The Art of Education University

REMOTE Product Manager | Product Management | 

The Art of Education University (AOEU) is seeking a mission-driven, detail-oriented and design-minded Product Manager to help reimagine the AOEU digital experience. The Product Manager will lead all aspects of product development; from concept through to release. They will work closely with engineering and go-to-market teams to define, prioritize and develop solutions that achieve AOEU strategic objectives. 

Product Management | What We Believe | 

MISSION
To maximize the impact that our products and services have on AOEU’s mission, to grow amazing art teachers. 

BELIEFS

• We believe in the art and science of product management; decisions should inform or be informed by data.
• We value decision making and solutioning that takes into account the end to end customer and user experience. 
• We believe in user-centered design; goals and outcomes are the primary drivers in the design process. 
• We believe in a clear separation of concern between problems and solutions. 
• We believe the most successful product initiatives are highly collaborative and cross-functionally driven.
• We are pragmatic; we adapt and are responsive to the unique needs of our users and business. 
• We are always multi-sourcing information; we never make decisions based on a single input. 

The Art of Education University | Who We Are | 

MISSION 
Our mission is simple, driven, and inspiring:  “We grow amazing art teachers by providing rigorous, relevant, and engaging professional development at every stage of their career.

BELIEFS
AOEU is an innovative and fast-growing institution of higher education serving art teachers around the world.  In 2019, we became the first homegrown graduate university in the state of Iowa in 50 years, and the world’s first “University For Life,” serving art educators throughout an entire lifetime of learning.

The Art of Education University serves tens of thousands of students, readers, customers around the U.S. in over 40 countries.  Our magazine is read more than 800,000 times each month, our events are attended by over 4,000 art educators annually, and we serve over 2,000 graduate students each year. 

CULTURE
Our culture is at the heart of our success as an institution.  We believe in a drama-free environment that upholds the ideals of Radical Candor©.  We believe that your success is our success.  You will always know where you stand and be challenged to grow and stretch yourself in ways you never imagined.

LEARN MORE:  www.theartofeducation.edu 

The Details | Product Manager | 

Essential Functions

• Work with Curriculum, Academics, Engineering, and QA teams to define business & functional requirements, designs, and user stories to support the software engineering process. 
• Conduct primary and secondary user research to help prioritize new features and inform design and development decisions. 
• Perform quantitative and qualitative analysis to define and track KPIs for product success. 
• Develop and regularly maintain a data-driven product backlog to deliver on the product vision and roadmap. Regularly collect market input (customers, sales, service, competitive intelligence, etc.) and update the backlog accordingly.
• Analyze consumer needs, current market trends, and potential partnerships from an ROI and build vs. buy perspective
• Appraise new product ideas and strategize appropriate go-to-market plans.
• Assist the Head of Product with the build-out of the Product Management department and practice at AOEU.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• A mission-driven mindset; ability to embed AOEUs mission as a core driver in product strategy and planning.
• Demonstrated expertise working in complex, collaborative, cross-functional teams with strong influence, communication and partnership skills.
• Extremely detail-oriented; proven experience analyzing and documenting complex business processes and user journeys. 
• A solid grasp of user-centered design (UCD), planning and conducting user research and A/B testing.
• Demonstrated experience leveraging data to inform roadmap and design decisions.
• K-12 or higher education domain experience is a plus but not a requirement.
• Comfortable with SQL, Tableau and Balsamiq.
• Experience working in a remote-first setting. 

Work Environment

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Position requires considerable concentration and focus throughout the day.
• Ability to sit for extended periods of time.
• Ability to lift items such as laptops, monitors, and the like.
• When traveling: 
• The ability to lift or push your suitcase.
• Ability to carry/lift up to 25-50 lbs of presentation materials for customers or for conference presentations, etc.

VISUAL & TACTILE REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to view computer screens for significant periods of time.  The Art of Education University is an online university.  Therefore 95-98% of one’s time will be on or using technology.
• Ability to use a laptop keyboard with accuracy.
• Ability to hear at normal levels and through electronic devices such as laptops, earbuds, phones, and the like.

Position Requirements

EDUCATION

• Bachelor's degree in education, technical or business discipline or equivalent experience; advanced degree or equivalent experience preferred

EXPERIENCE

• 3+ years’ experience in a product manager, product owner or business analyst role. 
• Startup experience is a plus.

Compensation & Benefits

POSITION DETAILS

Structured as a full-time, exempt, and salaried position, this individual will report directly to Chris Poulton, Director of Product.  Compensation is commensurate with education and experience.  Payroll is issued on a monthly basis paid on the 15th of the month.

BENEFITS AVAILABLE

Group healthcare plans are available.  The Art of Education University will contribute 100% for full-time health, dental, and vision, employee-only coverage.  Family coverage is available at an additional premium.

The Art of Education University offers participation, upon hire, of a 401K plan with up to a 4% match of employee contributions.

Appropriate and up-to-date technology is provided.

Unlimited self-managed PTO is offered to full-time members of AOEU.  Extended vacations must be pre-approved.  Flexibility exists so long as responsibilities are fulfilled and careful planning and communication are evident.

Timeline

THE PROCESS

Persons interested in applying should complete the application form linked below.  Applicants are required to submit a short 1-3 minute video explaining why they would like to be considered for the position and why they are uniquely qualified.  Failure to submit a video will automatically eliminate you from the application process.

Candidates who make it to Round 2 of the application process will be required to complete a packet for review, prior to their scheduled interview time.  

Finalists will have one final culture interview with the President of the University.

All applicants and candidates will be notified of the status of their application.

THE TIMELINE

• Interested applicants should complete the application and upload a current resume by January 31, 2021
• Candidates selected for an interview will be notified as applications are submitted.
• Anticipated position start date: February 15, 2021.

How to Apply | This Is Me | 

• APPLY HERE:  https://theartofed.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=90