JOB DESCRIPTION

Job title: Product Manager

Division:BCS Learning & Development Ltd Department: Marketing

Reporting to: Head of Education

Reporting in: No direct reports

Role context and purpose

Reporting to the Head of Education, the Product Manager will be responsible for the exploration, identification, research, business analysis, justification and launch of potential new products to support the delivery of Digital IT Apprenticeships within the BCS Education portfolio. The Product Manager will also work with other colleagues in the Education Team to maintain the existing global product portfolio.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Co-ordinate research projects to help to understand customer needs in the Education marketplace in order to develop new products and services that will enable the portfolio to grow and BCS’s position in the market to become more established;
  • Develop an understanding of the Education Market to identify and develop new products or product growth working with suppliers, training providers, schools and awarding/certification bodies;
  • Develop the requirements for new products, liaising with our customers and internal departments. Production of high quality documentation to include business cases and product justification proposals for new or existing products for submission for approval;
  • Create and define these products to help meet customer requirements whilst balancing the strategic needs of the business, achieving growth, revenue and profit goals ensuring that the product delivered meets with the needs of the business and the customer requirements;
  • Ensure all regulatory requirements are met (e.g. Ofqual, School Performance Points, SFA registrations etc.), working closely with the Product Development and Operations teams;
  • Develop and implement a Product Plan for Apprenticeships ensure agreed growth, reach, revenue and profit goals are met;
  • Prioritise products released to market balancing demand and capability while working collaboratively with Product Development, Systems, Marketing and Sales to deliver successful roll outs;
  • Work with Sales, Marketing and Product Development to develop and fulfil the product;
  • Manage Product Marketing, including pricing, packaging, sales enablement for identified product and project areas, working in conjunction with other relevant departments;
  • Project manage the product development process from start to finish;
  • Manage the launch meetings with Product Management, Marketing and Sales;
  • Monitor and Report on monthly performance of the Education product(s);
  • Assessthe viability of a group of products and implement agreed changes to ensure it maximises growth opportunities in the marketplace;
  • Work closely where requested with the Institute’s Academy team and the Computing at Schools network to ensure alignment of Education activities across the group;
  • Manage all costs associated with practice area and setting the relevant prices for the practice to ensure desired income and margin objectives are met;
  • Manage suppliers and contracts, negotiating and maintaining contracts to achieve suitable margins and profitability, liaising with your manager and the Sourcing Manager as appropriate;
  • Develop a deep understanding of knowledge in the market, competitor & customer base in your identified product and project areas. Draft action plans to drive the growth of existing products, respond to competitor activity and develop new business proposals, working with the Team to update product strategy as necessary;
  • Collaborate on Education Team product bids and tenders based on consultation with other departments and your Line Manager as required;

The following points are generic:

  • Flexibility is required of all job holders to adjust responsibilities as required from time to time by their Line Manager/Head of Education.
  • The content and reporting lines detailed in this job description may be reviewed and changed from time to time to reflect organisational requirements.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Education & Qualifications /
  • Educated to degree level or equivalent

Experience /
  • Product development and delivery management experience ideally within UK Education marketplace, including schools, FE colleges and Universities.
  • Ability to develop strong and productive relationships with internal teams and customers.
  • Relationship management of key stakeholders
  • Sales awareness, ability to liaise with and create key messages to support the marketing of all products.
  • Product/Project Management Experience - ability to manage concurrent projects
  • Developing and assessing the viability of business cases, budgets and plans
Desirable: Either education qualifications development or development of eLearning and educational content.
Competencies & skills /
  • Critical Thinking/ perspicacity
  • Creative thinking, problem solving
  • Ability to build effective and strong interpersonal relationships – relates easily and effectively to colleagues, customers, suppliers and partners.
  • Results orientated.
  • Excellent communication, influencing and negotiating skills at all levels and a confident presenter.
  • Data Analysis – the ability to monitor and collect research data to assess accuracy, validity, and viability of a group of products. To interpret and evaluate results, create reports and presentations with the purpose of implementing agreed changes to maximise growth opportunities within the marketplace.
  • Well organised and results oriented
  • Financial accountability and management: ability to manage budgets against an agreed cost model.
  • Highly organised
  • Strong attention to detail
  • Proven ability to work to tight deadlines

Knowledge /
  • General knowledge across a broad range of IT related areas

Special conditions:

  • Offsite visits to London office, clients, partners and suppliers may be required.
  • Some out of hours working may be required

Updated/prepared by: Perry Perrott – August 2016

Date issued: November 2016 Job no: 1030v2, Band 4 1