Director, Product Strategy & Engineering

Nelnet Business Solutions is a division of Nelnet, Inc. that provides payment technology and education services to various organizations. The Director of Product Strategy is responsible for defining the product vision, managing product lifecycles, and ensuring alignment with the company's strategic goals while leading a product team.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain a product vision and strategy for our business lines
• Set up the tools and frameworks that enable Venture Factory and BUs to move faster
• Manage, maintain and carry out the Product and technology Roadmap
• Own product management and development for early-stage ventures
• Manage product lifecycles from concept to end-of-life activities
• Conduct market research, trend-spotting and strategic planning activities, including gathering and analyzing intelligence on competitors’ products and services; collaborating internally and externally (with clients) to develop, champion and extend a product and service vision; and articulate plans for achieving the vision
• Identify strategic product opportunities and drive definition of next generation products based on in-depth knowledge of the needs within the marketplace and extensive direct customer interaction
• Conduct in-depth market, industry and competitive analysis as it relates to product positioning
• Manage our Product Client Advisory Board
• Participate in and provide support for all pricing related decisions
• Directly manage a product team responsible for the product/service development, implementation and management of the entire lifecycle
• Collaborate with key internal stakeholders to ensure technical specifications are achieved when bringing a product/service or enhancement to market
• Provide support to the internal teams as new and enhanced products/services are delivered to the market
• Build and maintain status as a cross-functional leader, internally and externally evangelizing products/services in the portfolio

Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree in a business related field or equivalent experience
• Minimum of 5 years of direct Higher Education experience, preferably coming from a college or university position
• Experience with emerging technologies and technology trends
• Experience with managing product team members and executing a strategic plan around SaaS based product offerings
• Team player with strong leadership, motivational and organizational skills
• Effective skills in forecasting, monitoring and adjusting staffing requirements
• Ability to lead meetings and committees within NBS and Nelnet
• Customer focused, results driven self-starter
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Ability to identify and articulate go-forward product vision for company expansion and growth
• Excellent prioritization skills with the ability to and manage multiple concurrent projects
• Knowledgeable in the preparation of reports pertinent to area of responsibility with the ability to effectively deliver presentations as needed
• Proven skills in handling stressful situations and meeting deadlines
• Analytical with strong problem solving skills
• High degree of proficiency with computer applications (primarily MS Office products)
• Flexibility to adapt quickly to new situations, programs, and services
• Experience with payment processing, banking and finance