Group Product Manager, NextGen

Nelnet•Lincoln, NE

6d•$115,000 - $165,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Nelnet Business Services’ Next Gen Web Solutions (NextGen) builds software for higher education administrative processes, including scholarships, financial aid verification, digital forms, and student employment. Its solutions serve more than 600 institutions and over 20 million students. The company is investing in a dedicated product team to guide the next chapter of the NextGen portfolio. The Group Product Manager is a player-coach who personally owns one or more NextGen solutions while leading and developing Product Managers responsible for the rest of the portfolio. The role shapes a cohesive product strategy, works across engineering, design, sales, implementation, and client support, and ensures releases deliver meaningful outcomes for campus administrators, employers, students, and families. The position reports into senior product leadership. The role may be remote for candidates who live more than 30 miles from a Nelnet office. Candidates living within 30 miles of an office are expected to work a hybrid schedule, in the office at least three days per week. Applicants must already be authorized to work in the United States without current or future visa sponsorship.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Computer Science, Finance, or a related field.
At least 6 years of product management experience, including a strong track record of personally shipping products.
At least 1 year mentoring or directly managing other Product Managers.
Experience partnering with go-to-market teams to launch complex SaaS or platform products.
Track record of personally shipping AI-enabled or data-driven software products with measurable business impact.
Proven ability to align and influence stakeholders across engineering, design, and commercial functions.
Already authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree with emphasis on strategy, technology, or leadership.
Experience in higher education technology, fintech, payments, or B2B2C platform businesses.
Experience contributing to or leading platform modernization, replatforming, or migration work.
Familiarity with PCI Level 1 compliance, payment processing workflows, or ERP integrations such as Workday, Banner, PeopleSoft, or Colleague.

Responsibilities

Personally own one or more NextGen solutions end to end, including discovery, requirements, prioritization, and delivery with engineering and design partners.
Use data, prototypes, design reviews, and validation with customers to pressure-test ideas and solutions.
Model strong product discovery, writing, and decision-making practices for the Product Managers on the team.
Lead, mentor, and grow a small team of Product Managers; set expectations, develop their product skills, and help recruit as the team expands.
Build a high-agency, outcome-oriented team culture and lightweight product practices that support accountability for measurable results.
Balance coaching with autonomy, providing PMs ownership while stepping in when problems require direct attention.
Own the product vision, strategy, and roadmap across the NextGen portfolio, translating business goals into a sequenced plan.
Identify opportunities to connect solutions through shared workflows, integrations, and data.
Identify and develop practical AI applications that eliminate manual work for campus staff and simplify student experiences.
Monitor higher education developments, including federal financial aid and student employment policy, competitive activity, and changing institutional needs, and incorporate findings into the roadmap.
Partner with sales, marketing, implementation, and client support to plan and execute launches that are market-ready, commercially effective, and easy for institutions to adopt.
Work with engineering on architecture and delivery cadence, managing trade-offs to maintain quality, reliability, and timelines, particularly around academic and financial aid cycles.
Define portfolio success metrics, including adoption, retention, workflow completion, time saved for campus staff, and institutional satisfaction, and hold the team accountable for outcomes.
Collaborate with compliance, security, and risk teams to ensure releases meet SOC audit standards, FERPA, accessibility requirements, and applicable federal financial aid and student employment regulations.