Product Manager

This Product Manager (Preprints) role at Springer Nature focuses on developing and managing preprint capabilities to support researchers in publishing early versions of their work. The role involves managing customer-facing website experiences, embedding with development teams, and using data-led insights to optimize user journeys. The manager will own and execute product strategy, aligning commercial, editorial, technical, and customer needs across the full product lifecycle.

Must Have

• Manage preprints experiences on customer-facing website.
• Embed within internal development teams.
• Ensure data-led use cases for customer experience.
• Create, own, and execute product strategy.
• Apply customer research and data insights.
• Develop products across the full product lifecycle.
• Excellent track record in product development and management.
• Proven success in meeting product goals.
• Expert in stakeholder management, influencing, and negotiation.
• Demonstrable experience of Agile working.

About Springer Nature Group

Springer Nature opens the doors to discovery for researchers, educators, clinicians and other professionals. Every day, around the globe, our imprints, books, journals, platforms and technology solutions reach millions of people. For over 180 years our brands and imprints have been a trusted source of knowledge to these communities and today, more than ever, we see it as our responsibility to ensure that fundamental knowledge can be found, verified, understood and used by our communities – enabling them to improve outcomes, make progress, and benefit the generations that follow. Visit group.springernature.com and follow @SpringerNature / @SpringerNatureGroup

About the Role

The new role, Product Manager (Preprints) enables Springer Nature’s strategy to create and publish preprints that help researchers publish early versions of their research, and make it available to the wider scientific community.

Working closely with the Head of Product and internal development teams, the role will develop Springer Nature’s capability to create and manage preprints through the entire user journey. Success will be measured by our impact on core publishing KPIs (e.g. content usage, direct submissions) supported by preprints.

Role Responsibilities

Manages preprints experiences on our customer-facing website, ensuring that users can quickly discover, connect, publish and manage their preprints with Research Square (RSQ).

• Manage a product (or products) that are commercially important, complex or editorially sensitive.
• Embeds within internal development teams to deliver core user journeys and optimise internal capabilities and processes.
• Ensures that preprints iteratively use data-led use cases to create a best-in-class customer experience together with the UX and CX teams.
• Works proactively and independently with stakeholders, partners and other Product Managers to create, own and execute a product strategy that blends commercial, editorial, technical and customer needs.
• Sponsors and applies original customer research and data insights to shape the product, where applicable.
• Works with Product leadership to ensure that managed products are aligned to overall company product portfolio and strategy.
• Develop products across the full product lifecycle from inception to retirement, proactively seeking decisions to create and retire products.
• Represent the Product Management discipline internally and externally for Springer Nature ensuring that SN keeps-up-to-date with the latest product management practice.
• Partner with Associate Product Managers and Product Managers to develop core Product Management skills.

Core experience, skills and qualifications

• University education in a relevant area or equivalent demonstrable experience.
• Established excellent track record in product development and management, with demonstrable experience managing customer focused digital products in technology or relevant industry.
• Proven success in meeting product goals including quantitative, qualitative and commercial measure.
• User focused, expert at using data and customer research to drive product strategy.
• Demonstrable experience of Agile working within software development teams and influencing them to improve technical capabilities.
• Expert in stakeholder management, influencing and negotiation skills, able to facilitate timely decision making.
• Demonstrable experience of managing products at different stages of the product lifecycle from inception to retirement.

What you will be doing

0-3 Months

• Understand Research Square’s customers and their needs and our current capabilities for creating and processing preprints.
• Build a strong relationship with ResearchSquare and SN internal (digital, publishing and editorial) teams and external partners.
• Host a product inception and confirm the initial roadmap.
• Implement product metrics and funnels for key journeys.
• Select the first customer journeys for creation or optimisation and deliver value iteratively.

3-12 Months

• Focus internal development effort on engaging directly submitting authors, and supporting their publishing journey.
• In collaboration with the user research and engagement teams, refine the model of user needs for preprinting.
• Refine roadmap in the light of development and research experience.

12 Months

• Discover where SN could add additional value for our preprinting customers, including but not limited to experiences that grow content usage, submissions, and revenue.
• Continuously deliver customer and business value.
• Articulate customer value through quantitative and qualitative reporting.

At Springer Nature, we value the diversity of our teams and work to build an inclusive culture, where people are treated fairly and can bring their differences to work and thrive. We empower our colleagues and value their diverse perspectives as we strive to attract, nurture and develop the very best talent. Springer Nature was awarded Diversity Team of the Year at the 2022 British Diversity Awards. Find out more about our DEI work here https://group.springernature.com/gp/group/taking-responsibility/diversity-equity-inclusion If you have any access needs related to disability, neurodivergence or a chronic condition, please contact us so we can make all necessary accommodation. For more information about career opportunities in Springer Nature please visit https://springernature.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/SpringerNatureCareers

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