Product & Innovation Development Manager

Benetech•Palo Alto, CA

1d•$115,000 - $135,000•Remote

About The Position

Benetech is a technology nonprofit that has spent over 25 years expanding access to the written word for people with print and learning disabilities. Our flagship platform, Bookshare.org, is the world's largest accessible digital library. We are now building Bookshare+, an AI-powered remediation platform that helps students with learning differences access classroom materials and build independence. This is a hybrid role that bridges two critical functions: helping secure the innovation-focused funding that fuels our work, and accelerating how we build, deliver, and adopt AI across the organization. You will spend roughly half your time supporting grant development and funder stewardship as part of the Development team, and the other half driving internal AI adoption and supporting product operations. Critically, you will also serve as the primary liaison between the Development and Product & Engineering teams, ensuring that what we build and what we fund stay tightly aligned. Today, our fundraising narratives and our product roadmap can drift apart. Grant proposals describe impact we intend to deliver; product teams build toward usage and outcomes. This role exists in part to keep those two sides in sync: making sure funders understand what the product actually does, and making sure the product team understands what we have committed to deliver. You will be the person who sits in both rooms and ensures continuity between them. This role is well-suited for someone who thrives at the intersection of technology, storytelling, and impact whether early in their career with exceptional learning agility, or more experienced with a track record of cross-functional coordination. You may come from a range of backgrounds, but you must demonstrate strong learning agility, sound judgment, and the ability to operate across functions. You do need to be someone who reaches for AI tools instinctively, learns new technology quickly, and is energized by working across functions in a mission-driven organization. An education background is a strength here: understanding how teachers, students, and schools actually work makes you better at both telling our story to funders and shaping how our product evolves.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in education, computer science, public policy, or a related field
1-3 years of professional experience in building software, fundraising, education, product operations, technology, or a related field; a relevant graduate degree (e.g., M.Ed., MPP, or similar) may substitute for professional experience
Demonstrated fluency with AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini) in academic or professional contexts, not just awareness but regular, practical use
Strong writing skills with the ability to communicate clearly across technical and non-technical audiences
Comfort with ambiguity and fast context-switching; you can shift between a grant narrative and a product data summary in the same afternoon
Self-directed with strong project management instincts; you manage your own workstreams without waiting for detailed instructions
Ability to ask clarifying questions and identify gaps between expectations, timelines, and capacity.
Familiarity with standard collaboration tools (Google Workspace or Microsoft 365); Salesforce experience is a plus but not required
Genuine passion for Benetech's mission of accessibility and equity in education

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in education, computer science, public policy, or a related field
Familiarity with product management concepts: roadmaps, user research, metrics, prioritization
Experience leading or supporting AI adoption, digital transformation, or process automation initiatives
Experience with or exposure to national and governmental funders
Background working in K-12 or higher education settings, particularly with students with learning differences or print disabilities
Experience in a nonprofit, edtech, or mission-driven technology organization

Responsibilities

Research, prospect, and qualify technology and innovation-focused funding opportunities from foundations, corporate funders, and public/private initiatives
Draft and contribute to proposals, LOIs, grant narratives, and budgets in collaboration with program staff, finance, and the VP of Advancement
Coordinate with the Development Manager, Grants on submission calendars, compliance requirements, and reporting timelines
Translate complex technical outcomes and product milestones into clear, compelling narratives for funders and stakeholders
Execute stewardship activities including acknowledgments, impact updates, progress reports, and renewal communications
Track the innovation-grant pipeline, prospect status, and outcomes in Salesforce
Monitor trends in AI, accessibility, and edtech funding to identify emerging opportunities
Maintain a library of grant language and reusable support documents
Find and test AI tools that can improve workflows across Benetech teams, from content operations to grant writing to stakeholder communications
Run lightweight internal pilots: evaluate tools, document what works, and build simple playbooks so others can adopt what you learn
Partner with Product & Engineering to surface internal pain points that we need funding for ahead of time, prototype ideas.
Stay current on emerging AI capabilities relevant to accessibility, education, and nonprofit operations, and translate those into practical recommendations
Serve as the primary link between the Development and Product & Engineering teams, ensuring grant commitments, product roadmap, and impact narratives stay aligned
Translate product progress, usage data, and roadmap decisions into language that supports grant reporting, proposals, and funder conversations
Bring funder requirements, deliverable timelines, and compliance needs into product planning so the team can account for them proactively
Support the product team with stakeholder coordination, cross-functional communication, and preparation of materials for leadership and board audiences
Help synthesize usage data, pilot feedback, and market signals into clear summaries that inform roadmap and go-to-market decisions
Assist in maintaining product documentation, competitive intelligence, and internal alignment materials