Posting Date : 7/25/2018

Job# : 1190387

Employment Type : Full Time Regular

Category : Product Management

Job Title : Sr Director, Product Management, Assessment Products

Location : Portland, OR

About this role....

The Sr. Director Product Management, Assessment Products, articulates the vision and strategy for NWEA's assessment product business, including the MAP Suite, and guides the creation and maintenance of products that are customer-centered, comprehensive, and compatible with NWEA's core capabilities and strengths. This role determines assessment product direction in support of the organization's product portfolio, including development priorities, product P & L, and delivery of new products and features. This position works closely with Marketing, Product Engineering, Research, Publishing, Professional Learning, and Partner Accounts on go-to-market strategy and execution including release readiness.
The position maintains a strong understanding of market trends and challenges, and serves as strategist for NWEA's MAP Suite and related assessment products. The Sr. Director leads (or directly oversees) initiatives aimed at creating capability and innovation needed for envisioned future success in target markets. The Sr. Director coordinates with other Product Management teams so that the NWEA product portfolio is cohesive, meets customer needs, and that the teams' work is efficient and effective. This role leads a talented group of product management professionals and will be located at our Portland, OR. headquarters.


About Us...
NWEA® is a research-based, not-for-profit organization that supports students and educators worldwide by creating assessment solutions that precisely measure growth and proficiency-and provide insights to help tailor instruction. For 40 years, NWEA has developed innovative pre-K-12 assessments, including our flagship interim assessment, MAP® Growth™; our progress monitoring and skills mastery tool, MAP® Skills™; and our reading fluency and comprehension assessment, MAP® Reading Fluency™. Educators trust our professional learning offerings to accelerate student learning and our research to support assessment validity and data interpretation. Our tools are trusted by educators in more than 9,500 schools, districts, and education agencies in 145 countries.

Your next challenge....

• Articulate the vision and strategy for NWEA's assessment product business including MAP Suite (MAP Growth, MAP Skills, MAP Reading Fluency) and related products
• Fulfill the needs of the customer (both internal and external) by alleviating pinch points and creating solutions as problems occur
• Participate in client meetings such as planning, large-district support, market feedback, and others as needed
• Evaluate and improve design methodology, product integration, and propose alternatives and solutions to meet business needs
• Ensure the team's work is coordinated with other Product Management teams so that the NWEA product portfolio is cohesive, meets partner needs, and that the teams' work is efficient and effective
• Evangelize and socialize strategy and vision with internal and external stakeholders
• Maintain understanding of district assessment market and influence roadmap and development priorities to ensure successful sequencing and positioning of NWEA's solutions
• Analyze market trends and propose appropriate pricing and bundling options to meet established goals
• Support, as needed, responses to requests for proposals
• Understand team dynamics and ensure they build upon organizational culture and values; cultivate the appropriate actions and behaviors for colleagues and staff
• Develop and maintain strong collaborative relationships with a variety of NWEA teams
• Serve as mentor to various roles as assigned across the organization to strengthen our internal capacity generally, and specifically related to multiple measures
• Provide status updates and escalate issues, as necessary, to the Vice-President, Product & Portfolio Management
• Effectively engage and present to all levels within the organization, from individual contributors to executives

Traits for success....

• Strong understanding of the K-12 education assessment industry (e.g. Common Core State Standards, competitors, RFP process) and accepted practices
• Ability to use industry standard product management methodologies to implement product strategy
• Proactive strategic thinker who is calm under pressure, with ability to move rapidly between big picture and tactical detail level
• Demonstrated ability to develop strong business cases for products, processes, features, & services to justify investments
• Demonstrated ability developing and interpreting financial statements, managing P & L, and delivering forecasted margins and market performance
• Strong verbal, written and presentation skills
• Extremely strong interpersonal, negotiating and conflict management skills; demonstrated ability to work successfully with a wide variety of individuals
• Proven organizational skills and ability to manage time across multiple projects
• Ability to work independently and manage own schedule
• Demonstrated leadership, communication and team building skills
• Proven ability to manage complex projects with cross functional teams
• Ability to work effectively with team members in different locations
• Ability to work effectively and efficiently in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to participate in client discussions across a wide variety of program issues and considerations, including general industry topics
• Ability to assess the effectiveness of processes and procedures and recommend improvements
• Ability to identify barriers to progress and propose solutions
• Demonstrated ability to bring research studies and projects to completion
• Ability to travel as required, up to 25%

Education and experience....
• Minimum 5 years' experience leading and managing a product management group
• Minimum 10 years' experience as a Product or Program Manager, preferably in the education
• industry
• Master's degree in Business, Education, or related field
• Demonstrated history of high-level writing and presentation skills
• Experience in an agile software development environment preferred


What we can offer you....
At NWEA we not only offer a competitive base salary, we offer a 15% contribution of eligible employees' base salary to a defined contribution 403(b) retirement savings plan; career development opportunities; an awesome work culture and environment; we also offer industry leading benefits and perks that are focused on supporting our employees' holistic wellbeing. To learn more about what we can offer more, click here