Associate Product Manager

Associate Product Manager, Supplemental

Position Summary:

Zaner-Bloser has an exciting opportunity for an Associate Product Manager for our Supplemental product portfolio.

Reporting directly to the Director of Product Management, Supplemental, the Associate Product Manager will be responsible for working cross-functionally to define and manage the development of new products and features across our portfolio of supplemental products and services (Handwriting, Spelling, Vocabulary, Grammar, Math, SEL, and more). Working with the Director, the product manager works cross-functionally with art & design, production, learning design, product marketing and digital teams to define, scope, and prioritize the product development backlog (across all stages of the Product Lifecycle). In meetings, the associate product manager is a constant voice of the customer, representing market trends and user dynamics for the entire lifecycle of the product in the portfolio. This role will function within the Supplemental Product Management and Marketing team and will work extensively with our marketing partners.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

- Learner mindset.

- Curiosity and respect for students and teachers.

- Understanding of and love for "product."

- Support ongoing product development efforts across the supplemental portfolio by documenting and validating assumptions and working cross functionally to collect inputs for business case development.

- Apply financial acumen and data-driven decision making to support the creation of business cases and build organizational alignment around market requirements and the product vision.

- Document product initiatives to support business case development and maintain and prioritized backlog of new products and features.

- Maintain and prioritized backlog of new products and features.

- Work with content, instructional, creative, digital, and market experts to create concepts and guidelines for product solutions that align with standards and current research.

- Work with the Director of Product Management and Director of Product Marketing to successfully build and launch new products and features.

On your first day, you should be able to:

- Show your learner mindset and curiosity to embrace our history, portfolio, and current projects.

- Demonstrate your ability to work collaboratively by creating brief narrative to support a product idea (using research, market insights, and personal experience)

Within your first month, you'll:

- Work cross-functionally to define product initiatives and features by demonstrating your understanding of our processes and roles.

- Work in a regular cadence of cross functional meetings to scope and define our backlog.

- Pitch your first new product or feature to the Product Leadership Team for feedback.

Within your first year, you'll:

- Work with the Director of Product Management and the Product Leadership Team to scope and prioritize our product backlog.

- Demonstrate mastery of our product portfolio and how our solutions meet the needs of our customers.

- Take ownership of a new build/acquisition and work with the Director to from inception to launch.

- Work with the Director to prioritize our backlog to meet our aggressive growth plan.

Supervisory Responsibilities: None.

Education and Experience:

- Bachelor's degree (in Education, Business, or Technology) required.

- 3-5+ years of previous business experience supporting projects related to instructional solutions; expertise with both print and digital products preferred.

- Experience and understanding of K-12 education; teaching and/or administration experience preferred.

- Proven ability to analyze, summarize, and synthesize varied inputs into an engaging and compelling narrative.

- Must think and act constructively while demonstrating the hands-on skills to deliver high-quality products and services.

- Confident, curious, objective, motivated, collaborative communicator who thrives in evolving market conditions.

- Proven ability to influence and negotiate across functional teams.

- Previous experience/training with the Optimal Product Process (OPP) preferred.

Qualifications:

Successful candidates should be well versed in using Microsoft office tools. Prior experience with Product Board is preferred but not required.

Candidates should expect to travel quarterly for in-person meetings with additional options for travel to conferences and events.

Physical Requirements:

* Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

* Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.

Reasonable Accommodation Notice Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job or to perform your job. Examples of reasonable accommodation include making a change to the application process or work procedures, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment.

If you don't meet every requirement listed, we encourage you to apply anyway. Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every qualification. We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you are drawn to this role and your past experiences do not align perfectly to the job description, we encourage you to apply.