releases
+ Track record of taking on big challenges and delivering despite obstacles and limited resources
+ Strong decision\-making, negotiation, and relationship management skills – ability to balance and reconcile conflicting interests
+ Ability to lead within cross\-functional virtual teams spanning multiple regions and cultures
+ Ability to build strong support base for their ideas internally
+ Ability to listen to different perspectives and respond objectively and constructively to new ideas
+ Outstanding writing and presentation skills
**Primary Location:** US\-MA\-Boston
**Other Locations** GB\-GB\-Oxford, GB\-GB\-London, US\-NJ\-Hoboken
**Work Locations:** US\-MA\-Boston\-501 Boylston 501 Boylston St Boston 02116
**Job:** Product Management
**Organization:** Global Product
**Employee Status:** Regular Employee
**Job Type:** Standard
**Shift:** Day Job
**Job Posting:** Jun 28, 2016