Director of Product Management | Data Platform | Reston, VA

Ellucian•Washington, DC

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

Ellucian is seeking a Director of Product Management to lead the evolution of our data platform and intelligence capabilities in support of higher education institutions. This leader will define and operationalize Ellucian’s enterprise data strategy, reporting frameworks, advanced analytics, and applied AI, with a focus on improving institutional effectiveness and student outcomes. The ideal candidate is strategic, technically fluent, and execution-oriented. This leader will manage a team responsible for data platform capabilities, reporting, analytics, and the platform supporting AI-driven innovation. In this senior leadership role, you will define the overarching product vision, guide product strategy and execution across multiple products, and mentor other product managers to achieve outstanding results.

Requirements

Experience: 7+ years of experience in Product Management, including 3+ years leading product managers. Extensive experience in SaaS, edtech, or technology industries is highly preferred.
Leadership & Mentorship: Proven experience leading and mentoring a team of product managers. Ability to provide guidance, support, and leadership to cultivate team growth and drive high-impact product outcomes.
Strategic Thinking: Expertise in shaping and executing product vision and strategy, balancing short-term priorities with long-term goals. Demonstrated ability to make high-level, strategic decisions that support company growth and market leadership.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills, with a history of working effectively across teams and aligning stakeholders around a common product vision, goals, and strategies.
Analytical Skills: Strong analytical skills with a data-driven approach to decision-making. Ability to define, track, and optimize key metrics and KPIs to ensure product success.
Product Lifecycle & Portfolio Management: Extensive experience managing a portfolio of products, overseeing the full lifecycle from ideation to delivery and iteration. Comfort with prioritizing initiatives and making tough trade-offs to maximize business impact.
Agile Methodologies: Expertise in agile product management methodologies, with experience leading agile teams to deliver products iteratively and efficiently.
Problem-Solving & Innovation: Ability to identify complex challenges and provide innovative solutions that improve customer outcomes, drive business performance, and foster continuous product improvement.
Communication Skills: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate product strategies and outcomes clearly and effectively to senior leadership and stakeholders at all levels.
Passion for Education Technology: A deep passion for transforming the higher education sector with innovative technology solutions that positively impact students, educators, and institutions.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership: Define and own the enterprise data and reporting strategy.
Team Leadership & Mentorship: Lead and mentor a group of product managers, fostering their professional growth and empowering them to think strategically and execute efficiently. Build a collaborative, innovative culture that inspires high performance across the team.
Product Lifecycle Management: Oversee the end-to-end product lifecycle for your portfolio, ensuring that products meet market needs, deliver customer value, and achieve business objectives. Lead teams in delivering products that enhance user experiences and drive measurable outcomes.
Data-Driven Decision Making: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) for product success and ensure that teams have the tools and data to track performance. Use data-driven insights to continuously optimize products and improve customer outcomes.
Product Strategy & Prioritization: Collaborate with executive leadership to align product initiatives with the company’s long-term strategic goals. Make data-informed decisions about product priorities and manage trade-offs to ensure that the portfolio delivers the highest business value.
Risk & Issue Management: Proactively identify and mitigate risks and roadblocks across your product portfolio. Guide teams in developing solutions to ensure timely, high-quality product delivery that meets customer needs and expectations.

Benefits

Comprehensive health coverage: medical, dental, and vision
Flexible time off
Thrive Flex Lifestyle Account (LSA) that allows you to contribute towards your health, financial or learning interests
401k w/ match & BrightPlan - to help you save for the future
Parental Leave
5 charitable days to support the community that supports us
Telemedicine
Wellness
Headspace Care (mental health)
Wellbeats (virtual fitness classes)
RethinkCare & Wellthy– caregiver support
Diversity and inclusion programs which provide access to internal employee resource groups
Employee referral bonuses to encourage the addition of great new people to the team
Education Assistance Program
Professional development opportunities