Product Manager, Academic Markets

National Restaurant Association • Chicago, IL

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

The National Restaurant Association and National Restaurant Association
Educational Foundation are proud to be part of a highly respected industry,
providing hospitality, opportunity, and quality of life. Much like the industry
we represent, we have a dynamic, diverse, and inclusive culture, grounded in
trust, hospitality, collaboration, and innovation. These are the core values
that inspire our work, and what we’re looking for in an experienced educational
publishing Product Manager, to lead and execute strategic plans for our
restaurant and hospitality-focused academic markets portfolio.

The learning products offered by the National Restaurant Association reach
nearly two million students a year across various markets. Our ambition is to
provide our global audience with innovative, engaging training and education
across multiple platforms. We offer a wide range of products in a variety of
segments, from textbooks to online resources to mobile applications, and we
focus on both compliance-driven and career-development suites.

As an integral member of our Product Management team, the Product Manager,
Academic Markets, will develop the strategic plan for the National Restaurant
Association’s restaurant and hospitality-focused academic markets portfolio
(secondary and post-secondary), focusing on both position-specific and
topic-driven training products. Serving as an internal advocate and leader for
the portfolio, you will be responsible for managing the day-to-day business of
the products, evaluating current performance, conducting competitive analysis,
and identifying customer-focused solutions to meet market needs.

As the market expert for this portfolio, you will need to have a deep
understanding of academic market requirements, the unique sales channels for
product adoption, delivery and support, eLearning technology capabilities, and
education trends. The position will collaborate closely with stakeholders across
Marketing, Sales, and Customer Care. Success is predicated on bringing
customer-focused solutions that have strong value propositions, meet data-driven
market needs, and provide unique competitive advantage.

Ideal candidates bring a minimum of five to eight years of product management
experience within B2B and B2C digital education products. Previous
consumer-based marketing experience a plus, as well as understanding of
eLearning capabilities and education trends. Position requires a highly creative
and collaborative leader, with the strategic tenacity to move business forward.

Position operates out of our Chicago office with a required three days onsite,
Monday – Wednesday, with flexibility to work remote on Thursday and Friday.

The work you will do as part of our Product Management team will positively
impact our mission to develop a strong industry workforce. We look forward to
hearing from you!

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required. Concentration in Marketing, Business, or Education preferred.
• 5 – 8 years of experience in product management, marketing, sales, or development.
• Experience in B2B and B2C digital education products preferred;consumer-based product experience a plus. Restaurant or hospitality industry experience a plus.
• Strong communication skills; verbal, written and presentation.
• Self-motivated, customer focused, and capable of building business partnerships.
• Highly effective organizational, time-management, priority-setting and problem-solving skills.
• Exceptional analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Strong financial and business metrics acumen.
• Deep functional knowledge of product life cycles, strategic planning.
• Deep functional knowledge of digital education technology and how the restaurant industry engages with it.
• Positive, progressive attitude.
• Demonstrative abilities in collaborative team and consensus building (including internal and cross-functional groups).
• Strong interpersonal, negotiation, conflict management, and diplomacy skills.
• Ability to prioritize and drive multiple projects in a fluid, politically sensitive business environment.
• Sound business judgment; accurately identify situations that require upper-management consultation from those that allow for independent decision-making.
• Highly adaptable; ability to work well under pressure, within fast-paced environment, both in office and virtual.
• Computer proficiency across MS Office, including Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint. Ability to learn other computer software program/database systems as needed.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of work records.
• Occasional travel may be required.

Nice To Haves

• consumer-based marketing experience a plus
• understanding of eLearning capabilities and education trends
• Restaurant or hospitality industry experience a plus.

Responsibilities

• Assist the Vice-President, Career & Academic Markets to accomplish departmental goals; collaborate and support other functional leaders in the Product Management team.
• Act as manager for other product management team staff at the specialist, associate, and/or manager level.
• Develop, communicate, and execute the strategic plan for products in the academic markets’ portfolio, to achieve or exceed goals for market share and revenue growth.
• Serve as the organization’s market expert for the assigned portfolio; investigate, analyze, track, and respond to activity that could affect the products’ reception and position in the market, including competitive offerings.
• Ensure products in the portfolio meet customer expectations and delivery requirements, ranging from purchasing options through results tracking and reporting.
• Represent the product management function in Association initiatives.
• Anticipate discipline and industry trends through data-driven research, with a focus on meeting expectations for B2C and B2B career training and education.
• Manage product lifecycles of multiple products simultaneously, within scope and budget.
• Use a broad understanding of learning design (with emphasis on digital solutions) to bring customer-driven products and solutions to market.
• Regularly analyze product and portfolio plans to align revenue forecasting and measurement of progress towards goals.
• Serve as the advocate for the portfolio; communicate product information, including presentations to partners, potential customers, and other groups in support of sales efforts.
• Coordinate with the Sales and Compliance teams to develop a programmatic plan for securing approval of eligible NRA & AHLEI programs from grant-awarding organizations that support workforce development across all hospitality sectors.
• Provide thought leadership on pricing, business model strategies, and setting business goals.
• Prepare business cases for investment decisions.
• Participate in appropriate Development and Marketing activities.
• Identify and test product ideas within segments, including using focus groups, customer meetings, reviews, and advisory groups as appropriate.

Benefits

• outstanding healthcare coverage (medical, dental and vision)
• competitive salaries
• generous vacation and leave time
• matching 401(k) plan
• a unique collection of corporate discounts and memberships
• programs to support career and skills development, learning and tuition assistance, and so much more.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees