Our mission at Cappex is to help millions of high school students each year realize their dream of getting into the right college for them. We get excited about turning a confusing, stressful process into a simple, organized pursuit for the perfect college fit. Cappex is growing and needs innovators like you to support our mission. Join our team today and help connect students to their dreams.

We are looking for a skilled and experienced Manager to lead our Product team and join us in our Chicago office. Reporting directly to the Senior Vice President of Product and Technology, you will shape the product strategy, and lead a tight-knit group of passionate individuals with a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Together, we aim to reimagine what the college search and decision process can be. As the leader of the Product Team, you will play an integral part in planning and executing our new product vision.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage an exceptional product team, currently comprised of Product Management, Product Design and Usability
• Recruit, retain and develop the team effectively
• Translate customer and market needs into compelling and successful product strategies that are consistent with the established product vision.
• Work collaboratively with the technology team to effectively turn visions into reality
• Serve as an advisor on complex issues and projects by elevating conversations to the strategic level and proposing plans to support gaps effectively. Work cross-functionally to manage bottlenecks and resolve escalated issues.
• Promote a culture of professional development and learning amongst the team; focus on developing team members' skill sets and knowledge
• Participate in user research strategy and execution; speak with market participants regularly to stay in touch with their needs and advocate for them
• Create a roadmap strategy and facilitate communication across the organization, in conjunction with the Product Managers
• Collect and leverage data from disparate sources to drive decision making; instill and encourage a data-driven culture
• Manage relationships with third-party solutions integrated into products

 Requirements

• 5+ years in a Product Management role
• 2+ years in management role
• Bachelor's degree or higher
• Familiarity with agile software development methodologies
• Direct report experience leading design and usability teams
• Ability to collaborate cross-departmentally and build strong relationships across the organization. You are both emotionally intelligent and confident, yet approachable. You are not afraid to champion your cause using rational persuasion and excellent interpersonal skills but will stand by the group decision once committed.
• Excellent critical thinking and problem solving skills--you have a "whatever it takes" attitude
• Ability to work with technical teams to develop innovative solutions, evaluate implementation alternatives, assess level of effort, and troubleshoot issues
• Excellent communicator with the ability to quickly understand and explain complex concepts to diverse audiences in both written and oral formats.
• Proven track record of shipping successful products with exceptional quality on time and on budget

All applications will be kept confidential. We appreciate all interest, but will only contact those applicants with whom we wish to proceed further.

Equal Opportunity Employer