Director, Content & Portfolio (Remote)

We believe in the power and joy of learning

At Cengage Group, our employees have a direct impact in helping students around the world discover the power and joy of learning. We are bonded by our shared purpose – driving innovation that helps millions of learners improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.

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Our business is driven by our strong culture, and we know that creating an inclusive and diverse workplace is absolutely essential to the success of our company and our learners, as well as our individual well-being. We recognize the value of diverse perspectives in everything we do, and strive to ensure employees of all levels and backgrounds feel empowered to voice their ideas and bring their authentic selves to work. We achieve these priorities through inclusive programs, benefits, and initiatives that are integrated into the fabric of how we work every day. To learn more, please see https://www.cengagegroup.com/about/inclusion-and-diversity/.

The Director, Content & Portfolio role is responsible for the content strategy for the Gale and Thorndike businesses, ensuring that any content developed, licensed, or adapted will meet or exceed the needs of the K12, library and consortia markets. You will have broad accountability for profit and loss (P&L) and content strategy decisions as well as the profitable and optimized execution of content updates, licensing and acquisition components of the databases, eBooks, large print editions and all other saleable offerings within the Gale and Thorndike businesses. While this role primarily supports the US K12 market, increasingly geared toward supplemental curriculum over libraries, the team’s remit supports and takes into account needs from across many markets including US and global/academic.

What you'll do here:

• Lead a team of Portfolio Managers, Content Development, Licensing, and Acquisitions leaders

• Develop a near term and long term content strategy that meets the needs of a varied global library, K12 and academic market

• Partner closely with the Product Technology & Innovation Product Management team to ensure that content is optimized to take advantage of innovative digital improvements

• Cultivate relationships with Research, Go-to-Market and PTI, ensuring that the content strategy is data-driven, customer-centric, and market viable

• Lead team in fulfilling the Gale/Thorndike vision, goals and priorities, lead team through change, represent the team across the organization, and advocate on its behalf

• Represent Gale/Thorndike across organization, and lead/participate in product, process, and/or workflow pilots – especially related to innovation and AI

• Continually assess the effectiveness of content development and acquisition workflows to improve profitability and efficiency, collaborating with Global Content Production to ensure clean hand-offs and delivery accountability

• Serve as visible leader of the NGL/K12 team, advocating for Gale/Thorndike portfolio strategy across a variety of internal (town halls, etc.) and external settings

• Recruit and develop successful teams by mentoring, providing regular feedback, providing career path and development/growth opportunities, and fostering a collaborative and open environment in line with the Cengage Ethos

Skills you will need here:

• Minimum of 5 years in a product management or operations role that includes demonstrated achievement in developing successful products or processes, solving internal or external customer problems through strategy and execution

• Experience leading through change

• Strong desire to lead and mentor leaders via dedicated, intentional, and consistent leadership, support, advocacy, and multi-directional feedback

• Experience in budget accountability and management including developing and tracking to financial and business metrics (e.g., P&L, usage statistics, spending)

• Excellence at developing and articulating vision and strategy that meet business goals

• Strong presentation and communication skills

• Proven team leadership within a matrix environment

At National Geographic Learning, a part of Cengage Group, we are enabling opportunity, powering progress, and supporting student journeys toward college and career. Using our digital learning programs and classroom learning resources, students experience the excitement and joy of learning that National Geographic explorers, scientists, writers, and photographers experien