Position: The Product Manager at CharacterStrong is responsible for owning the “why” and “what” of a product team (Squad). This role defines the strategic vision, customer problems, and business requirements for prioritized initiatives; aligns features to broader go-to-market objectives; and bridges gaps between Engineering, Design, and cross-functional partners. The Product Manager collaborates closely with the Lead Engineer, UX/UI Designer, and Project Manager, and stakeholders (including Sales, Marketing, and Customer Support) to translate customer feedback into user stories and acceptance criteria, validate solutions through testing, and prepare for successful launches. While the Squad’s Project Manager (or Delivery lead) manages timelines and day-to-day execution, the Product Manager ensures that every feature delivers clear customer value, meets business goals, and aligns to CharacterStrong’s overall strategy.
CharacterStrong’s Background & Mission:
CharacterStrong, a FullBloom Company,is a fast-paced, tech education company that creates PreK-12 digital, multi-tiered solutions, assessments, and curricula and offers professional development opportunities to support schools with ongoing implementation. There’s currently a team of more than 100 full-time employees and over 40 contracted presenters collaborating to bring this work to life. Our mission is to create a more loving world through education.
At CharacterStrong, you will have the opportunity to make a positive impact on education, both in the United States and internationally. CharacterStrong employees offer their innovativeness, dedication to excellence and compassion to help produce curricula for students and training for educators that lead to student outcomes.
CharacterStrong’s Company Values:
- We Practice Kindness - Exercising inclusion, care, and empathy with others, balancing honesty with compassion when having courageous conversations and engaging in kindness towards self.
- We Produce Excellence - Producing timely, quality results and consistently asking the question, “How can we make this 1% better?”
- We Take Ownership - Taking the initiative to drive work forward, demonstrating responsibility when things do not go according to plan, and being proactive in closing identified gaps.
- We Problem Solve - Identifying issues, analyzing for understanding, and taking action to implement the best possible solution.
Product Manager Responsibilities:
- Conduct continuous discovery through user interviews, stakeholder engagement, and data analysis to define and refine product requirements.
- Translate insights into prioritized epics, user stories, and acceptance criteria that ensure Engineering and Design deliver with clarity.
- Maintain a healthy product backlog aligned to business and customer value, updating regularly as new insights emerge.
- Validate solutions through UAT, betas, and post-launch analytics. Track success using engagement, satisfaction, and performance metrics to inform iteration.
- Define the product vision by articulating the “why” and “what,” rooted in user needs, market trends, and CharacterStrong’s mission.
- Evaluate features based on user value, feasibility, and strategic timing; maintain a roadmap aligned to business priorities.
- Partner with Engineering, Design, and Project Management throughout solution design, delivery, and launch readiness.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Sales, Customer Success, Enablement) to ensure features are positioned, supported, and adopted.
- Present updates, insights, and roadmap rationale to internal stakeholders, ensuring shared understanding of priorities and impact.
- Engage in critical discovery work and detailed requirements writing to prepare squads for 3-week sprint cycles.
- Translate insights into actionable stories that support high-velocity delivery without sacrificing quality or user-centered outcomes.
- Write, size, and prioritize tickets with sprint planning in mind, enabling squads to maintain velocity and efficiency through predictable, manageable sprint execution.
- Support Product Go-to-Market (GTM) efforts by collaborating with CharacterStrong’s Enablement Team—including Marketing, Sales, and Customer Support—to align launches, messaging, and adoption strategies.
Technical Qualifications (Preferred):
- Familiarity with K–12 education platforms and integration with Student Information Systems (SIS), LMSs (e.g., Canvas, Google Classroom), or rostering tools (e.g., Clever, ClassLink).
- Experience working with engineering teams using agile methodologies, participating in solution design, and managing API-driven or platform-level product initiatives.
- Ability to analyze technical documentation, participate in architecture discussions, and contribute to technical tradeoff decisions.
- Proficiency with product analytics tools (e.g., LogRocket, Pendo) and a basic understanding of SQL database concepts.
- Experience writing and grooming tickets to support agile delivery in 3-week sprint cycles.
- Familiarity with cross-functional GTM processes, including collaboration with sales, marketing, and support teams to ensure product adoption and implementation success.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in business, product management, or a related field; or equivalent experience.
- Minimum 5 years of experience in product management, preferably in a technology or EdTech environment.
- Experience working within an agile framework and knowledge of software development processes.
- Demonstrated ability to manage cross-functional teams and collaborate with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Strong skills in gathering and refining requirements, prioritizing work, and leading initiatives from conception through delivery.
- Familiarity with backlog management, ticket triage, and roadmap alignment.
- Proven ability to manage multiple squads or teams, balancing initiative work with ongoing priorities.
- Effective communication skills for presenting technical information and project progress to a wide variety of audiences.
- Experience in iterative development and working closely with design and engineering teams.
- Ability to analyze user feedback and data to identify patterns, prioritize improvements, and translate insights into actionable recommendations.
- Strong empathy for users in K-12 education settings and an ability to actively listen during interviews to uncover pain points and improvement areas.
- Comfort working in a fast-paced, iterative environment where priorities can shift based on user needs and business goals.
Benefits Package
- Laptop computer and other needed equipment
- Education & Tuition Reimbursement up to $1,000 annually
- 401k Savings Plan with employer match
- Medical, Dental, & Vision Insurance
- Life, AD&D, and Disability Insurance
- Employee Assistance Program, Mental Health Support, and Well-Being Programs
- 3 weeks Company-Paid Parental Leave
- Flexible Time Off, 6 Paid Sick Days, 11 Paid Company Holidays