Director, Product Management

Company Description

About Walden University

Walden University, an Adtalem Global Education institution, supports a diverse community of adult learners from across the U.S. and other countries, who seek to achieve their academic goals and make positive, lasting social change in their professions and communities. Walden offers more than 100 online degree and certificate programs, for students pursuing a bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral or certificate. Walden University has graduated more than 174,000 students and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Visit WaldenU.edu for more information, and follow on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

 

Job Description

Opportunity at a Glance

The Product Management Director is responsible for the performance of products and solutions for Walden University’s product portfolio. Collaborating closely with colleagues in other areas across the university, this position guarantees best in class delivery of product through the identification and execution of market opportunity analysis, and uncovering opportunities that lead to actions that drive enrollment. This role will also be responsible for coordinating the day-to-day product management activities for select product line(s) for the business to ensure revenue goals and budgets are met. This position will also support the go-to-market strategy, ensuring adoption of product deliverables to fulfill business objectives.

• Executes strategy and owns P&Ls for assigned programs to ensure that programs meet or exceed budgeted revenue and operating income goals.
• Leads the implementation of the product strategic roadmap.
• Proactively identifies opportunities to improve existing program performance using both internal program performance data (such as course evaluations and retention) and external market information (such as competitive intelligence, regulatory environment, and industry data).
  • Proactively address issues of concern when budgets are not met and seek to make improvements.
  • Identify and model opportunities to improve enrollment, student outcomes, program performance and profitability.
• Leads pricing and scholarship strategy and implementation.
• Develops a deep understanding of individuals seeking degrees at Walden. Understanding includes, but is not limited to the following:
  • Competition in marketplace
  • Target market understanding of:
    • Education requirements
    • Decision making process and criteria.
    • Information absorption/processing preferences
    • Communication style and needs
    • Target market career needs
    • Industry characteristics and expectations concerning education and professional development.
• Partners cross-functionally to identify, recommend, and develop potential market opportunities based on the above criteria.
• Collaborates with product development in concept development phase of new product development process and champion ideas through the process.
• Ensures the business plans are executed and results are analyzed for future direction. Requires ability to understand and manage P&Ls, budgets, and market research data implications.
• Partners with the academic teams to garner their input on program direction and market trends.
• Collaborates with finance and other Adtalem Institutions on program investment and business case development.
• Works closely with institutional business stakeholders and SMEs to identify, drive, and coordinate the conceptualization, design, and development of product solutions that meet program needs and drive success.
• Anticipates product issues proactively and offers ideas and approaches to adoption of deliverables and solutions to identified strategic needs.
• Implements positioning strategies of products within Walden’s product portfolios, aligning with the go-to-market strategy.
• Helps evaluate and review funding of product initiatives.
• Completes other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; MBA preferred.  
• Ten (10) or more years of product management, product marketing, or related experience required. 
• Knowledge of adult, online higher education market preferred. 
• Understanding of business analysis tools and methods. 
• Experience in leading product strategy and roadmap development. 
• Proven ability to collaborate successfully wit