Senior Category Manager

Cousera Internal Rehire Job Board; United States; On-site; USD 137,000 - 174,000; Full time

Job summary

Coursera is seeking a Senior Category Manager to own end-to-end growth opportunities across its Consumer portfolio. You will diagnose business challenges, set strategy, prioritize investments, and drive execution through cross-functional teams including Product, Marketing, Content, and university/industry partners.

You thrive in ambiguity, combine analytical rigor with strategic judgment, and translate priorities into measurable business impact.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in category management, product management, business strategy, product strategy, or a related function.
• Demonstrated ownership of business-level performance metrics (revenue, conversion, retention, profitability, or CLV).
• Experience using quantitative analysis to diagnose performance, size opportunities, and translate insights into decisions.
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives through implementation and measurable results.

Responsibilities

• Independently own ambiguous, high-priority opportunities from problem definition through execution and measurable results.
• Develop strategies grounded in learner needs, market trends, and competitive dynamics to define where to compete and invest.
• Leverage data to diagnose performance, identify root causes, and size growth opportunities.
• Influence senior leaders and cross-functional teams to align priorities and execute growth strategies.
• Build scalable operating mechanisms and experiments to accelerate learning and growth.

Skills

Category management

Product management

Business strategy

Data analysis

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business or related field

Job description

At Coursera, we aim to allow employees to develop their skills and grow their careers. One way we do this is with internal transfers. In order to support open and fair transfers, we practice transparency and have set guidelines for who is eligible to request a transfer.

Anyone who has been in their role for more than 6 months and in good standing may apply for a new position at Coursera. For consideration outside this timeframe, individuals should talk to their manager and People Business Partner. Please be sure to read the our Internal Mobility Program Policy here .

We’re a globally distributed team that comes together intentionally for collaboration, complex problem-solving, and key milestones — creating opportunities for teams to do their best work together. Our virtual hiring and onboarding experience makes it easy to join us and start making an impact from anywhere. If you’re ready to make a global impact, help scale unique products across Coursera + Udemy, and grow your career, apply below.

About this role

The Category Growth team drives commercial performance across Coursera's Consumer portfolio, identifying and capturing the highest-impact opportunities to grow revenue, conversion, retention, and lifetime value. We combine deep business analysis, learner and market insights, and cross-functional execution to accelerate category growth.

As a Senior Category Manager, you will take end-to-end ownership of high-priority commercial growth opportunities, from diagnosing business challenges and identifying opportunities to setting strategy, prioritizing investments, and driving execution through measurable results. You’ll operate as a business owner, independently determining where to focus and mobilizing teams across Product, Marketing, Content, and other functions, as well as our university and industry partners, to deliver outcomes.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives in ambiguity, combines analytical rigor with strong commercial and strategic judgment, and takes accountability for results. You'll navigate complex business challenges, build alignment across stakeholders, and turn strategic priorities into measurable business impact.

• Commercial ownership: You own the commercial outcome, not just the plan. You know your revenue, conversion, and margin numbers, understand what’s driving them, and hold yourself accountable for moving them, even when you don’t directly control the product surfaces or content. You turn plans into results through tight prioritization and consistent follow-through.
• Learner-centered strategy: You start from a deep understanding of what learners need and turn it into a clear point of view on where a category should win, what to offer, and what to prioritize.
• Data analysis: You turn messy data into clear insight, and use it to find and size opportunities, diagnose performance, and make the case for decisions.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Independently own ambiguous, high-priority business opportunities from problem definition through execution and measurable commercial results.
• Develop category growth strategies grounded in learner needs, market trends, and competitive dynamics to define where to compete, what to offer, and where to invest.
• Leverage data to diagnose business performance, uncover root causes, and identify and size high-impact growth opportunities.
• Influence senior leaders and cross-functional teams to align priorities, overcome obstacles, and execute growth strategies.
• Build scalable operating mechanisms and experiments to accelerate learning, optimize performance, and drive sustained growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Economics, Marketing, Engineering, Analytics, or a related field.
• 7+ years of experience in category management, product management, business strategy, product strategy, or a related function.
• Demonstrated ownership of business-level performance metrics, including revenue, conversion, retention, profitability, or customer lifetime value.
• Experience using quantitative analysis to diagnose business performance, size opportunities, and translate insights into strategic decisions.
• Demonstrated experience developing customer- and market-informed strategies to identify growth opportunities, define priorities, and guide business investments.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex, cross-functional business initiatives through implementation and measurable results.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing the commercial performance of a product category, portfolio, marketplace, or subscription business.
• Experience designing operating mechanisms, business reviews, experiments, or scalable decision-making frameworks to improve business performance.
• Experience operating independently in ambiguous environments with evolving priorities.
• Experience in consumer technology, e-commerce, marketplaces, subscriptions, digital media, or education technology.
• MBA or equivalent experience solving complex business problems across multiple functions.

Compensation

This role is available in the following US Pay Zones:

US Zone 3: $147,475 - $173,500

US Zone 4: $137,275 - $161,500

At Coursera, we offer competitive, zone-based pay aligned to your location, experience, and role level across four U.S. pay zones. Our total rewards package goes beyond salary, with comprehensive health and wellness benefits, bonus and RSU equity programs, and global perks designed to help you grow and thrive wherever you are.

Zone 1 – San Francisco Bay Area only

Zone 2 – New York City Metro and Seattle Metro

Zone 3 – CA (outside of SF Bay Area), CO, CT, DC, GA, IL, MA, MD, NY/NJ (outside of NYC Metro), OR, RI, TX, VA, WA (outside of Seattle Metro)

Zone 4 – All other US locations not listed in Zones 1–3

Coursera is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to building a welcoming and inclusive workplace. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics and provide reasonable accommodations upon request at [e-mail].