Senior Manager of Product Development

Lynne Palmer Executive Recruitment; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Leading university press in Boston seeks a Senior Manager of Product Development to identify, develop, and scale next-generation publishing models, knowledge products, and strategic partnerships that drive growth and innovation. You will work closely with the technical team, editorial and journals staff, marketing, and external partners.

The ideal candidate is strategic, entrepreneurial, and mission-aligned, with a deep interest in AI and future knowledge systems.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in product development, project management, digital media, scholarly publishing, or a related field.
• Proven success bringing new products, services, or partnerships from concept to launch.
• Strong understanding of digital publishing, platform businesses, and collaboration with technical teams; licensing and KPI experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop strategic partnerships with technology companies, research organizations, libraries, nonprofits, and other stakeholders.
• Identify and launch innovative publishing, AI, and digital product initiatives from business case through pilot and commercialization.
• Lead product planning and go-to-market execution with cross-functional teams.
• Negotiate partnerships, licensing, and sponsorship agreements that advance strategic objectives.
• Manage cross-functional projects, including budgets, timelines, risks, governance, and performance metrics.
• Build business cases, financial models, and KPI frameworks to evaluate opportunities.
• Represent the organization externally and advise leadership on trends in publishing, AI, and knowledge infrastructure.

Skills

Product development

Project management

Digital publishing

Strategic partnerships

AI & knowledge systems

Job description

(Boston) Leading university press seeking a Senior Manager of Product Development. This role will identify, develop, and scale next-generation publishing models, knowledge products, and strategic partnerships that drive growth and innovation. Will work closely with the technical team, editorial and journals staff, marketing, and external partners. The ideal candidate will be strategic, entrepreneurial, and mission-aligned, with a deep interest in future knowledge systems, publishing, and AI.

Main Responsibilities Include:

Develop strategic partnerships with technology companies, research organizations, libraries, nonprofits, and other industry stakeholders.

Identify and launch innovative publishing, AI, and digital product initiatives, from business case through pilot and commercialization.

Lead product planning and go-to-market execution in collaboration with technical, editorial, marketing, and journals teams.

Negotiate partnership, licensing, and sponsorship agreements that advance strategic and revenue objectives.

Manage cross-functional projects, including budgets, timelines, risks, governance, and performance metrics.

Build business cases, financial models, and KPI frameworks to evaluate opportunities and support portfolio planning.

Represent the organization externally while advising leadership on emerging trends in publishing, AI, and knowledge infrastructure.

Qualifications/Experience/Skills Include:

5+ years of experience in product development, project management, digital media, scholarly publishing, or a related field.

Demonstrated success bringing new products, services, or strategic partnerships from concept to launch.

Strong understanding of digital publishing, platform businesses, and product development, with the ability to collaborate effectively with technical teams.

Experience with strategic partnerships, licensing, commercial agreements, financial modeling, and KPI development preferred.