Senior Educational Product Specialist (Hybrid)

Lakeshore Learning Materials; Carson (CA); On-site; USD 41,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus eligible

Paid parental leave

Medical/dental/vision coverage

401(k) with company match

Flexible benefits

On-site preschool

On-site gym

Employee discount

Casual dress

Job summary

Lakeshore Learning Materials is seeking a Senior Product Solutions Specialist to own the full journey of custom educational products from concept to production. You will collaborate with customers, internal creative teams, and vendors to bring each vision to reality and shape the tools educators rely on daily.

Based in Carson, CA, you will manage multiple projects, coordinate with vendors, and present ideas in customer meetings, ensuring timely delivery and quality across all stages.

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years of experience in product development, management, or a related field involving physical goods — from concept through production.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, balancing competing deadlines without losing accuracy or momentum.
• Experience working directly with vendors or external partners, including quoting, negotiation, or quality review.
• Strong communicator — comfortable presenting ideas and recommendations to customers and internal stakeholders alike.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Ability to work onsite at our Carson, CA headquarters.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end development of custom educational products — translating customer needs and budget parameters into compelling, production-ready concepts.
• Own vendor relationships throughout each project: sourcing, quoting, negotiating, and coordinating with procurement to keep quality high and costs on target.
• Keep multiple overlapping projects moving on schedule by proactively managing timelines, flagging risks early, and driving decisions across internal and external partners.
• Review artwork, prototypes, and production samples against customer specifications, catching issues before they become problems and holding quality standards at every stage.
• Represent projects in customer-facing meetings — presenting ideas, fielding feedback, and turning complex details into clear, confident recommendations.
• Partner cross-functionally with creative, operations, and sales teams to align on scope, timelines, and outcomes that work for the customer and for Lakeshore.

Skills

Project coordination

Vendor management

Multitasking

Communication

Bachelor's degree

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree (preferred)

Job description

At Lakeshore, we create innovative learning materials and world-class guest experiences for teachers, parents and children. Since 1954, we’ve grown into a global community—with a thriving e-commerce business, multiple catalogs, over 50 stores, a peerless national sales force, plus international offices that support our preeminent supply chain division. But today we’re working better, smarter and faster than ever—and setting our sights even higher. We’re building an infrastructure designed for scalability, embracing data-driven decision-making and using technology to improve efficiency and ensure the best tools for the best work. Most importantly, we continue to invest in a diverse team of inquisitive top talent who fuel each other’s passions and curiosity, take risks, try new things and believe that every new day brings opportunities for growth.

Job Description

At Lakeshore, we create learning materials that teachers trust and children love — and our Custom Product Solutions team is where some of our most exciting, one-of-a-kind ideas come to life. As a Senior Product Solutions Specialist, you'll own the full journey of custom educational products from first concept to finished item, working hand in hand with customers, internal creative teams, and vendors to bring each vision to reality. Your work directly shapes the tools that educators rely on every day — and no two projects are exactly alike.

A day on the job looks like this:

• Lead the end-to-end development of custom educational products — translating customer needs and budget parameters into compelling, production-ready concepts.
• Own vendor relationships throughout each project: sourcing, quoting, negotiating, and coordinating with procurement to keep quality high and costs on target.
• Keep multiple overlapping projects moving on schedule by proactively managing timelines, flagging risks early, and driving decisions across internal and external partners.
• Review artwork, prototypes, and production samples against customer specifications, catching issues before they become problems and holding quality standards at every stage.
• Represent projects in customer-facing meetings — presenting ideas, fielding feedback, and turning complex details into clear, confident recommendations.
• Partner cross-functionally with creative, operations, and sales teams to align on scope, timelines, and outcomes that work for the customer and for Lakeshore.

Qualifications

Got the skills and experience? Here’s what we’re looking for:

Required:

• 3–5+ years of experience in product development, product management, or a related field involving physical goods — from concept through production.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, balancing competing deadlines without losing accuracy or momentum.
• Experience working directly with vendors or external partners, including quoting, negotiation, or quality review.
• Strong communicator — comfortable presenting ideas and recommendations to customers and internal stakeholders alike.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Ability to work onsite at our Carson, CA headquarters.

Preferred:

• Master's degree in Education
• Background in educational products, consumer goods, or another product category where attention to detail and customer specifications are critical.
• Experience in a customer-facing or account management role alongside product development responsibilities.
• Familiarity with classroom environments or K–12 education — helps you think like the teachers and students who’ll use these products.

What sets you apart:

• You spot the detail others miss — and you follow it all the way through to the finish line, not just flag it and move on.
• You're comfortable navigating ambiguity: when a project shifts or a customer changes direction, you recalibrate quickly and keep things moving.
• You bring people along with you — whether you're aligning an internal team or presenting to a customer, you communicate in a way that builds confidence and moves decisions forward.
• You take ownership of outcomes, not just tasks — if something's off track, you're already working on the fix.

Additional Information

And here’s our end of the bargain!

At Lakeshore, we pay local market wages for employees that reside within Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

For this position, new employees joining Lakeshore who live within Los Angeles and Orange Counties are typically brought into the organization at an hourly rate between $29.56-$33 depending on relevant experience & skillset.

This range is indicative of projected hiring range. The annual base compensation will take into account each candidate's relevant experience, location, and skillset.

• Bonus eligible
• Paid leave for new parents to support work/life balance and family bonding
• Excellent medical/dental and vision coverage—EPO, PPO and HSA
• 401(k) retirement plan with company contribution (because you will retire someday)
• Flexible benefits—choose what you like, ignore the rest
• On-site preschool for our employees’ children
• On-site employee gym for all levels/fitness needs
• Generous employee discount
• Casual dress…and we really mean it

At Lakeshore, we know our diversity makes us stronger, and when everyone feels included and valued, we all win. We strive to embrace our differences and create an intentionally diverse and inclusive community that is representative of the teachers, families and children we serve.

We know we couldn’t do the extraordinary things we’re doing without the people on our team. Thanks to the passion and enthusiasm of this spectacular group, Lakeshore is more than a great place to work—it’s a great experience to be part of. Day in and day out, we give everything we’ve got to create products that instill a sense of wonder and foster a true love of learning. To help maintain this high bar for success, we’re constantly on the lookout for people to join us. So if you’re a down-to-earth professional who shares our desire for making a difference, we’d love to hear from you. To learn more about Lakeshore, visit www.lakeshorelearning.com/careers

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy

People are selected to become members of the Lakeshore family based on skill, merit and mind-boggling talent—not based on race, color, creed, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity, marital status, domestic partnership status, military status, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, alienage, AIDS or AIDS-related complex status, genetic information, predisposition or carrier status, status as a victim of domestic violence, physical or mental disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. If things aren’t equal, we all lose.

To learn about how we collect and use Applicant information, please visit our Employee/Applicant Privacy Policy.

Lakeshore is an E-Verify employer. We use E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees.

Please see the E-Verify Participation Poster and Know Your Rights Poster in English and Spanish for more information. INDRLL1