Job Description :
Technical Program Director
Job Summary:
The overall purpose of this is position is to provide strategic direction and overall business management of Client, Client''s professional networking and collaboration platform. The incumbent in the role manages the intersection of current user requirements, upcoming technology capabilities, and client''s product and business strategy to recommend functional enhancements to the existing platform or the creation of new platforms to maximize client''s service to its members and customers and grow revenue. He /She manages the business and user experience, and achieves its objectives through close collaboration and matrix management with partnering departments specializing in marketing, product management (including community management) membership, publishing, and information technology.
Client’s application, which is available on desktop, tablet, and mobile applications, includes online communities, author and researcher tools, and career development networking opportunities – all in one centralized hub. It is a highly visible initiative and plays a critical role in enabling and supporting CLIENT’s value proposition, with direct impact on the revenue streams to several parts of the organization, including: member dues, author services, career services, multi-media streaming, and advertising.
The position reports to the Director of Member Products and Programs. The role provides consultative direction and manages 3 direct reports. The position will coordinate initiatives across the organization in a matrix-management accountability structure. He/she is responsible for managing a staff, and coordinating the activities of cross-functional project team members and resources.
Essential Functions:
Specific duties include but are not limited to:
Provides strategic direction for the platform life cycle by defining and implementing processes that drive ongoing enhancements and updates to ensure the platforms not only meet today''s needs but anticipate the future needs of members, customers, users, and the product manager stakeholders
Creates and maintains a long-term platform roadmap to ensure continuous innovation and market competitiveness of the platforms
Serves as the platform evangelist, collaborating with multiple marketing teams throughout the organization to help formulate clear and consistent messaging related to market positioning and outbound campaigns
Serves as the primary liaison for the program to appropriate Executive Staff and Volunteer leadership, and ensures effective status reporting and/or proposals to Board of Directors and its committees of the client. This also includes preparing materials and presenting to the various volunteer/staff oversight committees of the client.
Directs the process for gathering requirements from the Product Managers, Marketing and Sales teams, and directly from platform users and translate those into requirements for use by technical teams that do the actual platform development and maintenance
Conducts constant analysis and evaluation of the platform to ensure competitive advantage or parity. This includes gathering feedback from customers and users as well as analyzing usage of the site and conducting regular reviews of competitive platforms
Provides business management for platform operations that includes development and management of the annual operating budget, income and expense allocations, and providing financial updates via the monthly forecasts
Manages, mentors, and trains staff to ensure platform achievement of individual and enterprise-wide business objectives. Operates within the employment policies and practices of CLIENT and all applicable employment laws and regulations. Engages with other client business units to advise on platform development ideas
Qualifications
Education and Experience:
Bachelor''s degree required in either a technical field such as Engineering or Computer Science or related fields in Business Administration or Product Marketing. An advanced degree such as an MBA is highly preferred
Minimum 10 years of closely related experience in electronic information products required, including social networks, communities, scholarly collaboration networks (e.g., Mendeley, Research Gate, etc, and social analytics tools
Minimum 7 years of project management experience required
Minimum 7 years of experience assembling and evangelizing business plans, inclusive of developing P&Ls and forecasting
Minimum 7 years management experience required. Proven knowledge and experience managing end-user and institutional markets for social networking, online communities, online collaboration, or online publishing tools
Skills & Other Requirements:
Ability to lead a team of cross-functional stakeholders to mutual agreement on prioritization of requirements and improvements, requiring consistent clear communications to all levels of stakeholders
Ability to drive consensus based on presentation of data
Experience in reviewing quantitative and qualitative research data to guide development for expressed and latent user needs
Background in gathering competitive intelligence and preparing market trending analysis
Desirable experience also includes knowledge of online privacy policies, and Scientific, Technical, and Medical (STM) publishing
Strong interpersonal and influencing skills and ability to balance competing priorities
Excellent written and oral communications skills, including preparing and making presentations
Technologically savvy knowledge worker who is adept with the use of modern information services such as social network services, smart phones, etc. and proficient in MS office, Gmail or web-based mail, and Google Apps