Product Manager II

ACT Education•Iowa City, IA

1d•Remote

About The Position

ACT is seeking a Product Manager II to help build a new pathway navigation experience that enables high school students to explore, plan, and take confident next steps toward college and career. The role works cross-functionally with design, engineering, research, and business partners, moving quickly, testing ideas and prototypes, and translating student and customer insights into a product students want to use. This is a remote position based in the United States and a fixed-term role lasting six months, with the possibility of extension. The finalist will be hired at a salary and level commensurate with qualifications. The anticipated annual salary range is $80,000 to $100,000; salary placement depends on factors including skills, experience, and internal equity. Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without visa sponsorship.

Requirements

At least 3 years of experience in product management or a closely related discipline.
Experience building or launching a 0-to-1 product, or leading a significant new feature or product effort from concept to launch.
Experience working cross-functionally with design and engineering in an agile environment.
Demonstrated ability to build prototypes, mockups, or lightweight proofs of concept to test and communicate product ideas.
Bachelor’s degree in technology, education, data science/analytics, business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience that provides comparable knowledge and abilities.
Comfort operating with ambiguity and building structure and process where none exists.
Ability to build prototypes independently, such as with Figma or no-code AI tools.
Skill navigating and influencing across organizations.
Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to build trust quickly with new stakeholders.
Strong project management instincts and ability to keep complex, cross-organizational work on track.
Genuine passion for education and unlocking opportunity for students.
Experience using AI tools to support day-to-day work, such as drafting, research, and data synthesis, with sound judgment about when human review is required.
Ability to use data and analytics tools, such as SQL and dashboards, to translate research and usage data into product decisions.

Nice To Haves

Experience working and influencing in cross-functional organizations.
Experience in EdTech, workforce development, or the college and career readiness space.
Completion of the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate is recommended.

Responsibilities

Serve as the connective product lead across functional teams, aligning roadmaps, priorities, and timelines.
Build trusted working relationships with stakeholders in product, design, engineering, and business functions.
Define and validate the product vision and requirements for a new pathway navigation experience for high school students, from early concept through launch.
Build quick, scrappy prototypes and gather feedback before committing engineering resources.
Make pragmatic tradeoffs to move the team from ambiguity to a validated direction with limited resources and evolving scope.
Lead lightweight, continuous discovery with high school students, counselors, and educators to understand pathway-planning needs.
Translate research and data into clear product requirements and prioritization decisions.
Share findings to build a common understanding of user needs and product direction.
Partner with designers and engineers to scope, prioritize, and ship product features on a fast-moving timeline.
Own the end-to-end product development lifecycle, from requirements through launch coordination and post-launch performance tracking.
Communicate proactively with stakeholders about status, decisions, and risks.
Manage project timelines and dependencies across cross-functional teams.
Present product updates and recommendations to leadership.