Executive Product & Strategy Officer

Role Description

This position works remotely, requiring a telecommuting agreement and adherence to the UCSC Telecommuting/Remote Work Guidelines. The employee shall be available in a full-time capacity during assigned telecommuting work hours (specific hours to be discussed with supervisor). While telecommuting/remote working, the employee is responsible for ensuring a worksite environment suitable for accomplishing their regular job duties during scheduled hours of work and, if applicable, arranging for dependent care just as they would if they were working at the regular UCSC worksite.

NO VISA SPONSORSHIP IS AVAILABLE FOR THIS POSITION.

Job Summary

The Executive Product & Strategy Officer (EPSO) is accountable for providing oversight and strategic direction around the organization's product, project management, and software development. The incumbent provides executive oversight to team members, working in collaboration with other Smarter Balanced Executives and Smarter Balanced Consortium members to provide services and create products and applications that are relevant, high-quality, and delivered on time. Work teams under the direction of this executive include:

• Project Management
• Product Management
• Application Services
• Software Development

The successful incumbent will have strong IT, product management, and project management skills to provide executive support to their staff. The EPSO will use their extensive management and leadership skills to maintain a positive work environment while ensuring that their staff successfully engages in complex, technical, and time-sensitive work.

Job Duties

• 70% - Strategy and Management of Products:
  • Provide executive oversight and strategic direction and quality of the Organization's products and tools, aligned to and anticipating member needs and field trends.
  • Directly and through subordinate staff, provide leadership and direction to project management, applications & software development, and product teams engaged in best practices, effectively collaborating with members and other Smarter Balanced teams.
  • Guide staff regarding requirements gathering processes as applicable to their areas of responsibility to ensure that Smarter Balanced remains a leader in the educational assessment field.
  • Make recommendations to the Deputy Executive Director and implement decisions on issues (content-related, operational, member customer service) that have organizational-wide impact.
  • Provide executive oversight regarding systems and processes to ensure that staff employs transparent project management strategies as well as clear pipelines of development, testing, and production.
  • Closely collaborate with the Executive Leadership Team to identify and explore opportunities for innovation in assessment products/process and build product team capacity to pursue innovation work using the Organization's green-lighting process.
• 30% - Leadership, supervision, and operations:
  • Provide direct supervision to assigned staff, including responsibility for staff development, performance management, and evaluation. Hiring and work assignment for direct reports.
  • Collaborate with other Smarter Balanced executives to set organizational objectives, short- and long-term.
  • Represent the organization in meetings and in conversations with interest holders.
  • Provide executive oversight regarding the organization's approach to project management and ensure that projects and tasks are well planned, monitored, and appropriately adjusted as needed.
  • Develop and implement internal unit procedures, exercising independent judgment to ensure unit objectives align with departmental and organizational goals.
  • Foster an environment that promotes a culture of professionalism, inclusion, and respect within the team.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in related area and/or equivalent experience/training.
• Advanced experience eliciting requirements from K-12 state agencies in a high-stakes environment.
• Advanced experience in project management strategies with demonstrated experience managing large-scale educational assessment projects, products, and services.
• Proficient knowledge of the software lifecycle and development process.
• Demonstrated experience in being responsive to stakeholders' needs.
• Experience in leading change management activities including ensuring fidelity of implementation to new processes and procedures.
• Excellent oral communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to effectively present technical topics to large groups and senior management with potentially varied levels of technical sophistication.
• Excellent written communication skills, including proficiency in grammar, spelling, and formatting.
• Ability to translate complex information into easily understandable written content for internal and external interest holders.
• Detail-oriented with the ability to see and strategize for the bigger picture.
• Experience ensuring that organizational practices, services, and behaviors support and promote collaboration among staff.
• Demonstrated experience with senior management planning and budgeting.

Preferred Qualifications

• Terminal degree in a related field (PhD, JD, MD, etc.).
• Proficient knowledge regarding how to apply Artificial Intelligence to improve the quality and efficiency of informational technology and project management practices.
• A proven track record of management and leadership skills to support a team that engages in complex, technical, and time-sensitive work.

Special Conditions of Employment

• Selected candidate will be required to pass a pre-employment criminal history background check.
• Selected candidate must pass the employment misconduct disclosure process.
• Ability to work long periods of time at a computer with or without accommodation.
• This is a fully remote position, and the selected candidate must be able to work successfully from a home/remote office.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends as directed.
• Ability to travel nationally.
• Selected candidate will be required to complete training within established time frames as directed including UC compliance training.
• Exercise the utmost discretion in managing sensitive information learned in the course of performing their duties.

EEO/AA

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status or other protected categories covered by the UC Anti-Discrimination Policy.