Portfolio Manager, Milady

Cengage Group•Virtual US KY, KY

3d•$77,100 - $100,200

About The Position

The Portfolio Manager, on the Milady Content and Learning Team, creates the portfolio and content strategy by understanding the audience, analyzing the market and competitive trends, developing hypotheses, testing ideas in the market, processing data, and ultimately making content design decisions based on these insights and evidence. The PM leads the portfolio development process, collaborating with cross functional team members to ensure on-time delivery of high-quality learning experiences. The PM clearly articulates the features and benefits of their portfolio to the market, enabling the creation and delivery of compelling messaging for target audiences through measurable campaigns and programs. A Portfolio Manager s the specialist in their market, the problem solver for the learner, and advocate for the customer. You are accountable for the lifecycle of your products. To achieve these goals, you are an integrator, leading a cross-functional team by encouraging a creative and collaborative environment aligned toward a collective mission. You are consistently problem solving, and actively considering the expertise of all team members! You build your product strategy by developing hypotheses, evaluating data, analyzing market and competitive trends, testing ideas in the market, iterating, and ultimately making curriculum product decisions based on evidence and insights. While keeping in alignment with business priorities, you take customer needs from concept to launch, focusing on timely delivery, holistic product quality, and an effective learning experience. This position will be handling curriculum products that serve beauty education programs in the For Profit, Higher Education and K12 spaces.

Requirements

Ability to develop strategies and compelling business cases
Creative and curious problem solving and collaboration
Ability to clearly articulate vision and strategy and help team members understand how their work impacts business success
Customer focus; understanding of how customer needs and challenges translate into opportunities
Demonstration of strong communication skills with keen ability to facilitate team meetings, presentations, focus groups, and interviews.
Cross-functional team leadership experience
Ability to inspire change through influence; honed interpersonal skills
Self-discipline with a high degree of accountability
Strong financial analysis and modeling skills and an understanding of business metrics
Natural curiosity and willingness to learn paired with a desire for continuous improvement
Proven written and verbal abilities enabling the preparation and presentation of information and recommendations to a diverse and senior level audience
BA or BS Degree
Minimum 3 years in portfolio/product management, product development, sales, marketing, or other relevant management role
Expected travel ~20% of time
Proficiency with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Responsibilities

Lead a profitable line of content offerings and develop strategic business plans.
Provide leadership, representing the portfolio and customers across audiences.
Use data to make market-informed business proposals, take mitigated risks, and guide strategic decisions.
Develops deep market mastery - identifies trends, customer needs and challenges, and competitive landscape - to develop strong business plans aligned with overall corporate strategic direction that deliver desired business metrics
Translate priorities into organized end-to-end development plans with budgets, resources, performance goals, and key checkpoints.
Provide project team direction, facilitating effective communication, and ensuring timely delivery of multiple content offerings simultaneously within scope and budget.
Cultivate an environment of creativity and collaboration.
Deliver quality learning experiences to students and instructors.
Establish and maintain relationships with key authors, content creators, and adoption decision makers to gain customer insights, strengthen adoptions, and identify new talent.
Develop a deep understanding of competitors and an ability to anticipate competitor activity.
Identify and test portfolio content ideas within segments, including the administration of focus groups, advisory boards, reviews, and customer meetings as appropriate.
Regularly analyze portfolio plans to align forecasting and measurement of progress towards goals.
Partner closely with Marketing and Sales teams to seed and secure adoptions.
Work closely with colleagues in other functional areas (Learning Design, Content Production, Marketing, Sales, Product Technology, etc.).
Create compelling needs-based discipline, course, and content positioning and customer segments as inputs for campaign and sales enablement efforts.
Make presentations at internal and external meetings, campus visits, and academic conventions in support of sales efforts and to drive sales.