Lead Specialist, Product Management

At Pearson, we’re redefining how educators understand and act on student learning. As a member of the Measurement & Learning Product Management team, within Pearson’s School Assessment organization, the Lead Specialist, Product Management leads the creation of Pearson flagship assessments and tools to support and engage students, families, and educators as they make progress in teaching and learning. This senior-level Product Manager collaborates with leaders from the Product Management team and other functional teams to plan and implement product strategies alongside technology teams, delivering the Pearson Assessment for Learning Suite (PALS) products. Lead Specialist, Product Managers are ultimately responsible for the product’s overall business case, budget, revenue, and roadmap. The Product Manager works across functional groups to ensure that the specific goals of the products are well understood and executed on, and any known gaps are clearly documented and communicated. This role is for someone who: Leads across teams, aligns stakeholders, and moves work forward Sees ambiguity as opportunity to break down complexity and deliver solutions Takes initiative and drives clarity, owning outcomes, not just deliverables Is curious and quick learning Builds deep expertise in their product and advocates for it relentlessly Is passionate about improving outcomes for students and educators at scale Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities Define and own a clear product vision grounded in real classroom problems and district needs Build and continuously evolve a 12-month rolling roadmap backed by customer insight, data, and business impact Develop strong points of differentiation in a competitive K-12 assessment landscape Customer Insight & Problem Solving Act as the voice of the customer, leading interviews, field research, and feedback loops Validate ideas with evidence Execution & Delivery Lead cross-functional collaboration (with engineering, design, content, psychometrics, and partner success) to deliver high-quality solutions Drive clarity across ambiguity, defining requirements, priorities, and tradeoffs Ensure roadmap commitments are realistic, transparent, and aligned across teams Anticipate risks and remove blockers before they impact delivery Become the go-to expert for your product area, deeply understanding workflows, users, and data Own the full lifecycle: concept development launch adoption iteration Monitor product performance (usage, adoption, impact) and continuously improve Go-to-Market Enablement Partner with sales and marketing to craft compelling, evidence-based messaging Translate product capabilities into clear value for district leaders and educators Support key initiatives including proposals, pilots, and strategic customer engagements Represent products internally and externally with credibility and clarity Qualifications Required 5+ years in product management, product development, or related roles 3+ years building K-12 assessment, edtech, or instructional products Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and deliver complex products Strong problem-solving, communication, and decision-making skills Preferred Knowledge of the K-12 assessment landscape and competitive products Familiarity with district decision-making, procurement, and accountability needs Experience working with data-rich platforms and educator workflows Background in Agile product development and modern product practices What You’ll Get The opportunity to shape a category-defining product in K-12 assessment The autonomy to lead, build, and innovate The chance to make a real difference in classrooms every day Compensation Compensation at Pearson is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, and specific location. As required by the California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York State, New York City, Vermont, Washington State, and Washington DC laws, the pay range for this position is between $90,000 - $130,000. This position is eligible to participate in an annual incentive program, and information on benefits offered is provided separately. Pearson is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a member of E-Verify. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit and business need. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status or any other group protected by law. We actively seek qualified candidates who are protected veterans and individuals with disabilities as defined under VEVRAA and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. 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