[Hiring] Program Recognition Lead @World Education Services

Role Description

This role will lead, manage, scale and evolve new business offerings as part of the WES strategic plan. The incumbent will utilize their skills in strategic thought-leadership, problem-solving, and product vision to develop products and management frameworks. This position will ensure that WES is effectively serving its customers in new ways and generate revenue sources to continue its mission. This role will manage a small team to fulfill the work required.

• Lead development and execution of a multi-year strategy to evolve the product opportunity and business model for WES Program Recognition.
• Steer initiatives across product, engineering, and partner teams – both with and without influence - to ensure the best product solution for our customers and WES.
• Define a differentiated business strategy positioning based on an understanding of the market including potential competitors, substitutes, and technology trends.
• Take an MVP (minimum viable product) strategy to validate hypotheses for opportunities in the business models and applications for WES Program Recognition.
• Assess business and technology trade-offs, find creative solutions, and define product and delivery objectives.
• Manage product P&L and budget.
• Continuously develop a deep understanding and empathy for WES Program Recognition current customers and potential new product users. Driving growth to 200 programs by the end of year one.
• Lead development and execution of a data-informed product roadmap of new and improved product features.
• Define pricing structures, licensing, and distribution mechanisms.
• Experience leading and managing a small team of direct reports (4-5) and cross-functional team resources to achieve goals.
• Collaborate with cross-functional resources to build and execute product launch and go-to market strategy.
• Communicate regularly with business unit leaders and other key business stakeholders to ensure overall product roadmaps align with strategic imperatives.
• Maintain a strong industry focus and support the assessment of external products to complement and drive product life cycles from ideation through delivery.
• Other duties as the product evolves.

Qualifications

• Strong leadership experience in product, product management, strategy or operations, developing business objectives and driving towards business goals.
• Leadership and Product management experience in the education services industry or higher education industry is a plus.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and shared people resources.
• History of developing strong partnerships across large organizations in a highly collaborative environment.
• Excellent communication skills with an ability to build compelling and successful strategic and development plans.
• Proven ability to grasp technical concepts quickly and identify key optimization opportunities.
• Data minded with an ability to drive product development roadmaps based on factual data driven conclusions.
• A passion for people leadership with a strong focus on colleague development and creating a collaborative and inclusive culture.
• Strong communication skills; sense of urgency; strong customer empathy; adaptive to change; continuous improvement mentality; self-starter.
• Proven ability to build and execute product roadmaps and implementation plans.
• Bachelor’s degree, MBA preferred.

Requirements

• An understanding and commitment to the WES mission to ensure that the education, skills and talents of international student immigrants, and refugees are recognized.
• Solid experience leading the launch of successful products and features on multiple platforms.
• A strong track record of delivering products while meeting or exceeding revenue, margin, and delivery commitments.

Benefits

• Work-Life Harmony: Enjoy the freedom of remote work and flexible scheduling, paired with generous time-off policies.
• Rewards and Recognition: Competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and tangible rewards to celebrate your contributions.
• Professional Growth and Development: Comprehensive training programs and tuition reimbursement opportunities.
• Innovation and Impact: Engage in work that directly transforms lives and empowers individuals and communities.
• Community and Connection: Participate in a range of activities, including employee-led resource groups and volunteer opportunities.