Work In Tech

Are you ready to redefine what's possible in education? As a Senior Product Manager at D2L, you will transform online education for K-12, higher education, and corporate sectors, making learning more intuitive, engaging, and effective for millions. In this vital role, you will take charge of key product features, overseeing their lifecycle from conceptual alignment and detailed requirements to successful delivery and eventual phase-out.

With a strong foundation in software product management, you'll act as a pivotal cross-functional leader. Your strategic acumen, passion for continuous learning, and commitment to excellence will enable you to deliver high-quality software solutions that resonate with users and meet market demands. This role demands a deep understanding of course management and authoring tools, and a commitment to improving it in line with strategic business goals.

Join us to be at the forefront of the educational transformation, where your work will directly enhance the learning experiences of millions and contribute significantly to global educational development.

Major Responsibilities:

• Product Direction and Roadmap: Set product direction and create comprehensive roadmaps for larger initiatives, integrating customer insights and market trends into the product strategy. Drive strategic product development, ensuring alignment with long-term business goals.

• Lifecycle Management: Lead major product initiatives, overseeing the complete product lifecycle with a focus on strategic alignment and market impact. Utilize expert-level analytical skills to drive product decisions based on thorough market analysis and customer feedback. Manage cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality products.

• Agile Leadership: Act as Product Owner, leading Agile processes including sprint planning, backlog grooming, and sprint reviews to drive product development. Influences direction of Agile processes across teams including sprint planning, backlog management, and sprint reviews to maximize team output and efficiency. Lead product demos to key stakeholders, articulating complex product features and strategic value effectively to secure stakeholder support.

• Stakeholder Communication: Communicate effectively with all levels of stakeholders, ensuring clear understanding and buy-in for product strategies. Lead meetings and decision-making processes, presenting complex data and strategies in an accessible manner.

• Cross-Functional Coordination: Act as a key liaison among different functions within the organization, coordinating efforts between engineering, design, marketing, and sales teams to achieve product goals. Manage dependencies and align resources to meet project deadlines.

• Strategic Leadership: Lead the strategic direction for key product areas, aligning product development with long-term business goals. Enhance user satisfaction, monitor market trends, and adapt strategies accordingly. Contribute to business case development for major initiatives.

• Feature Development Collaboration: Partner with the Experience Lead to refine product design, ensuring alignment with user needs and business objectives.

• Data-Driven Enhancement: Utilize user feedback and usage data to prioritize feature development and guide continuous product improvements.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Foster effective collaboration with cross-functional teams to ensure timely and quality delivery of product features.

• Market and User Research: Conduct ongoing market research and user testing to understand user behaviors and refine product offerings. Stay informed about industry trends and competitor activities.

Core Competencies

• Agile Proficiency: Strong capability in managing product development cycles using Agile methodologies, with an ability to efficiently lead a product team.

• Communication Skills: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, necessary for effective collaboration and stakeholder management.

• Analytical Acumen: Robust analytical abilities to translate complex data and user feedback into actionable product strategies.

• Strategic Insight: Strategic mindset with a knack for balancing long-term vision with immediate product needs.

• Industry Knowledge: Experience in the EdTech field with a willingness to quickly learn and master new technologies.

• Adaptability: High adaptability to swiftly changing technology and user requirements within the EdTech industry.

• Problem Solving: Proven problem-solving skills with a history of resolving issues promptly to keep projects on track.

• Technical Tools Proficiency: Experience with Jira and Aha! preferred, enhancing your ability to manage projects and track progress effectively.

Initiative Before Applying: We appreciate candidates who take initiative. Please sign up for a Brightspace https://www.d2l.com/brightspace/try-now/ and familiarize yourself with our platform prior to applying. This step will deepen your understanding of our user experience and highlight your dedication to engaging with and improving our product.

D2L Leadership Competencies

• Leads by Example with personal and professional integrity, high accountability and say/do ratio

• Boundaryless collaboration and influence skills both within team, peer group and broader organization. Effective communicator with a proven track record of success.

• Delivers Awesome Outcomes: Strategic mindset and business acumen, with strong prioritization skills and a focus on organizational outcomes vs. team tasks. Effective problem solver, able to achieve results individually and through others, in fast paced, deadline-driven environments.

• Talent Magnet: Talent-focused leader, with demonstrated ability to coach, build and lead a high performing, diverse team.

• Better, Smarter, Faster: An agile learner, with a growth mindset, attention to detail and organizational skills. An operationally minded leader, with a focus on continuous improvement and innovation.

• Wins Hearts and Minds: An effective communicator, with the ability to connect the why and the what. A change agent, with proven delegation, motivation, and team building skills.

Suggested Qualifications/Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in a fast-paced technical environment in the role of Product Manager or Product Owner.

• Experience in zero-to-one product development, taking products from concept through launch.

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Business, Computer Science, Engineering or related fields of study.

• Prior experience in Corporate Learning, Higher Education, or K-12 as a technology administrator, instructional designer, or in a similar EdTech role is highly preferred.