Director of Product, Learner Mobility - job 1 of 2

The Director of Product, Learner Mobility at Instructure is responsible for strategic product leadership, focusing on defining and executing the product vision and strategy. This involves prioritizing the product roadmap, leading the team through the product lifecycle, engaging with customers, and conducting deep market research to capture emerging trends. Additionally, this role includes mentoring a globally distributed team of Product Managers and ensuring cross-functional collaboration among Engineering, Design, Sales, and Customer Experience.

For the role of Director of Product, Learner Mobility at Instructure, candidates typically need a robust background in product management, often 7-10 years of experience in a similar field. Advanced education, such as a Master’s degree in a relevant area, is preferred. Candidates should demonstrate strong leadership abilities, excellent communication skills, and an understanding of market dynamics in educational products, especially in learner mobility areas such as admissions and credit transfer.

The Director of Product, Learner Mobility at Instructure contributes to innovation by developing unique and impactful products that simplify the educational journey for students and institutions. By conducting market research and customer engagement, this role informs product strategy and prioritizes features based on data analysis and user feedback. The emphasis on learning mobility allows the director to create products that not only meet current challenges but also anticipate future needs in the educational landscape.

Instructure's Director of Product, Learner Mobility will lead a talented team of globally distributed Product Managers. This role necessitates fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation, ensuring team alignment with business priorities, and providing mentoring for professional growth. Communicating product vision and progress to various stakeholders is also essential, making strong interpersonal skills critical for success.

As the Director of Product, Learner Mobility at Instructure, you can expect a competitive salary range of $160,000 to $166,000 annually, plus a 10% annual bonus. In addition, the role comes with a compelling benefits package, including medical, dental, and life insurance, a 401k plan, tuition reimbursement, flexible work schedules, paid time off, and an annual Lifestyle Spending Account to support your well-being and professional growth.

When addressing your experience with leading product teams in education technology, highlight specific roles where you have successfully guided teams through the product development lifecycle. Discuss the challenges faced, how you tackled them, and the positive outcomes or innovations that resulted under your leadership.

For this question, detail the product methodologies you are familiar with, such as Agile or Lean. Explain how you've implemented these methodologies to enhance team collaboration and streamline processes, ultimately resulting in timely and effective product launches that meet market needs.

To effectively answer this question, share your framework for prioritizing product features, which should include factors like customer feedback, competitive analysis, and strategic business goals. Provide examples illustrating how your prioritization directly benefited users and improved product outcomes.

In answering this question, recall a specific instance where your market research uncovered insights, leading to a pivotal shift in your product strategy. Explain the research methods used, the stakeholders involved, and the measurable impact of those changes on product success.

A strong answer will involve discussing your approach to setting clear objectives from the outset and regularly reviewing feature alignment with business goals. You could mention specific performance metrics you track to measure success and how you communicate these metrics to the team to maintain focus.

When discussing your mentoring style, emphasize your commitment to fostering a culture of continuous learning and collaboration. You might mention specific strategies, like scheduled feedback sessions, career development plans, or creating opportunities for team members to share their insights and challenges.

To effectively answer this question, describe your conflict resolution strategies, such as open communication, establishing common goals, and actively listening to diverse perspectives. Sharing a specific example where you successfully resolved a conflict can strengthen your answer.

Describe your strategies for collecting customer feedback, including surveys, direct interviews, and usability testing. Emphasize how you analyze this feedback systematically to derive actionable insights that inform product decisions, ensuring that customer needs are central to your development process.

Discuss the key performance indicators (KPIs) you track post-launch, such as user engagement, customer satisfaction scores, and retention rates. Explain how you utilize these metrics to drive continuous improvement and keep stakeholders informed about product performance.

Highlight your understanding of current challenges in learner mobility, such as credit transfer complexities or barriers to admissions. Discuss innovative solutions you might implement to address these challenges and how they align with Instructure’s vision of simplifying student journeys.