Product Manager - Researcher Experience

at  Sage

ABOUT SAGE:

Sage is a global academic publisher of books, journals, and library resources with a growing range of technologies to enable discovery, access, and engagement. Believing that research and education are critical in shaping society, Sara Miller McCune founded Sage in 1965. Today, we are controlled by a group of trustees charged with maintaining our independence and mission indefinitely.

Our guaranteed independence means we’re free to:

• Do more – supporting an equitable academic future, furthering disciplines that drive social change, and helping social and behavioural science make an impact
• Work together – building lasting relationships, championing diverse perspectives, and co-creating resources to transform teaching and learning
• Think long-term – experimenting, taking risks, and investing in new ideas

PRODUCT MANAGER – RESEARCHER EXPERIENCE – (£55–66K PER ANNUM) – 18 MONTHS FTC – HYBRID ROLE

Join us and be part of a mission-driven, independent publisher. You’ll work with a diverse group of people who share a passion for empowering researchers, educators, and institutions to shape the future.

ABOUT THE ROLE & OUR TEAM:

• We are looking for a Product Manager to join our Research Pillar product team in Product Innovation at Sage. This is an 18 months fixed term maternity cover position and exciting opportunity to lead developments from our Researcher Experience roadmap, focused on improving the end-to-end experience for our journal researchers. This position will be responsible for a core area of the Researcher Experience roadmap, along with priority development projects, as needed.
• The Research Pillar product team manage a variety of products in the researcher journey, including our core journals platform, Sage Journals; our Sage preprints community platform, Advance & our Submission & Peer Review platform. We are also responsible for the end-to-end researcher experience across all products & lead development across products & systems to improve the researcher experience and ensure researcher-centric systems & workflows.
• We work with all departments involved in journals publishing, including editorial, marketing, production, customer service & sales. We also work closely with our Technology division and Product people across Sage. We are also heavily involved in our product vendor relationships, working closely with our vendor teams.
• Product Innovation is a team of product people within Sage working on exciting and innovative product lines. The team includes Product Managers, UX Designers, and Researchers. We are passionate about providing as much value to our users and customers as possible, in ways that work for the business.
• We’re a very welcoming and fun team, with a culture of inclusion and a focus on continuous improvement and learning. We take a user-centred approach to product design, basing our decisions in evidence and expertise, and bringing best practice from the world of product management to everything we do.

Your new role:

• Lead the definition and delivery of a product roadmap & backlog, or a specific area of a large product or business area roadmap. Manage the prioritisation, definition and delivery of product enhancement projects, collaborating with relevant stakeholders, UX & design teams, technology & the technology vendor for the product(s), along with carrying out user testing, so as to meet the business goals and KPIs set out for the product(s).
• Talk accurately about your core user personas and their common user journeys drawing on data.
• Explore new enhancement concepts, effectively drawing on user research and web analytics as well as collaboration with UX Designers to test, validate and evolve.
• Lead the creation of user stories for enhancement projects.
• Responsible for guiding the development team to prioritise and effectively execute the technology solution.
• Lead project teams and meetings, driving discussions and decision making.
• Develop a thorough understanding of the product(s), who are using them and how by analysing product usage data and conducting user research. Set, monitor and analyse KPIs for all enhancement projects.
• Earn trust, collaborate with key team members from across the business working on the day-to-day running of the product(s) to improve efficiencies and solve product-related issues.
• Communicate internally and contribute to external communication, with non-technical language, as relevant, to ensure product enhancements and success are promoted and understood, and that any issues or bugs affecting the use of the product are shared and handled, as appropriate.
• Interact regularly with product customers & users to ensure full understanding of their wants, needs and perspectives in order to be an effective voice within SAGE advocating their viewpoint.
• Report your work towards your product vision in alignment with your team, framing your work to relate back to the long-term goals of the product. Establish strong relationships with product stakeholders, promoting the reputation of the product, and the work of the Product Innovation department.
• Do your work with DEI in mind to include diverse voices in your work, follow accessibility principles and demonstrate inclusive behaviours in the way you work with colleagues.
• Do your work with a Lean Mindset, systematically improving your work processes to continuously look to add more value for your customers and drive efficiencies in your work
• Actively engage in emerging technologies, techniques and innovations to drive strategic business decision