Senior Product Manager, Horizon

Nelnet Business Services (NBS), a division of Nelnet, Inc., provides payment technology, education services, and learning management solutions to education and faith-based organizations, serving more than 1,300 higher education institutions, 11,500 K-12 schools, 3,500 churches, and millions of individual students, families, and supporters across the globe. Our culture of service enables us to form long-lasting and trusted partnerships, while our focus on creativity and innovative solutions empowers our customer communities to thrive. As a Nelnet company, the perks at NBS go beyond our benefits package. You’re part of a community, invested in you as an individual and united by our mission to create opportunities for people where they live, learn and work. Nelnet Campus Commerce (NCC) is preparing to launch a new, category-defining payment and financial wellness platform, and we are opening a rare opportunity to join one of the most innovative teams in the industry while helping us set the stage for the next decade of higher education financial services. The Senior Product Manager for Horizon will engage with key product stakeholders to drive the strategy, roadmap, and execution for this critical new initiative serving NCC’s 1,000+ colleges and 8+ million students nationwide. Reporting into the NCC product organization, this role partners closely with engineering, design, client success, and higher education institutions to translate evolving market needs into next-generation, AI-enabled payment experiences. The position is pivotal to advancing our company's competitive position in the higher education payments space and will have high visibility among company leadership.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Own the end-to-end product strategy and roadmap for a core workstream within Horizon, aligning stakeholders across engineering, design, operations, and executive leadership. Translate insights from colleges, universities, students, and payers into prioritized product requirements that balance institutional needs with scalable platform architecture. Lead discovery efforts including client interviews, advisory councils, and student feedback loops to validate problems and pressure-test proposed solutions before build. Lead the charge to define strategic and novel applications of AI in our product Define and track success metrics (adoption, retention, payment completion rates, NPS) and use data to inform trade-offs and continuously improve outcomes post-launch. Partner with engineering leadership to break down complex modernization initiatives into incremental, shippable releases that minimize disruption to existing clients. Collaborate with compliance, security, and risk teams to ensure all releases meet PCI Level 1 standards and applicable higher education regulatory requirements. Drive go-to-market readiness in partnership with marketing, sales, implementation, and support teams, ensuring smooth client adoption and clear value communication. Influence cross-functional roadmap decisions across integrated products (payment plans, cashiering, refunds, storefronts) to ensure a cohesive client and student experience. Represent the voice of the client in executive forums, providing clear recommendations supported by qualitative research and quantitative analysis. Annual compensation range for this role is $100,000 - $150,000 depending on experience. This position offers a hybrid work option. Nelnet values flexibility and understands the importance of work-life integration. Our hybrid work environment allows associates living within 30 miles of an office location to work remotely for part of the week, while also fostering collaboration and team connection through in-office presence three days per week. Please note that we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position. To be considered, candidates must already be authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future sponsorship.

EDUCATION

Required: Bachelor's degree in Business, Computer Science, Finance, or a related field. Preferred: Advanced degree in a related discipline. Product management certifications

EXPERIENCE

Required: 3+ years of product management experience, including experience managing complex platform or SaaS products. Experience delivering AI-enabled software to market. Proven track record of shipping products in agile environments while partnering directly with engineering teams. Experience defining and using product metrics to drive prioritization and measure success. Preferred: Experience in higher education technology, payments, fintech, or B2B2C platforms. Familiarity with compliance, payment processing workflows, or ERP integrations (Workday, Banner, PeopleSoft, Colleague). Demonstrated experience leading substantial modernization, replatforming, or migration initiatives with measurable business outcomes.

YOU HAVE

High agency: Taking ownership of outcomes beyond the formal scope of the role, removing blockers proactively, and driving decisions forward rather than waiting for direction. You default to action and accountability in ambiguous situations. Design taste: Bringing a discerning eye for product quality, user experience, and craft. Pushing for elegant, intuitive solutions over feature accumulation and partnering effectively with design to elevate the standard of every release. Strong strategic thinking: Connecting product decisions to long-term business outcomes and anticipating market shifts in higher education and payments. Influence without authority: Building alignment across engineering, design, executive, and client-facing teams to move complex initiatives forward. Customer obsession: Demonstrating rigorous discovery practices and translating client feedback into clearly framed problems and solutions. Data fluency: Using quantitative analysis and qualitative research with equal confidence to make prioritization decisions and defend trade-offs. Agility in ambiguity: Operating effectively in evolving conditions, making clear decisions with incomplete information while managing risk. Our benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, HSA and FSA, generous earned time off, 401K/student loan repayment, life insurance & AD&D insurance, employee assistance program, employee stock purchase program, tuition reimbursement, performance-based incentive pay, short- and long-term disability, and a robust wellness program. Learn more about our benefits at Nelnet is committed to providing a welcoming and respectful workplace where all associates have the opportunity to succeed. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we ensure that all qualified applicants are considered for employment. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion/creed, national origin, gender, sex, marital status, age, disability, use of a guide dog or service animal, sexual orientation, military/veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law. We value the unique contributions of every team member and believe that a positive work environment benefits everyone. Qualified individuals with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations in order to apply or compete for positions at Nelnet may request such accommodations by contacting Corporate Recruiting at View phone number on click.appcast.io or View email address on click.appcast.io . Nelnet is a Drug Free and Tobacco Free Workplace. Use of Artificial Intelligence in Hiring We may use automated or artificial intelligence enabled tools to assist with the initial review of applications, such as identifying relevant skills or experience. These tools are used to support human review and do not make hiring decisions. A recruiter reviews applications and determines which candidates move forward in the hiring process. For more information, see our Privacy Policy and Pre-Use Notice: Automated Tools in Hiring You may know Nelnet as the nation’s largest student loan servicer – but we do more than that. A lot more. We’re also a professional services company, consumer loan originator and servicer, payment processor, renewable energy innovator, and K-12 and higher education expert (and that’s just a shortlist). For over 40 years, we’ve been serving our customers, associates, and communities to make dreams possible. EEO Info ( | EEO Letter ( | EPPA Info ( | FMLA Info ( #J-18808-Ljbffr Nelnet