Editorial Manager

Role Description

At Cengage, our employees have a direct impact in helping learners around the world discover the power and joy of learning. The Higher Ed Editorial and Learning Team is responsible for creating a content and program investment strategy that sets the global standard for relevancy, comprehensiveness, and evidence-driven pedagogical design.

The Editorial Manager (EM) recruits and develops authoring talent, defines project scope, and negotiates terms for statements of work and contracts. The EM leads the full content development process, collaborating with a cross-functional team to ensure the on-time delivery of high-quality, career-focused, continuously updated, and commercially successful learning experiences.

What you'll do here:

• Strategic Leadership
  • Own the difficulty content strategy and roadmap, including new course entry investment proposals.
  • Handle the portfolio content budget (P&L) to lead a profitable line of content offerings and develop short- and long-term strategic business plans aligned with business priorities.
  • Develop strategy for high-impact courses that drive revenue retention and growth, grounded in deep market knowledge and analysis of customer needs, trends, and the competitive landscape.
  • Evaluate data, financial metrics, customer feedback, industry needs, and usage analytics to guide strategic decisions, make market informed proposals, and take calculated risks.
  • Regularly analyze portfolio plans to assess progress toward goals and evolve strategy.
• Content Excellence
  • Establish strategy, specifications, and timelines for content development; own decision-making authority related to scope, release schedules, and budget.
  • Translate priorities into organized end-to-end development plans with budgets, resources, performance metrics, and key checkpoints.
  • Deliver quality, career focused, pedagogically sound learning experiences that improve student outcomes and address learning challenges.
  • Propose content updates that meet currency and pedagogical needs, ensure alignment with CLP capabilities, and advocate for platform-level innovations that enhance learning impact.
  • Create and maintain portfolio strategy artifacts, project start‑up documentation, and related planning materials.
• Market Insight, Research, & Innovation
  • In collaboration with Marketing and Research, set the market research strategy for content improvement and innovation.
  • Develop understanding of competitors, anticipate competitive actions, and advise decisions with insights from instructors, students, employers, and industry representatives.
  • Identify, test, and refine new content ideas through focus groups, advisory boards, customer meetings, and targeted market trials such as prototypes, pilots, and proof of concepts.
• Author, Stakeholder, & Relationship Management
  • Identify, recruit, and cultivate strong author talent and external subject matter experts.
  • Negotiate business terms and contract authors, subject matter experts, and industry partners to drive portfolio strategy forward.
  • Establish and maintain relationships with key authors, content creators, and decision makers to gather insights, strengthen adoptions, and identify emerging talent.
  • Partner closely with authors to develop content plans that deliver on strategic intent, meet quality expectations, incorporate career readiness, and improve competitive advantage.
• Cross Functional Collaboration & Team Leadership
  • Provide leadership across audiences, representing content needs and editorial priorities to internal and external stakeholders.
  • Guide and coordinate project teams, ensuring clear communication, effective collaboration, and on-time delivery of multiple offerings within scope and budget.
  • Advocate for platform innovations that facilitate new content development or improve existing content functionality.

Qualifications

• Creative and curious problem solving and collaboration
• Ability to clearly articulate vision and strategy and help team members understand how their work impacts business success
• Customer focus: understanding of how customer needs and challenges translate into opportunities
• Demonstration of strong communication skills with keen ability to facilitate team meetings, presentations, focus groups, and interviews.
• BA or BS Degree
• Minimum 3 years in portfolio/product management, product development, sales, marketing, or other relevant management role
• Ability to inspire change through influence; honed interpersonal skills
• Self-discipline with a high degree of accountability
• Strong financial analysis and modeling skills and an understanding of business metrics
• Natural curiosity and willingness to learn paired with a desire for continuous improvement
• Validated written and verbal abilities enabling the preparation and presentation of information and recommendations to a diverse and senior level audience
• Expected travel ~20% of time
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 and Adobe Acrobat, AI tools, SAP
• Preferred: Experience in Educational Technology

Benefits

• Comprehensive and rewarding Total Rewards package designed to support and empower our employees.
• Eligible to participate in the company’s discretionary incentive bonus program.
• Bonus target amount: 5% Annual: Individual Target
• Base pay range: $77,100.00 - $105,000.00 USD