Head of Product Management

XQ Institute is the nation's leading organization dedicated to rethinking the high school experience so that every student graduates ready to succeed in life. We work in communities nationwide, with individual schools and entire school systems, to help them dream big about what high school could be, turn their innovative ideas into action, and create more rigorous and equitable schools.

The Opportunity

As Head of Product Management at XQ, you will lead the strategic direction, development, and scaling of XQ's digital product ecosystem, ensuring our platforms, tools, and learning experiences effectively support educators, students, and school leaders. You will oversee a team of product managers, balancing innovation, execution, and cross-functional collaboration to drive adoption and engagement.

This role requires a visionary leader with strong product expertise and team leadership experience, capable of scaling impact through lean, agile development and data-driven decision-making. You will work closely with engineering, design, curriculum, marketing, and partnerships teams, ensuring that our products not only deliver value but also reflect XQ's mission and strategic goals.

Requirements

Key Responsibilities

• Product Strategy & Leadership
• Define and drive the strategic vision, roadmap, and execution plan for XQ's digital product portfolio
• Collaborate with the Marketing team to lead go-to-market (GTM) strategies for new product introductions, balancing messaging, positioning, and adoption strategies
• Lead and mentor a team of three product managers (1 Director of Product, 2 Senior Product Managers), providing coaching and guidance to scale product impact
• Ensure strategic alignment across products, learning experiences, and engagement initiatives to maximize adoption and effectiveness
• Balance long-term vision with near-term execution, making strategic trade-offs based on user needs, business objectives, and technical feasibility
• Partner with senior leadership, stakeholders, and cross-functional teams to ensure product priorities align with organizational goals
• Digital Product Development & Agile Execution
• Foster a high-performing, empowered product team, encouraging continuous discovery, experimentation, and rapid iteration
• Lead a Lean, Agile product development approach that emphasizes user validation, fast learning cycles, and iterative improvements
• Guide cross-functional collaboration between product, engineering, UX, and research teams to build engaging, scalable, and accessible digital experiences
• Establish best practices for usability, accessibility, and engagement, ensuring that products are both effective and adaptable across diverse educational contexts
• Drive high-quality execution through fast feedback loops, enabling the team to adjust quickly based on user data and research insights
• Growth, Adoption & Engagement
• Oversee product launches, onboarding, engagement, and retention strategies, ensuring users quickly realize value and continue to engage with XQ's products
• Use data and user research to identify friction points in product adoption and implement solutions that improve conversion and retention
• Partner with marketing and community teams to develop strategies that increase awareness and participation in XQ's digital community
• Data-Driven Decision Making & Experimentation
• Establish product OKRS and/or key performance indicators (KPIs) and a measurement framework to assess product success, adoption, and engagement
• Promote a culture of A/B testing and data-driven product iteration, leveraging insights from user behavior analytics, feedback loops, and industry trends
• Utilize analytics tools (Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude, etc.) to track performance and drive strategic improvements
• People & Organizational Leadership
• Directly manage and develop a team of three product managers, ensuring they have clear priorities, resources, and growth opportunities
• Strengthen product operations, refining processes for roadmap planning, cross-functional collaboration, and execution tracking
• Build and scale best-in-class product management practices, establishing clear decision-making frameworks and prioritization models
• Act as a key voice in senior leadership discussions, advocating for user needs, data-driven insights, and strategic investments in product development
  
  
  

Qualifications

• 10 years of product management experience, with at least 2 years in a leadership role managing product teams
• Proven track record of leading and mentoring high-performing product managers
• Deep experience in product strategy, UX, and digital product development, ideally in education, SaaS, or mission-driven organizations
• Strong cross-functional leadership skills, with the ability to collaborate with marketing, curriculum, engineering, and community teams
• Expertise in Agile product development, experimentation frameworks, and data-driven decision-making
• Strong stakeholder management, with experience presenting to executives and external partners
• Ability to manage multiple complex products simultaneously, balancing execution, innovation, and long-term vision
  
  
  

Bonus Qualifications

• Experience in education technology (EdTech), digital curriculum, or competency-based learning tools
• Familiarity with growth strategies, engagement loops, and behavior-driven product design
• Experience building open-source software/products or contributing to community-driven development
• Background in AI, machine learning, or adaptive learning technologies
  
  
  

Benefits

XQ is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace. At XQ, promoting, celebrating, and supporting diversity is a core value. Individuals are considered without regard to race, gender, age, sexual orientation, sexual expression, religion, color, veteran status, disability, marital status, or ancestry.

This role is based in Oakland, CA at XQ headquarters and is onsite five days per week. Salary Range for this role is: $300,000 - $350,000 with excellent benefits!