ETS is a global education and talent solutions organization, enabling lifelong learners to be future ready. We advance the science of measurement to build the benchmarks for fair and valid skill assessment. We are committed to powering human progress by promoting skill proficiency, empowering upward mobility, and unlocking more opportunities for everyone, everywhere.
For more than 70 years, we have developed products and services based on rigorous research and our belief in the power of learning. Our portfolio consists of some of the world's most trusted assessments - including the TOEFL® and TOEIC® exams, the GRE® and the Praxis® family of assessments - along with research, development and innovation that explores new frontiers in learning and measurement. Our educational measurement solutions and research contribute to the development of new methods and tools, inform important dialogue with education policymakers, and shed light on critical issues and potential solutions - all with the aim of creating a world where all learners are able to improve their lives through education.
Position Summary:
The Head of Product leads the strategy for product innovation and management for a significant ETS product or across an ETS product portfolio in collaboration with business and resource units. This leader is responsible for developing product or portfolio strategy and coordinating product ideation, innovation, and development. The AVP, Product leads the evolution of product ideas from their most formative stages into actionable concepts, timelines, and projects while optimizing business outcomes. The AVP, Product partners with Business Heads, Product Innovation & Development, Market Research, Marketing, Research, Finance, and Technology leaders to deliver shared outcomes that achieve ETS business growth and mission goals.
The AVP, Product reports directly to a business division leader, serves as key leader on the executive team, and leads a successful product organization by executing robust product governance processes and hiring and developing strong team players to support growth.
Responsibilities:
Provide strategic product leadership and direction to drive competitive advantage and enable significant growth.
Lead efforts to derive significant insight from our current customer base via data along with the prediction of the next wave of customers through direct outreach and collaboration with Marketing and Market Research
Create a vision of future product capabilities which deliver market capture, and advocate with corporate stakeholders for strategic support and resources.
Build and lead a product management team and framework that will optimize the current product portfolio, maintain a robust product roadmap, and rapidly launch impactful new products and services.
By marshalling collaborative teams across the organization, lead the product management life cycle from concept to launch to sunset of products and be jointly accountable for on budget, on time, and quality delivery of product enhancements and features.
Share product P&L accountability with divisional business leaders
Ensure best-in-class customer experience and design in ETS products.
Track, measure and leverage a wide variety of product and portfolio KPIs to determine: (i) how well the product or product suite is doing delivering the best consumer experience, such as revenue and customer growth, engagement, and retention, (ii) progress against the product plan and team goals, and (iii) how well many products are tracking towards delivering on the overall vision.
Support a collaborative and inclusive work environment and create opportunities to improve the employee experience.
Exemplify our core values and behaviors through our products and as a day-to-day leader.
Be a true leadership multiplier, empowering those around them to use their talents to the fullest while driving and managing towards a results-oriented culture.
Adhere to ethical standards and comply with the laws and regulations applicable to the job function.
Education and Experience:
Leadership Skills - Ability to influence, manage, and guide employees to steer product teams to achieve the organization's goals and vision.
Communication Skills - The art of persuasion, verbal/written fluency, and empathy to understand, guide, and motivate employees, and for effective communication across the organization and key stakeholders.
Analytical Skills - Advance research skills, knowledge, and insight of product analytics to assess product performance, customer experience, and revenue growth opportunities.
Strategy Skills - Ability to efficiently develop and implement strategies that produce results. This includes strategic thinking and organizational skills to navigate politics, competition and constraints.
Customer Engagement - Understand buyer personas, identify customer needs, understand their problems, and make data-driven decisions to improve customer experience.
Problem-Solving Skills - Ability to comprehend and communicate complex issues succinctly and clearly and make complex decisions concerning product-related activities.
Budgeting Skills - Ability to set budget of ETS that utilize minimum resources and deliver maximum product potential.
Focus: - Ensure the entire product development process is executed seamlessly and with high quality
Knowledge and experience in diverse fields including technology, marketing, user experience, communications, etc.
Track record of success in defining and taking new innovative products to market, preferably in the education/EdTech industry
Experience driving, organizing and prioritizing teams and deliverables in a highly collaborative manner.
Experience with key processes and evaluation metrics that drive prioritization and continued investment decisions within the product life cycle.
Bachelor's degree required.
MBA or master's degree in business administration, product management, organizational psychology, information technology, marketing or related field preferred.
10+ years of progressively greater responsibility in an appropriate combination of product development, product marketing, business planning, and product management, with significant P&L accountability.
ETS believes in a Total Rewards philosophy for our employees, and they include:
Health, Vision, Dental insurance plans to choose from
Generous continuous learning support, from individual learning grants to up to 6 classes a year for tuition reimbursement as well as on-line learning access!
Generous PTO and vacation time to balance your work and life
Additional 8 hours of PTO for volunteer work
Retirement plan (401(a)) and traditional Roth (403b) with company contribution
Commuter Benefits, Pet Insurance, 1 year subscription to Calm App
ETS is mission driven and action oriented
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging is at the forefront of the ETS employee's daily work. To further foster an inclusive environment ETS is home to a wide variety of Affinity groups that celebrate the diversity of our talented employees.
How about cultivating growth, innovation, and continuous transformation for the next generation of rising professionals as leaders? ETS offers multiple Business Resource Groups (BRG) for you!
Are you passionate about volunteering and being active in your career and community? ETS offers our Center for Advocacy & Philanthropy (CAAP) where we encourage ETS employees to become active volunteers in their communities and schools through the ETS Cares Giving Campaign. Our employees can support any 501c3 or eligible charity of their choice.
ETS is an Equal Opportunity Employer comprised of people with different experiences, strengths, and backgrounds who share a passion for advancing quality and equity in education. We are dedicated to building teams that reflect the various backgrounds, experiences, and identities of those we serve. The Talent Acquisition team strives to ensure candidates enjoy a fair and equitable hiring process. We believe our differences empower us to be a better team, making better decisions and delivering better results.
Keyword: Executive Director, Educational Partnerships, Business Development, Global Product Management