Job Description
Department: The Christian Science Monitor
SUMMARY The Senior Product Manager serves the mission of The Mother Church by collaboratively leading The Christian Science Monitor team forward in "more effectually promoting and extending the religion of Christian Science as taught by" Mary Baker Eddy (CSPS Deed of Trust).
Relying on spiritual insight and active collaboration, this globally minded and innovative PM develops and directs implementation of sustainable strategies, based on the Monitor's unique mission, to ensure that Monitor and CSPS products are ever-more-robust resources that support "every Christian Scientist, and as many others as possible," (Miscellany, 352) in bringing uplift to their families, communities and the world.
As a curious and compassionate colleague, the Senior PM demonstrates love for fellow Monitor staff and their daily output; "unselfish ambition" in expanding the Monitor's blessing to "all mankind"; keen knowledge of market and industry trends; and humble persistence in working within the Church's structure to further the mission of both the Monitor and The Mother Church.
This work involves seven major areas of activity: engaging customers as partners; developing effective product-growth strategies; serving as a member of the Monitor leadership team; developing cross-CSPS/TMC products; managing, developing, and leading a team; representing CSPS in the Field; and collaborating deeply.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES - Developing effective product-growth strategies: Synthesizing mission, customer needs, their own intuition, ideas from colleagues, analytics insights, and market and industry trends, the Senior Product Manger leads identification and adoption of new product strategies that generate growth and help move the Monitor toward profitability.
- Engaging customers as partners: Animated by a spirit of service to current and potential customers, the Senior Product Manager instills a customer-responsive mindset. This includes building or upgrading products, fostering reader community, guiding communications, etc. Also, regular engagement with customers occurs via listening tours, cross-functional team user-testing, responding to customer inquiries (in partnership with the Customer Care Center), and encouraging peer-to-peer sharing activity (in partnership with Promotion & Design Services Group).
- Serving as a member of the Monitor leadership team: The Senior PM is a central figure in collaboratively building and executing a vision for the Monitor's future by translating mission-based goals and deep customer knowledge into actionable product strategy.
- Developing cross-CSPS/TMC products: This role will support the CSPS Manager in developing the product vision for customer experiences across multiple TMC and CSPS products. As needed, the Senior PM will be the primary CSPS/TMC product representative on topics such as fulfillment, benevolence, etc.
- Managing, developing, and leading a team: This position will magnify its impact through the work of their staff and team. They will lead the web team in executing and improving the digital publishing of the periodicals. They will manage and develop product manager(s) to learn and build strategic and tactical product skills. They will help members of their team advance through a career path within the wide channels of the Mother Church.
- Representing CSPS in the Field: The Senior PM occasionally travels to represent their product area - and all of CSPS - in meetings with the Christian Science Field and/or the public. These may include events held in branch churches, Reading Rooms, etc., and may be related to Field travel with the Board of Directors or CSPS Trustees.
- Collaborating deeply: Collaboration is a key part of our culture. In our matrix organization, success depends on all staff expressing the proactive grace, patience, and spirit of partnership that nurtures collaboration upward, downward, and outward. Key relationships include:
- CSPS Manager and Trustees and The Christian Science Board of Directors: Together with the CSPS Manager, the Senior PM supports and elicits from Trustees and Directors their vision for the organization - and then operationalizes that vision.
- Editorial team: Developing robust relationships with the Monitor Editorial team facilitates product improvement, strategy delivery, and better utility, relevance and value for customers. This occurs at every level of editorial, including regular meetings with the Editor and Managing Editor.
- Other CSPS Product Managers: Active collaboration, including with the CSPS Manager, ensures strong synchronization across CSPS, as well as unified professional development and process improvements that increase customer-responsiveness and organizational agility. The PM mentors and encourages other up-and-coming Product Managers in honing their craft.
- Service teams: Service teams manage most organizational resources. The Senior PM's proactive, patient, persistent communication and relationship-building with them is essential. These include: Promotion and Design Services Group, Fulfillment and Customer Care, Office of the CIO, Project Management Office, Digital Publishing Services, Broadcast and Multimedia Services, Office of Language Services, Treasurer's Office, Human Resources, Office of the General Counsel, etc.
- Enterprise Project Management Office: In our matrix structure, a dynamic relationship between PM (who defines the "what" via prioritization and roadmaps) and ePMO (which organizes "how" the team will efficiently accomplish PM priorities) is a must.
- Other TMC departments: Reaching our readers effectively requires partnering with front-line Mother Church departments, including Clerk's Office, Church Activities, the Reading Room team, Committee on Publication, etc.
STAFF MANAGEMENT AND JOB CONTACTS Reporting relationships: Supervision: CSPS Manager
Supervises: Product Manager
Partnerships: CSPS Manager and Trustees, CSM Editorial, fellow CSPS Product Managers, customers, service managers and team(s), etc.
Regular contacts include: Customers, CSPS Trustees, CS Board of Directors, P&DSG managers, Fulfillment Manager, Customer Contact Center Manager, Editors, financial managers, legal teams, copyright administrator, variety of outside creative talent and vendors.
JOB REQUIREMENTS Education/Experience: College degree required. Advanced degree welcomed. 10+ years progressive professional and management experience in a purpose-oriented or equivalent organization in publishing, product management, or marketing.
Knowledge/Skills: Background in media or journalism is useful. Must understand -- and be able to contribute to -- the dynamic demands of a modern news operation. Also, strong written and verbal communication skills. Outstanding organizational skills. Exceptional ability to take initiative to manage and develop products. Knowledge of agile/Scrum practices highly recommended. Demonstrated budgeting, forecasting, and P&L experience. Must excel at working individually and with teams -- and desire to develop excellent working relationships. Needs to maintain a clear understanding of the unique mission of The Christian Science Publishing Society, the unique mission of the Monitor and recognize that sound business activities are grounded in spiritual insight.
Technology Skills: This position requires mastery of computer skills including word processing, spreadsheets, Google suite programs, Trello and work-process programs, Slack, presentations, and database programs.
Work Environment: An individual in this position should be confident and comfortable in a fast-paced, changeable, deadline-oriented atmosphere; energetic, upbeat, thoughtful, creative, organized, willing, tactful, solution-oriented and spiritually grounded. This position regularly works in an office environment and is preferably located in Boston.
Engagement with Christian Science: The ability to rely on a keen spiritual sense in discerning paths forward for the Monitor is essential to this role. So, too, is the ability to envision and articulate how the Monitor's mission dovetails with the broader Church's activities in serving the needs of humanity. Membership in The Mother Church and Primary Class instruction preferred.
In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.
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