Posted:
1/19/2026, 4:00:00 PM
Location(s):
Virginia, United States ⋅ Herndon, Virginia, United States
Experience Level(s):
Senior
Field(s):
Product
Workplace Type:
Hybrid
Essential Duties & Responsibilities:
Product Strategy & Execution
Own the platform experience for Sophia’s learning environment including course interactions, assessment experience, progress visualizations, onboarding, discovery, and student support touchpoints.
Develop and manage a multi-quarter roadmap aligned to learner needs, business goals, and overall product strategy.
Lead product discovery and define clear problems, metrics, and hypotheses for improvement.
Drive execution in partnership with engineering to deliver high-quality, impactful features.
Define and own Sophia's offering portfolio of courses and pathways
User Insight, Research & Experience Quality
Build and operationalize the infrastructure required for deep user understanding: behavioral analytics, event tracking, usability testing, journey mapping, and feedback loops.
Ensure user insights directly inform product prioritization, UX design decisions, and business strategy.
Maintain high standards for accessibility, intuitiveness, and user delight across the learner experience.
Team Leadership & Management
Lead, coach, and grow a team of product managers and UX designers, fostering strong product craft, collaboration, and accountability for outcomes.
Create clarity around roles, decision-making, and execution rhythms across product and UX teams.
Cultivate a culture of experimentation, evidence-based decision-making, and continuous improvement.
Cross-Functional Partnership
Partner closely with the Content, Engineering, Academic Operations, and Marketing teams to ensure a coherent and seamless learner journey.
Collaborate with stakeholders to identify friction points, growth opportunities, and experience gaps across the student lifecycle.
Represent the platform product strategy with senior leadership, institutional partners, and key external stakeholders as needed.
Job Skills:
Product Leadership
Strong product management expertise, with the ability to define strategy, synthesize insights, structure ambiguous problems, and lead teams through execution.
Proven success building and evolving digital learning experiences, ideally within an education technology context.
User-Centered Design & UX Collaboration
Deep familiarity with UX principles, design processes, and usability best practices.
Ability to guide UX work and ensure design decisions are grounded in learner insights and measurable outcomes.
User Understanding & Insights Infrastructure
Skilled at establishing research practices, user feedback systems, analytics frameworks, and other mechanisms for uncovering learner pain points and behaviors.
Ability to translate qualitative and quantitative insights into clear product direction.
Operational & Execution Excellence
Strong ability to manage roadmaps, balance competing priorities, and deliver impact through agile, cross-functional teams.
Fluent in metrics, experimentation, and outcome-driven product development.
Leadership & Communication
Strong people leadership skills with experience developing product managers and designers.
Excellent communication skills with the ability to align stakeholders and present ideas compellingly at all levels.
Work Experience:
10+ years of experience in product management, preferably within education technology or a related digital learning environment.
6+ years of experience managing product managers, UX designers, or similar product/experience-focused teams.
Demonstrated track record of delivering impactful, user-centered digital product improvements at scale.
Experience leading platform or end-to-end user experience initiatives spanning onboarding, engagement, learning/interaction, and retention.
Experience working with engineering teams in agile environments and collaborating with cross-functional partners (content, design, analytics, operations).
Background in user research, UX strategy, behavioral analytics, or human-centered design is highly preferred.
Education:
Bachelor’s degree
Other:
Must be able to travel occasionally should a business need arise. For most roles travel would not be common. Travel may involve plane, car or metro. In accordance with ADA policies, reasonable accommodations regarding travel limitations can be provided. Travel will be more common for roles such as Account Executives (25 - 50%), senior leaders (10 – 20%) or Capella Core Faculty (5 – 10%).
Ability to work onsite in Corporate or Campus location (in a typical office environment) may be required based on role. If so, this would include being mobile within the office, including movement from floor-to-floor using elevators or stairs.
If offsite or hybrid role, must have access to work in setting which enables meeting all requirements of the role (including privacy, reliable internet access, phone, ability to video conference, etc.) at a remote location.
Faculty and Federal Work Study roles require access to work in setting which enables meeting all requirements of the role (including computer, privacy, reliable internet access, phone, ability to video conference, etc.) at a remote location.
This role may require lifting, however reasonable accommodations will be provided in accordance with our ADA policies.
Must be able to meet critical thinking and problem solving aspects aligned to job duties, as well as effectively communicating with co-workers.
Must be able to work more than 40 hours per week when business needs warrant. Accommodations related to schedule may be considered.
Able to access information using a computer.
Other essential functions and marginal job functions are subject to modification.
SEI offers a comprehensive package of benefits to employees scheduled 30 hours or more per week. In addition to medical, dental, vision, life and disability plans, SEI employees may take advantage of well-being incentives, parental leave, paid time off, certain paid holidays, tax saving accounts (FSA, HSA), 401(k) retirement benefit, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, tuition assistance as well as entertainment and retail discounts. Non-exempt employees are eligible for overtime pay, if applicable.
Careers - Our Benefits, Strategic Education, Inc
SEI is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive and collaborative culture where individuals can grow their careers and contribute fully. We strive to attract talent with broad experiences, skills and perspectives. We welcome applications from all. While it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top end of the pay range at SEI, we offer a competitive salary. The actual base pay offered to the successful candidate may vary depending on multiple factors including, but not limited to, job-related knowledge/skills, experience, business needs, geographical location, and internal pay equity. Our Talent Acquisition Team is ready to discuss your interest in joining SEI. The expected salary range for this position is below.
If you require reasonable accommodations to complete our application process, please contact our Human Resources Department at [email protected].
Website: https://www.strategiceducation.com/
Headquarter Location: Herndon, Virginia, United States
Employee Count: 5001-10000
Year Founded: 1892
IPO Status: Private
Industries: Education