Director of Product, Readers & Learners

Department: Digital

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Stephen A. Schwarzman Building

Reporting To: Robert Collins

Compensation: $160,000 - $180,000 / year

Description

Overview
The New York Public Library has been an essential provider of free books, information, ideas, and education for all New Yorkers for over 125 years. Founded in 1895, NYPL is the nation's largest neighborhood public library system and the most used research library in the world. NYPL provides a fundamental resource to millions of readers, learners and scholars. The Library’s portfolio of digital products and platforms is the core linchpin in how our patrons near and far can access information to create new content, support their personal learning and build stronger communities.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Product Management and User Experience, the Director of Product, Readers & Learners leads the Library’s digital efforts to modernize the reading experience and support the continued transformation of our libraries into iconic centers of learning. In this role you will be responsible to lead the patron digital experience as we engage, enable and empower New Yorkers to build a lifelong thriving reading and learning culture. At NYPL we serve all New Yorkers – children, teens, and adults alike – to ensure they all reach their potential. The ideal candidate is a dynamic product leader with a demonstrated track record of success in aligning cross-functional teams and partnering with stakeholders to deliver large scale innovative solutions that improve the lives of their users. Successful candidates will be able to lead the Library to become an exemplar for the ethical and sustainable use of technology in society.

We are looking for someone we can count on to:

Own:

The product strategy and development for the digital Readers & Learners portfolio
The development of product plans, roadmaps, and KPIs and OKRs
The “voice of the customer” to ensure staff & patron needs are front and center
The stakeholder management for the Readers & Learners portfolio

Teach:

Translation of broad business and user needs into non-ambiguous requirements and product user stories for our development teams
Best practices of product development to the entire product discovery and delivery team & ensure everyone is running in unison
The product discovery to delivery journey

Learn:

About patron needs, latest technologies, and constraints to properly represent them in key decision making moments
About institutional priorities and requirements that shape and structure the Readers & Learners portfolio strategy and approach

Improve:

The reach, impact and value delivered to patrons by our Readers & Learners solutions
The speed at which we iterate and improve on our services
The experience that patrons have accessing digital content and attending events

Some expectations for this role are that within:

1 month, this person will:

Understand the functional structure and core mission of NYPL & Digital
Understand the product vision and strategy for the Readers & Learners portfolio
Establish contacts across the Digital Team including: Content Strategy, Technology, Design/UX/Research, Project Management, QA, and begin to develop partnerships with key stakeholders throughout the library and outside of digital
Learn about the relevant priorities and digital products that this position will shape
Meet key stakeholders from around the institution and relevant outside stakeholders and understand their roles

3 months, this person will:

Have an understanding of the competitive landscape, audience priorities, and key factors shaping our Readers & Learners solution.
Own product planning, competitive analysis, roadmapping, partnership and delivery conversations for assigned portfolios
Lead cross-functional team meetings for the assigned products and portfolios, and provide regular and ad hoc reporting to leadership on status and progress
Be conversant in in-house toolsets, including use of JIRA, Confluence, Airtable and other product management tools
Deepen contacts across the institution to discover business needs, set priorities, and ensure that the Readers & Learners team is working towards impactful shared goals
Begin to coordinate and communicate strategies and approaches to meet the organization’s goals and the Library’s five year plan

6 months and beyond, this person will:

Fully own the strategy and vision for the Readers & Learners digital portfolio, and be an effective advocate for internal partners, patrons, and overall institutional goals, to ensure that the portfolio’s efforts target and embody the key priorities of all stakeholders
Ensure effective communication with stakeholders on the strategy and delivery roadmap of the Readers & Learners Products
Actively initiate, lead, and monitor the execution of various initiatives and programs to enhance the portfolio
Communicate stakeholder findings to Design/UX and Engineering
Develop deep domain knowledge and understanding of user needs and pain points for assigned areas
Collaborate with Product Design/UX, Engineering, and Project Management teams to drive completion of user research, tech goals, and communicate to and dialogue with different teams, stakeholders and users at the library.

Responsibilities

Own and drive the product vision & strategy for the Library’s digital Readers & Learners portfolio
Have a deep understanding of the digital landscape and ever-evolving market of reading and learning/education
Champion the needs and experiences of our patrons so we have true empathy for our users
Guide product delivery based on learnings, institutional priorities, and portfolio objectives
Oversee and shape the creation of product roadmaps, deliverables, and user research
Analyze competing offerings, conduct user research, and identify & prioritize opportunities
Identify and track key metrics and user data to assess performance and identify potential areas for learning and improvement.
Set and work towards goals to promote and increase reading, and to build community
Perform other related duties as necessary

Required Education, Experience & Skills

Required Education and Certifications

Bachelor's degree - OR - Required Experience (listed below)

Required Experience

10 years of relevant experience, including a track record of accomplishment in a digital product or content leadership role
7+ years of experience in full lifecycle digital product management, including experience leading product discovery and development
7-8 years of management experience

Required Skills

Demonstrable ability to work on a deadline
Organized, focused, extremely detail oriented and adept at prioritization
Ability to work collaboratively with multiple technical and non-technical teams to develop goals
Excellent interpersonal, presentation, oral and written communication skills, including the ability to work effectively with all levels of staff and users
Strong technical and business acumen; ability to understand complex digital solutions, conduct business analysis and turn recommendations into business impact
Familiarity with leading mobile and e-reading technologies, overall market landscape, providers and apps: e.g. Libby, Overdrive, Kindle, Audible, Spotify, etc.
Strong understanding of leading product management frameworks, including Lean/Agile, with experience writing product documentation as well as agile user stories and acceptance criteria

Managerial/Supervisory Responsibilities:

Supervise product managers directly, and provide cross-functional leadership to the Readers & Learners digital portfolio team

More...

Core Values
All team members are expected and encouraged to embody the NYPL Core Values:

Be Helpful to patrons and colleagues
Be Resourceful in solving problems
Be Curious in all aspects of your work
Be Welcoming and Inclusive

Work Environment

Hybrid Work Environment
Requires work in NYC office a minimum of 3 days a week; this is not a remote opportunity

Physical Duties

Some light lifting/moving may be required

Pre-Placement Physical Required?

Union/Non Union

Non-Union

FLSA Status

Exempt

Schedule

Monday - Friday (9-5PM)
Hybrid Work Environment; requires work in NYC office a minimum of three days a week - this is not a remote opportunity

This job description represents the types and levels of responsibilities that will be required of the position and shall not be construed as a declaration of all of the specific duties and responsibilities for the role. Job duties may change if Library priorities change. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description as needed.

The New York Public Library Salary Statement

At the Library, we believe that pay transparency and pay equity are important to ensuring we source the best candidates and keep the best employees. When making a determination as to the appropriate salary for a candidate, we consider a variety of factors such, including, but not limited to, the position requirements, the skills, prior experience, and educational background required or preferred for the job, the scope and impact of the role within the organization, internal peer equity, and the candidate's specific training, experience, education level, and skills. No single factor is conclusive; the Library reserves the right to consider any and all relevant factors and make a decision consistent with its policies.

Union Salaries are determined by collective bargaining agreement(s).

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