Product Manager

Why QS?

At QS, our culture fosters a flexible working environment that encourages our employees to own their career whilst personally and professionally thriving. We collaborate, respect, and support each other – and as a company, our values underpin these.

Our mission is to empower motivated people around the world to fulfil their potential through higher education, and to ensure everyone has the same opportunity to achieve that potential. We celebrate the diversity of our teams and believe through sharing our experiences we can learn from one another and become stronger together, which enables us to achieve our goal.

At QS, you’ll be responsible for implementing real change in the international higher education landscape, full of exciting and interesting challenges where you can drive positive impact across the business.

In October 2023 we were thrilled to be included in Newsweek’s Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces® in the UK list which is compiled using employee sentiment and satisfaction data.

Using insights from more than two million employees in organisations with 50 to 100,000 members of staff, the list recognises workplaces where employees feel most respected and appreciated.

The role

At QS, our Institutional Performance business unit works closely with higher education institutions to enhance and drive performance using our collective expertise. This is an exciting opportunity to work on a product that will help higher education institutions to navigate the rapidly changing world of AI and digital transformation. This is a space that has plenty of potential for innovative and creative ideas.

The primary focus of the role will to be to develop and take to market a new evaluation product offering that supports institutions to understand and develop their AI capability through an assessment product. This product is already at the MVP phase, but now needs a dedicated Product Manager to ensure that it is successfully developed and launched.

As a Product Manager, you will work with the wider business to lead the end-to-end development and management of the product, ensuring alignment with our strategic goals and meeting customer needs.

This role is ideal for those who thrive in collaborative environments and are eager to drive new initiatives forward. Your responsibilities will include gathering and prioritising product requirements, defining product goals, managing the product lifecycle, and ensuring the successful launch. You will communicate product progress to stakeholders, resolve conflicts, and make decisions to keep development on track. You will also monitor key metrics post-launch to evaluate product performance and continuously iterate based on feedback and data, playing a vital role in shaping the product’s direction and long-term success.

This role suits individuals who are comfortable navigating ambiguity and enjoy problem-solving. Expect to encounter challenging and novel situations daily. Experience in managing a service-based product would be advantageous.

Role responsibilities

Collaboration and Coordination:

• Work closely with the Lead Product Manager and cross-functional teams across the Analytics and Evaluation portfolios.
• Manage the product roadmap, helping to transform ideas from concept to launch while understanding and communicating our product visions.
• Build relationships based on mutual trust and respect with stakeholders, including senior leadership, demonstrating commitment to their business success.

Product Development and Management:

• Lead the end-to-end development and management of the AI Capability Assessment product.
• Define next steps in the development and implementation of the product.
• Gather feedback and prioritise further product requirements, defining product goals and managing the product lifecycle.
• Plan and implement continuous improvements and refinements to the existing MVP
• Lead all team ceremonies, assisting in setting priorities and converting user stories into tangible outcomes for customers.
• Be prepared to get hands on with the implementation of the product

Strategic Planning and Execution:

• Work with the product lead to define strategy for the product.
• Lead in the execution of go-to-market strategies for new features, becoming knowledgeable about our target users/customers, working with marketing, sales, communications and other stakeholders.
• Work closely with sales and partnership teams to enable effective go-to-market.
• Ensure successful product launches and drive new initiatives within the AI Capability product offerings.

Stakeholder Communication:

• Communicate product progress to stakeholders, resolving conflicts and making decisions to keep development on track.
• Act as an advocate for your products, effectively communicating the product vision and strategy to internal and external audiences.

Performance Monitoring and Iteration:

• Gather and analyse user feedback and data to assess launch readiness and pinpoint areas for improvement.
• Monitor key metrics post-launch to evaluate product performance and continuously iterate based on feedback and data.
• Employ qualitative and quantitative methods to identify issues and evaluate the success of post-launch updates.

Problem-Solving and Adaptability:

• Navigate ambiguity and solve problems in challenging and novel situations.

Continuous Learning and Culture Promotion:

• Stay updated on AI developments within the higher education space and other industry trends.
• Promote a caring, collaborative, collegiate culture prioritising customer needs.

Customer Feedback and Collaboration:

• Facilitate the flow of customer feedback to enable product refinements
• Establish delivery processes and a wholistic client experience around the product.
• Develop best practice guidelines

Any other duties that fall within the purpose and scope of the role.

Key skills and experience

• Experience working on a service-based product.
• A good understanding of use cases for AI and AI governance approaches.
• Experience of using AI within day to day activities and a strong interest in AI initiatives
• Ability to define product strategy and align it with organisational goals.
• Strong interpersonal skills to build trust and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and stakeholders, including senior leadership.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills to advocate for the product vision and keep stakeholders informed.
• Proficiency in gathering, analysing, and interpreting data to inform product decisions and evaluate performance.
• Ability to lead end-to-end product development, manage the product lifecycle, and ensure timely delivery.
• Strong problem-solving skills to navigate ambiguity and address challenges creatively.
• Deep understanding of customer needs and the ability to translate these into product requirements.
• Flexibility to adapt to changing priorities and novel situations.
• Understanding of market trends and the competitive landscape to support go-to-market strategies.
• Ability to gather and integrate user feedback into product improvements and refinements

So, who are we and what do we do?

QS is the world’s leading provider of services, analytics, insights, and intelligence to the global higher education sector - supporting university excellence across the world. Our student recruitment and enrolment solutions enable universities and business schools to connect with talented individuals seeking to further their academic progress and career development. Our portfolio of professional services includes consultancy, student mobility and academic partnerships management, and branding solutions. We publish highly visible and influential rankings of international universities, including the QS World University Rankings® which reaches a global audience of hundreds of millions of people.

Founded in 1990, our activities span across 50 countries, working with over 2000 of the world’s leading higher education institutions and over 12,000 employers.

Headquartered in London, QS has over 800 employees globally with offices in Australia, Malaysia, India, Romania, Singapore, France, Germany, and the USA. QS keeps growing organically, through acquisition and by recruiting top talent across key regions.

We take investing in our people very seriously.

Outside of the standard benefits we also offer resources to allow professional growth and wellness initiatives to nurture a healthy mindset:

• Free subscription to the Calm App – the #1 app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation
• A focus on welfare which is led by our global wellness team, with mental health first aiders globally
• Access to a variety of diversity and inclusion initiatives and groups
• Strong recognition and reward programs – including a peer-to-peer recognition platform, quarterly and annual QS Applaud Awards, Connect with your Career annual PD event
• Support for volunteering and study leave
• Free subscription to LinkedIn learning – with over 5000 courses and programmes at your fingertips
• Options to join our outstanding global Mentorship programme

Like what you’ve heard? Great, apply now!

As a candidate, we know the application and interview process can be daunting and so it’s important that you have a great experience with us. Our dedicated Talent Team will work hard to ensure you are fully informed at all stages and you are really excited by this opportunity to do meaningful work in the education space.

Equal opportunities

QS Quacquarelli Symonds is proud to be a fair and equal organisation where everyone has the same opportunity to achieve their full potential, irrespective of their background or personal attributes. We celebrate our diversity and believe through sharing our experiences we can learn from one another, be stronger together, and enable our business to thrive.