Senior Product Manager: Research Solutions (SaaS)

Keller Executive Search

22h•$140,000 - $155,000

About The Position

Our client is looking for a Senior Product Manager to take ownership of a research administration product area and help shape its next stage of growth. This is a strategic, outcomes-focused role for an experienced product leader with strong customer empathy and an understanding of research administration in higher education. You'll shape product vision and roadmap priorities, lead customer discovery, and partner closely with engineering, design, and go-to-market teams to deliver measurable customer and business outcomes. This is an individual contributor role with significant ownership, visibility, and influence over product direction.

Requirements

8+ years of product management experience, including significant ownership of complex SaaS products
Experience with research administration, either through a software provider serving this market or within a university or research institution
Strong understanding of research-related workflows such as sponsored programs, grants administration, compliance, research operations, or adjacent areas
Demonstrated ability to develop product strategy and translate it into an executable roadmap
Strong product discovery skills and experience working directly with customers
Experience partnering closely with engineering and design teams
A curious, resourceful, and self-directed approach to solving complex problems
Strong analytical skills and comfort using data to inform decisions
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Ability to simplify complex problems and influence stakeholders across different functions and levels
Experience working successfully in distributed, cross-functional environments

Nice To Haves

Experience in higher education technology or enterprise workflow software
Experience building highly configurable products or workflow-driven platforms
Familiarity with the regulatory, compliance, security, and accessibility requirements of higher education institutions
Experience introducing AI-enabled functionality into established SaaS products
Experience working with complex enterprise customers and multiple stakeholder groups
Product management education, certification, or training related to AI and emerging technologies

Responsibilities

Own the product strategy, roadmap, and priorities for a key research administration product area
Lead customer discovery to understand institutional workflows, challenges, compliance requirements, and emerging needs
Translate customer insights, market trends, competitive intelligence, and data into clear product opportunities
Partner with engineering and design from discovery through delivery, defining requirements and measurable success criteria
Identify opportunities to improve workflows, configurability, usability, and AI-enabled capabilities
Collaborate with sales, marketing, customer success, and other teams to support launches, adoption, and customer outcomes
Define and track product health, adoption, engagement, and customer value metrics
Communicate product strategy and priorities effectively across internal teams and customer stakeholders
Drive continuous improvement through experimentation, customer feedback, and data-driven decision making