Product Manager, Subscription Systems

Product Manager

Crain Communications is seeking an experienced Product Manager to lead the development and optimization of the systems and experiences that drive subscriber conversion and monetization across our portfolio of media brands. This role sits at the intersection of customer experience, subscription technology, and business growth. The Product Manager will shape the platforms, workflows, and decisioning systems that convert audiences into subscribers. They will partner closely with engineering, subscriptions, marketing, analytics, and customer service teams.

At Crain, we embrace AI-enabled product development as part of our operating model and are looking for a product manager who uses modern AI tools to accelerate discovery, prototyping, experimentation, and delivery. The ideal candidate is comfortable leveraging AI to rapidly explore ideas, create product artifacts, build prototypes, and improve team effectiveness.

The ideal candidate has experience building and optimizing subscription platforms, checkout experiences, and paywall technologies. They are comfortable balancing strategic planning with hands-on execution.

Location: The Product Manager will work from one of the Crain offices if within commuting distance or remote from a state in which Crain has employees: AZ, CA, CO, IL, MD, MA, MI, MN, NV, NY, NC, OH, OR, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, and Washington, DC.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the development and optimization of products and capabilities that improve subscriber conversion and monetization.
• Collaborate with stakeholders across the organization to shape and execute the roadmap for subscription systems and platforms.
• Develop and enhance paywall technologies, including decisioning, targeting, messaging, and offer presentation capabilities.
• Lead experimentation programs and use customer insights, analytics, and testing to improve business outcomes and reduce friction for audiences.
• Collaborate with research, analytics, and business stakeholders to identify customer needs, evaluate competitive subscription offerings, and inform product strategy and prioritization.
• Partner with colleagues to develop audience segmentation and personalization capabilities that improve conversion and ultimately subscriber lifetime value.
• Work closely with engineering teams to define requirements and deliver scalable, reliable subscription platform capabilities, including entitlement and account management systems.
• Manage the product lifecycle from discovery and ideation through launch, optimization, and ongoing enhancement, ensuring subscription products deliver measurable value to both customers and the business.
• Develop and track success metrics to evaluate product performance and optimize subscription outcomes.
• Communicate product vision, priorities, performance, challenges, and opportunities to stakeholders across the organization.

Requirements:

• 3+ years of product management experience, including experience supporting subscription businesses, recurring revenue models, or digital commerce platforms.
• Hands-on experience with subscription technologies, checkout and payment systems, entitlement platforms, identity management, or customer lifecycle solutions.
• Demonstrated understanding of subscription business models, including subscriber acquisition, conversion optimization, retention strategies, churn reduction, pricing, and customer lifetime value.
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional initiatives that drive targeted business outcomes.
• Strong analytical skills and experience using data, experimentation, and customer insights to inform product decisions and measure impact.
• Proven experience partnering with engineering teams to define requirements and deliver scalable platform capabilities.
• Comfortable discussing technical concepts such as APIs, platform architecture, identity management, experimentation frameworks, and integrations with third-party subscription and payment technologies.
• Experience developing and optimizing conversion funnels, paywalls, pricing experiences or customer journey workflows.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate technical and business concepts for diverse stakeholders.
• Comfortable operating in matrixed environments with multiple brands, priorities, and stakeholder groups.
• Experience using AI-powered tools to accelerate product discovery, user research, requirements development, prototyping, and experimentation.
• Experience creating user flows, wireframes, prototypes, or product concepts using modern AI-assisted design and prototyping tools.
• Familiarity with customer data platforms (CDPs), CRM systems, marketing automation tools, and subscription analytics platforms preferred.
• Background in media, publishing, SaaS, or other subscription-based businesses preferred.

This position is exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act and is not eligible for overtime pay.

Pay Transparency Disclosure: The estimated salary range for this position is $115,000 to $130,000. The final salary offering will take into account a wide range of factors, including experience, accomplishments and location. The salary range provided should not be considered as a salary limit or cap. In addition to base salary, Crain also offers competitive benefits including retirement plan savings contributions and bonus opportunities based on individual and company performance.

About Crain Communications:

Crain Communications is a leading business news and information company with a portfolio of 24 media brands that provide indispensable coverage and data for professionals globally and across sectors, including advertising, automotive, finance, healthcare, staffing, and workforce solutions. Many of Crain's brands are the most influential media properties in the industries and communities they serve, including Ad Age, Automotive News, Pensions & Investments, Modern Healthcare, Staffing Industry Analysts, as well as Crain's regional business brands. For more than a century, our dedication to deep sector expertise and journalistic integrity has enabled us to provide trusted insights across all our platforms, empowering today's business leaders to make industry-shaping decisions. To learn more about Crain Communications, visit crain.com.

Environmental Demands

Where you work matters. The job posting will provide specific information on where and when your amazing work would be performed. Employee work location is determined by the needs of the specific team and may include on-site, hybrid or remote. Employee work location is subject to change.

• An "in-office" role would require the employee to come into the office most days with occasional flexibility to work remotely if tasks can be performed elsewhere and if the manager approves.
• A "remote" role would allow an employee to work from a home office that is in one of the states Crain does business in. We can only employ a remote / "work from home" employee if they reside in one of these states: AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, MD, MA, MI, MN, NV, NY, NC, OH, OR, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, and Washington, DC.
• A "hybrid" role would be a mix of in-office and remote work. There may be a specified schedule for coming into the office or it could be at the discretion of the employee with the manager's approval, subject to change.
• Employees who live within a reasonable commute distance from a Crain office are expected to work on-site 3 days per week.

Many positions will also include work done in "the field." Depending on the role, this may include conducting in-person interviews, attending work-related events, meeting with sources or clients. Specifics will be noted in the job posting but are subject to change as a role evolves. Employees may be exposed to adverse environmental conditions, specifically during field work. Other typical job functions are performed under conditions such as those found in general office work.

Travel to cover news stories/events, meetings with clients, and to our geographically separated offices may be required. It is the nature of many positions to experience non-standard working hours and be on-call when needed for responding to email, meeting with clients, attending work-related events, story development or breaking news. Most employees perform work Monday through Friday, although early-morning, evening or weekend shifts may be required. Work schedule and travel requirements are subject to change as a role and needs evolve over time.

Physical Demands The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of many Crain jobs and are subject to change.

Physical activities will include frequent in-person or virtual interactions. For most positions, it is essential to be able to remain at a desk/computer workstation for prolonged periods, perform computer-related tasks, and create/maintain documents within filing systems. Must have close visual acuity to perform an activity, such as preparing and analyzing reports and information, transcribing, viewing a computer terminal, or extensive reading. The typical physical requirements are light work—exerting up to 25lbs of force occasionally and/or up to 10lbs of force frequently and may include climbing, pushing, standing, hearing, walking, reaching, grasping, kneeling, stooping, and repetitive motion. Some positions will have additional physical requirements, including exerting up to 50lbs of force to move and/or carry equipment, supplies, files, or other materials as the role requires.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions and meet the environmental and physical demands of the role.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants