QS is a global leader in higher education services. We offer student recruitment solutions, analytics and insight, consultancy, and intelligence to thousands of university clients across the world. We provide platforms for business schools and universities to connect with talented individuals who are seeking to further their academic progress and career development. QS provides expert independent insight and facilitates connections between institutions and potential students interested in higher education. QS’s online portals (TopUniversities.com, TopMBA.com and QSLeap.com) and student recruitment events attract over 70M visits every year, enabling us to support students to find and connect with the right university and course of study for them. QS’s focus is on the international student market, connecting candidates to institutions through online advertising, face-to-face and online events, through enabling outreach to qualified leads and through nurturing highly qualified leads. QS compiles highly visible and influential rankings of international universities including the QS World University Rankings® which reaches a global audience of hundreds of millions of people. We have strong global assets and growth prospects, and we are currently both enhancing our existing business models and nurturing new revenue streams. QS has grown both organically and through acquisition; and through carefully targeted recruitment of top talent across key regions.
The Role:
The Digital and Events division (D&E) is a newly formed business unit, which is going through a significant transformation accelerated by the current environment. We are looking for a passionate and experienced Product Director to join the team, reporting into the Managing Director of D&E, to take a pivotal role in this transformation through the implementation of best practice product management.
As the Product Director, you will be responsible for increasing the success of the Digital & Events product portfolio and driving growth in both existing and new markets. This will involve optimising the efficiency of existing products as well as formulating new product innovation to address the future needs of the customers (students and institutions) and be the market leader in Higher Education student recruitment.
The role of Product Director is cross-functional and is expected to work closely with key stakeholder departments such as Technology, Marketing, Sales, Operations and others in order to drive consensus on the product portfolio strategy. This role joins at an exciting time with a unique opportunity to shape a newly created product function, and will be required to build a best in class product team creating clear and efficient product infrastructure with agile product development processes and practices.
Key Responsibilities:
Lead the transformation of product management by defining the D&E product management and development process and creating the working methodology for implementation. Define and develop the interface between product, design and technology. Continually drive adoption and iterative improvement of the company’s product delivery processes, standards and culture.
Lead on strategic planning and management of the full D&E product portfolio to include end to end responsibility for the product lifecycle, from planning, production, release, maintenance and end of lifecycle
Create the definition and alignment of the vision, strategy and roadmap that address the future needs of our customers. To include identifying opportunities and risks for delivering new products including opportunities for innovation, assessment of market obstacles and technical hurdles.
Lead the evaluation of market trends, emerging technologies and competitor strategies. Meet with customers, prospects, industry analysts and internal key stakeholders to discuss product requirements and validate product roadmaps.
Implement a customer centric approach to Product management, with the need to manage across our two customer groups – candidates and Higher Education institutions. Build strong relationships with new and existing customers as well as working closing with Sales Leaders and other customer facing roles to understand the current and future requirements of both existing and new customers. In parallel building the right team and process to ensure we have a market-leading understanding of target candidates globally, to inform our current and future strategy, vision and roadmap.
Develop and present business cases for new product development to senior stakeholders, clearly outlining the justification ensuring all relevant information – market research, resource required, time to deliver, business benefit – is included to justify investment.
In conjunction with the Technology team implement ‘agile’ working methodology, that quickly assesses new product innovation and adaption modifying to suit the requirements of QS.
Implement the go-to market strategy for new products, in collaboration with Sales and Marketing to ensure their ability to effectively position and sell products, as well as generating excitement from the industry.
Lead a product management team, providing clear direction and coaching to develop a consistent product management approach across QS, as well as ensuring they have the tools and resources to be successful
Implement performance metrics and KPI’s that monitor progress of projects as well as identify the success of new product releases and enhancements to enable the assessment of ROI.
Essential skills/experience
Proven experience in a strategic global product leadership role with successful management of the product lifecycle
Great people skills, working with global stakeholders in a matrix environment and taking people on the journey to achieve best in class product management
Experience implementing Agile working methodologies
Ability to lead a direct and indirect team to execute on product strategy
Ability to translate complex solutions in understandable and visual representations and strategies
A passion for driving change, and the ability to challenge the status quo and deliver truly outstanding products
Experience managing a team to deliver a great product
A do-er who is comfortable getting their hands dirty as well as leading the team
Proactive and problem solving
Preferably educated to a degree or equivalent level
Ability to recruit, develop and retain talent
Strong interpersonal skills
Company website
https://www.qschina.cn/