Working at CQUniversity

CQUniversity's course portfolio spans vocational and higher education, domestic and international students, and a dual-sector model no other Queensland university can offer – all delivered across Australia’s largest university footprint with regional and metropolitan locations, on-campus, online and blended delivery modes.

As Senior Manager, Product Innovation, you'll play a critical, facilitative role in shaping CQUniversity's future-focused education portfolio — responding to emerging learner needs, industry shifts and the evolving global education landscape. You'll partner with stakeholders right across the University to help advance our diverse portfolio of vocational and higher education products, driving market-informed decisions that create sustainable growth, competitive differentiation and an outstanding learner experience.

You'll collaboratively drive a market-responsive approach to course and product development, bringing together expertise from across the University to turn ideas and market insights into innovative and compliant offerings. You will:

• Play a leading role in shaping portfolio strategy and identify opportunities for new and enhanced education products.
• Facilitate cross-functional collaboration across Corporate Training Solutions, Learning and Teaching Futures, Schools, Quality, Finance and Marketing.
• Guide product development from market insight and concept through to business case, development and launch.
• Provide evidence-based recommendations on portfolio priorities, investment and opportunities for growth.
• Establish structured post-launch reviews to evaluate performance, market response and opportunities for continuous improvement.

Who We're Looking For

This role is built for someone with strong collaboration and influencing skills, sound commercial acumen and a growth mindset — someone who moves fluidly between strategic thinking and hands‑on delivery, who has translated market and learner insight into products that launch, while ensuring quality and compliance is upheld.

We welcome candidates from backgrounds including product or portfolio management, curriculum and course development, program management, innovation or transformation within a university, or commercial product roles where market insight has been translated into strategy and successful products.

Be Rewarded

• 17% superannuation (with the choice to join an award-winning superfund) 
• 5.4 weeks annual leave (incl. Christmas and New Year closure)
• 10 days personal/sick leave, plus 5 days carer’s leave
• 7.25 hours engaged service leave
• Fantastic professional and career development opportunities
• Up to 26 weeks (six months) paid parental leave
• Access to an Employee Assistance Program and Fitness Passport

Position Requirements

Essential:

• Relevant postgraduate qualification, extensive product management experience and proven management expertise (or an equivalent combination of relevant experience and/or education training).
• Knowledge of product management and innovation methodologies such as design thinking, human-centred design, agile development, and portfolio lifecycle management.
• An understanding of financial and commercial principles underpinning product viability, pricing, and sustainability.
• Demonstrated success leading the end-to-end development and delivery of new academic or training products, including market analysis, cross-functional co-design and stage-gate processes, through to launch and evaluation, while safeguarding quality and regulatory compliance.
• Proven ability to interpret and connect market insights, competitor data, learner needs, institutional strategy and academic capability to inform evidence-based product strategies.
• Strong commercial acumen with capability in strategic planning, data analysis and synthesis, business case development, and product portfolio management.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, including the ability to present recommendations and build alignment across executive and operational teams while navigating complex governance environments.

Desirable:

• An understanding of vocational and tertiary education systems in Australia, including regulatory and quality assurance frameworks (AQF, TEQSA, ASQA).
• Awareness of national and global trends in higher education, vocational education, and emerging learner markets with experience leading education transformation or organisational change.
• Experience working with teams responsible for education product marketing strategies, and an understanding of digital capability required to scale and automate practices.