Academic Markets Product Management Associate - Chicago

TheNational Restaurant Association and National Restaurant Association EducationalFoundation are proud to be part of a highly respected industry, providinghospitality, opportunity and quality of life. And much like the industry werepresent, we have a dynamic, diverse and inclusive culture, grounded in trust,hospitality, collaboration and innovation. These are the core values thatinspire our work, and what we're looking for in an Academic Markets Product Management Associate for our Learning & Development team.

Thelearning productsoffered by the National Restaurant Association reach nearly two millionstudents a year, providing our global audience with innovative, engagingtraining across multiple platforms. We offer a wide range of products in avariety of hospitality segments, from textbooks to online resources to mobileapplications, with a focus on both compliance-driven and career-developmentsuites.

Asthe Academic Markets Product Management Associate, you will play an integral role in executing thestrategic plan for the National Restaurant Association's academic productportfolio, including providing project oversight, analysis of various forms ofresearch (market, customer, product, competition), and other tasks supporting deliveryof solutions to the market. You will also serve as the Product team's liaisonwith key internal stakeholders across Marketing, Sales, and Customer Care.
We're looking for an energetic and highlycollaborative self-starter, who brings minimum three years of experience withinacademic publishing, be it editorial, product, marketing, sales or relatedpositions. Must have proven understanding of post-secondary market and fundamentalsof product development lifecycle. Position requires strong problem-solving andproject management skills, a high level of accountability and attention todetail.

Position can be located in either our Chicago or Orlando offices.

Responsibilities:

• Assist Product Management team to accomplish departmental and Association goals; collaborate and support other functional leaders in the Learning & Development team.
• Support the Product Manager, Academic Markets in the development, communication, and execution of the strategic plan for products in the academic product portfolio, to achieve or exceed goals for market share and revenue growth.
• Act as the organization's product expert for assigned products; 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 academic portfolio meet customer expectations and delivery requirements, ranging from purchasing options through results tracking and reporting.
• Anticipate discipline and industry trends through data-driven research, with a focus on meeting expectations for career education delivered in secondary and post-secondary institutions.
• Manage assigned products from internal kick-off to launch within scope and budget and on schedule.
• Coordinate with the Exam, IT and Compliance teams as needed to align all workstreams for timely, zero-defect launch to the market.
• Collaborate with the Sales and Marketing teams on the appropriate training and message development and digital collateral creation to pre-sell and prime the market for launch of assigned products.
• Collaborate with Customer Care to prepare and deliver any training required to appropriately support sales and use of assigned products.
• Provide research and input on pricing, business model strategies, and setting business goals.
• Assist in the preparation of 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.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, Business or Education preferred.
• Minimum 3 years of related Product Management experience within academic publishing.
• Strong organizational, problem-solving, priority-setting and time management skills.
• Confident, curious and motivated self-starter committed to continuous learning.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written; demonstrate clear and concise business communication skills.
• Sound business judgment; ability to identify situations that require upper-management consultation from those that allow for independent decision-making.
• Outstanding attention to detail.
• Highly approachable with can-do attitude; comfortable interacting at all levels of the organization.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Proven ability to thrive as part of a team or work independently.
• Highly collaborative and accountable with proven interpersonal and diplomacy skills.
• Adaptable and flexible, with ability to thrive in fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Proficiency across Microsoft Office including Excel, Word, Outlook and PowerPoint. Ability to learn new technology as needed.
• Quarterly travel likely when safe to do so.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin, age, disability status, genetic information and testing, family and medical leave, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We strongly encourage women, minorities, people with disabilities and veterans to apply for our job openings. This commitment supports our policy of developing and capitalizing on the abilities of all our team members, as well as selecting, developing and promoting those who are best qualified.