Senior Director, Product Management

JOB POSTING

This position works remotely requiring a telecommuting agreement and adherence to the UCSC Telecommuting/Remote Work Guidelines. The employee shall be available in a full-time capacity during assigned telecommuting work hours (specific hours to be discussed with supervisor). While telecommuting/remote working, the employee is responsible for ensuring a worksite environment suitable for accomplishing their regular job duties during scheduled hours of work and, if applicable, arranging for dependent care just as they would if they were working at the regular UCSC worksite.

NO VISA SPONSORSHIP IS AVAILABLE FOR THIS POSITION.

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INITIAL REVIEW DATE (IRD)

UC Santa Cruz jobs are posted until filled. All application materials submitted by 11:59 pm on the IRD will be routed to the hiring team for consideration. NOTE: Applicants who miss the IRD are still encouraged to apply; their materials will still be forwarded for consideration if requested by the hiring team. Application materials cannot be accepted outside of the jobs portal. Applications cannot be edited on an applicant's behalf. For more information about the IRD and the applicant review process, view this link.

The IRD for this job is: 3/31/2025

About Uc Santa Cruz

UC Santa Cruz is a public university like no other in California, combining the experience of a small, liberal arts college with the depth and rigor of a major research university. It's known as an unconventional place where innovation and experimentation is part of the campus's DNA. That playful, bold spirit still thrives today, all on a campus renowned as among the most beautiful in the world.

Department Overview

More information can be found at https://smarterbalanced.org

Job Summary

The Senior Director of Product Management is responsible for identifying, recommending, developing, and maintaining the portfolio of products within the Smarter Balanced assessment system. Management responsibilities include developing the team's long-term vision and goals, policies, and procedures, as well as managing the daily operations involving staff, budget, resources, and multi-year product roadmaps.

The incumbent provides technical direction to project teams in building requirements, prioritizing roadmap products, conducting market/competitive research, and facilitating product development life cycle for Smarter Balanced summative, interim, and formative assessments (teacher resources).

It is critical and essential that this management position develops relationships and interfaces with Consortium members to establish a deep understanding of member needs and layered user personas to drive customer satisfaction and achieve organizational impact.

APPOINTMENT INFORMATION

Budgeted Salary: $140,000 - $167,940/year. Salary commensurate with skills, qualifications and experience.

Under California law, the University of California, Santa Cruz is required to post a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. The salary shown above is the budgeted amount the University reasonably expects to pay and the salary extended should not exceed this posted amount.

Benefits Level Eligibility: Full benefits

Schedule Information

• Full-time, Fixed
• Percentage of Time: 100%, 40 Hours per Week
• Days of the Week: Mon-Fri
• Shift Includes: Day

Employee Classification: Career appointment

Job End Date: None

Work Location: Remote

Union Representation: Non-Represented

Job Code Classification: 005945 (PRODUCT DEV MGR 1) - Grade 26

Travel: Up to 25% of the time

Job Duties

50% - Product Strategy Relevancy

• In collaboration with executives and key stakeholders, develops, executes, and evaluates a strategic vision and roadmap(s) for Smarter Balanced products to expand membership/customers and usage of Smarter Balanced products across summative, interim, and formative assessment/instructional resources.
• Ensures through subordinates that varied and competing product requirements are met, including layered user/member needs and overall organizational strategy.
• Uses key performance metrics (including impact on teaching and learning) to measure and ensure the success of products; makes recommendations and/or changes to Smarter Balanced product content, features, partnerships, and strategy, accordingly.
• Designs and drives research efforts on users, markets, and competitors to drive product roadmap and improvements.
• Identifies and develops opportunities for improvement on matters concerning innovation, product investment, and/or customers; makes recommendations for review and consideration by Smarter Balanced's executive team.

50% - Product Development and Operations

• Manages the design and development of educational measurement products across a complex balanced assessment system, from project initiation and design to product release.
• Leads department staff in employing product management practices in the development of educational measurement products.
• Establishes department practices and systems for product management, including analytical frameworks for analyzing/prioritizing features, business plans, market/competitive analysis, innovation operationalization, creating user personas and stories, and collecting/analyzing user feedback.
• Plans, directs, and controls product management staff and budget, as well as prioritizes product spending and cross-functional resources.
• Develops and maintains liaisons with external membership advisory boards and represents products to the Executive Committee, membership groups, and K-12 educators.
• Manages product management staff in determining roadmap and requirements for reporting, content tools, and teacher resources across technology, content, and psychometrics.
• Establishes membership empathy and understanding that leads to product excellence.
• Leads and delivers membership conference presentations; provides go-to-market plans to promote public awareness of products or services, collaborating with marketing/communications staff.
• Establishes short- and long-term goals for staff; establishes and maintains an inclusive environment for fostering the growth and development of all department staff.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training.
• Experience managing staff in the development, deployment, and servicing of complex products and product lines to meet the needs of educational customers.
• Recent experience working to address the terms of a contract either as a direct service provider or part of an organization that provides products and services.
• Experience in effectively prioritizing and sizing product requirements, developing user personas, defining user stores, and benchmarking development against goals.
• Experience ensuring that organizational policies, practices, services, and behaviors support and promote belonging among staff.
• Experience making evidence-based business cases for products, including "build vs. buy" analyses.
• Excellent knowledge of the marketplace for K-12 education products and product management.
• Thorough knowledge in and approach to roadmapping and managing a product development life cycle across multiple simultaneous product lines.
• Working knowledge of the roles and interdependency between content and technology in the field of product development.
• Strong oral communication skills, including presenting technical details to nontechnical audiences.
• Strong written communication skills, including presenting technical details to nontechnical audiences.
• Strong negotiation skills for influencing and / or persuading staff at all organizational levels.
• Skills in organization and customer service necessary to effectively manage multiple important but at times conflicting priorities.
• Demonstrated ability in building collaborations among cross-functional departments of a dynamic and diverse staff.
• Demonstrated ability to support framework necessary for successful product management, such as budget oversight, financial business plans, and establishing product management systems for a group.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in related area and / or equivalent experience.