The ideal candidate will be responsible for the growth of the ICT & Future skills portfolio in terms of impact, reach as well as revenue over the next 5 years and consolidate Cambridges position as the education partner of choice for ICT & Future skills. They must have a keen eye for gaps in product offerings and an innovative mindset for filling them. They should come with a proven ability to strategize the full lifecycle of a product, from conception to release.
JOB PURPOSE
- Drive the execution of all processes in the product lifecycle (of the ICT & Future skills portfolio for K-12), including product and market research, competitor analysis, planning, positioning, requirements and roadmap development, delivery, and product launch.
- Translate product strategy into detailed requirements for prototyping and final development.
- Create product strategy documents that describe business cases, high-level use cases, requirements, revenue, and Roi.
- Collaborate closely with technology, marketing, and sales teams in the development, QA, and release of products, and balance resources to ensure success.
- Develop product positioning and messaging that act as differentiators across primary market segments.
- Sustain business-as-usual with the help of regular updates and revision aligned with curricular changes as well as latest pedagogies and methodologies.
- Expand the portfolio in unexplored areas like the skills domain as well as grades 9-12.
KEY RESPOSIBILITIES
- Drive the product- and business-planning processes.
- Analyse customer needs, current market trends, and potential opportunities.
- Assess current competitor offerings and seek opportunities for differentiation.
- Analyse product requirements and develop appropriate solutions to ensure theyre met.
- Develop, implement, and maintain production timelines.
- Appraise new product ideas and strategies appropriate go-to-market plans.
- Gain a deep understanding of customer experience, identify, and fill product gaps and generate new ideas that enhance market share, improve customer experience and drive growth.
- Create buy-in for the product vision both internally and with key external stakeholders.
- Develop product pricing and positioning strategies.
- Translate product strategy into detailed requirements and prototypes.
- Act as a product evangelist to build awareness and understanding.
Strategy:
- Prepare plans aligned with overall organisational strategy as well as market trends and patterns.
- Oversee research, identify new product opportunities and build propositions.
- Conduct research to create and support the product strategy.
- Implement expansion into skills space with integrated learning and assessment solution.
- Leverage technology and digital platforms to optimise teaching and learning outcomes.
- Outline the journey of the portfolio in line with user journey, making Cambridge a constant partner.
- Track usage and impact of products and constantly endeavour to improve user experience.
Delivery and Project management
- Manage the process for products from concept to final product delivery to meet quality, budget, delivery and customer objectives.
- Manage intellectual property while driving prioritisation and risk analysis to resolve customer issues and requests.
- Monitor all expense against the budgets and ensure optimum utilisation of resources.
- Responsible for the overall project management for all kinds of products.
- Overseeing and communicating project schedules through the product life cycle phases up until release and implementation and final file delivery to manufacturing / ingestion on platform.
Team Management
- Lead a team of skilled professionals effectively.
- Set clear objectives, define roles and responsibilities and ensure each team member aligns with the teams vision.
- Communicate expectations, goals and feedback to the group regularly and resolve any concerns or issues actively.
- Identify and address conflicts early, facilitating discussions and finding satisfactory solutions for all parties involved.
- Recognise and reward good performance, provide feedback and encourage professional development.
- Support team members professional development by providing opportunities for training and growth.
- Ensure team compliance with company policies and procedures.
- Support and guide team members to ensure they meet their individual targets and KPIs.
- Coordinate with the people and culture team for hiring activities and requirements.
Knowledge and Experience
- Combination of language proficiency, deep understanding of pedagogies, subject specialisation, and business acumen.
- Demonstrated ability to motivate the team.
- Must have a Masters degree in the relevant subjects from a reputed university.
- At least 5 years of work experience in product development and additionally, at least 5 years of experience in team management.
- Proven work experience in product management or as an associate product manager.
- Proven track record of managing all aspects of successful product throughout its lifecycle.
- Proven ability to develop product and marketing strategies and effectively communicate recommendations to executive management.
- Strong problem-solving skills and hands-on approach.
- Skilled at working effectively with cross-functional teams in a matrix organisation.
