HMH is a learning technology company committed to delivering connected solutions that engage learners, empower educators and improve student outcomes. As a leading provider of K–12 core curriculum, supplemental and intervention solutions, and professional learning services, HMH partners with educators and school districts to uncover solutions that unlock students’ potential and extend teachers’ capabilities.

HMH serves more than 50 million students and 4 million educators in 150 countries. For more information, visit www.hmhco.com

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Job Title: Director of Reading K-6, Core Product Management & Strategy

Remote: This job may be performed in any state in the U.S

Role Summary:

The Director of Reading, Core Product Management and Strategy role leads as the strategist, P&L manager, and spokesperson for all assigned Reading solutions. The Director, PM&S drives full lifecycle strategy, implementation, and market success of the assigned programs within the Core Reading K-6 product portfolio, including product creation, product roadmap, pricing and offerings, overall business case and, go-to-market strategy.

This position defines requirements for Core Solutions product development and coordinates with product management teams in other lines of business, Sales, Finance, the Revenue Operations, Global Supply Operations, Marketing, and other internal groups to drive customer success and achieve business goals. The Director role reports to the Vice President, Product Management & Strategy of Reading K-6 Core Solutions to coordinate closely on all decisions, actions, and development plans that impact the assigned Reading and product portfolios.

Primary Responsibilities:

Market Strategy:

• Discover problems in the market by interviewing customers, recent evaluators and untapped, potential customers. Validate urgent problems to show their pervasiveness in the market using lean-agile methodologies.
• Evaluate product-market fit for the portfolio on an ongoing basis, using data-driven analysis to conduct win/loss analysis and understand the buying process
• Articulate and leverage the organization’s unique abilities to deliver value to the market.
• Identify competitive and alternative offerings in the market and assess their strengths and weaknesses.
• Develop a strategy for winning against the competition.
• Inventory HMH assets (technical, skills, services, patents, other) and determine ways that they can be leveraged.

Focus Strategy:

• Map needs with target markets and analyze the market segments to actively pursue.
• Ensure that the targeted segments are large enough to support the current and future business of the product.
• Determine which channels best align with your markets’ buying preferences.
• Integrate products into a coherent portfolio of products focused on the market. Manage the portfolio like a “product” (business plan, positioning, buying process, market requirements and marketing plan).

Business Strategy:

• Perform objective analysis of potential market opportunities to provide a basis for investment, articulating market learnings and quantifying the risk, including a financial model.
• Establish a pricing model, schedules, guidelines and procedures.
• Determine the most effective way to deliver a complete solution to an identified market problem. Where you have gaps in your offering, analyze whether to buy, build or partner to complete the solution for your market.
• Monitor and analyze key performance indicators to determine how well the product is performing in the market, how it impacts the company operations, and ultimately, how it contributes to profit.

Planning:

• Position the product by its ability to solve market problems.
• Create internal positioning documents that will be used to develop external messages focused on each key buyer or persona.
• Define the archetypical users of your products or services through user personas.
• Articulate and prioritize personas and their problems through requirements so that the appropriate products can be built.
• Build an effective relationship and team between PM&S and development
• Serve as a checkpoint along the way to provide context and clarification to development
• Illustrate market problems in a “story” that puts the problem in context. Use scenarios are one component of requirements.
• Manage proactive communications with relevant stakeholders from strategy through execution.

Launch and Support:

• Plan, execute and measure effectiveness of strategic launches.
• Provide needed market and solution information to support the operations group.

Communication & Supervision:

• Maintain strong, ongoing channels of communication with sales force, Marketing, Learning Experience Design, Technical Product Management, Content Delivery, and other internal departments
• Lead cross-functional teams to execute processes and plans

What You'll Need:

• Bachelor's Degree
• Minimum 7 years of industry experience in K12 educational technology
• Minimum 5 years in product management
• Deep subject matter expertise in Reading K-6 pedagogy.
• Experience using lean-agile and design thinking methodologies to develop and launch products

Nice to Have:

• People Leadership experience
• Experience in an entrepreneurial or start-up environment
• MBA or Masters

Skills needed to be successful:

• Demonstrated strong leadership skills
• Superior verbal and written communication skills; superior presentation skills
• Superior inter-personal skills with all levels including executive management
• Demonstrated conceptual & analytical thinking; vision; leadership & management; prioritization; collaboration; decision-making; negotiation; problem-solving; tactical execution; product & market knowledge.

Physical Requirements:

• Might be in a stationary position for a considerable time (sitting and/or standing).
• Constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine, and computer printer.
• Must be able to collaborate with colleagues via face to face, conference calls, and online meeting
• Travel 10%-20%

Salary: $110K - $125K (bonus eligible)

Application Deadline: The application window for this position is anticipated to close on December 27th, 2024. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible. The posting may be available past this date but is not guaranteed.

HMH is fully committed to Equal Employment Opportunity and to attracting, retaining, developing and promoting the most qualified employees without regard to race, gender, color, religion, sexual orientation, family status, marital status, pregnancy, gender identity, ethnic/national origin, ancestry, age, disability, military status, genetic predisposition, citizenship status, status as a disabled veteran, recently separated veteran, Armed Forces service medal veteran, other covered veteran, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. We are dedicated to providing a work environment free from discrimination and harassment, and where employees are treated with respect and dignity. We actively participate in E-Verify.