Job Description

We're seeking an exceptional

Principal Product Manager to drive our digital transformation and help young people think critically about the world. As our sole digital expert, you will move us from discovery to delivery - building the roadmap, managing the entire product lifecycle and leading the shift from a short-term project mindset to a proactive product mindset.

This is a rare opportunity to lead with autonomy while being supported by the world-class expertise and mentorship of The Economist Group. If you are a seasoned product manager ready to turn strategy into tangible impact, this is your chance to shape the future of an innovative charity that blends education and journalism to inspire the next generation of informed global citizens.

The Economist Educational Foundation

Reports to: Director of Operations and Finance Hours: Full time (40 hours) with flexible working. Location: Hybrid. Central London on Wednesdays and Thursdays, remote working possible on other days Salary: 53,000 per annum

Benefits:

? Generous annual leave policy including 25 days annual leave, UK bank holidays, additional discretionary days between Christmas and New Year, one mental health day and one volunteering day a year, one day for moving home and long service awards every five years

? a highly competitive pension (up to 11% employer/5% employee contribution) and generous parental leave

? private health insurance, eye tests and medical checks

? flexible working: core hours from 10am to 4pm with a minimum of two days spent in the office each week (Wednesdays and Thursdays)

? 24/7 access to counselling and wellbeing resources through our Employee Assistance Program

? Income protection insurance and life assurance

? Cycle to work scheme, season ticket loan and gym membership loan

? Free access to The Economist content, including an online subscription and access to a range of apps, podcasts and more.

Closing date: 23:59 on January 13th.

APPLICATION PROCESS

To apply, please:

? Send a CV clearly tailored to the requirements of the person specification and a short cover letter detailing the skills and perspective you would bring to the role and our organisation to foundationteam@economist.com using the subject line: "Application - Principal Product Manager"

? Complete and return our equality and diversity monitoring form.

We value integrity in our application process. While AI can be a helpful resource, we are looking for evidence of your unique experience and enthusiasm. Applications that are overly generic or clearly AI-generated will not be shortlisted, as we prioritise authentic personal insight.

If you have any questions about the role, please contact Elsa, our Director of Operations and Finance, at elsacardona@economist.com

Next steps: We will contact applicants after the closing date. First round interviews will take place on January 20th, 22nd and 23rd. Second round interviews will be on January 28th and 29th. If you anticipate any issues with these interview dates, please mention this within your application.

We are committed to an inclusive recruitment process. If there are any adjustments or support we can provide to help you perform at your best during the interview, please let us know.

ABOUT US

We're a small, creative and fast-growing charity set up from within The Economist Group. We support children, aged 10 to 16, from under-served backgrounds to develop essential skills for the modern world. We do this by enabling them to join inspiring discussions about the news, which teaches them to think critically, communicate effectively and understand the most complex global issues.

What we do: We create world-class teaching resources for weekly classroom discussions about global news stories. We run the Topical Talk Festival: the world's biggest news festival for young people, in which children from over 86 countries join discussions with each other and global experts. We offer Topical Talk Prizes: collections of resources for a series of in-depth discussions about a big global issue or theme, following which students submit their work for the chance to win prizes. We train and support teachers to bring high-quality news discussions into their classrooms; including through intensive community partnerships in the UK and US.

Our ambitions: We are at an exciting point in our trajectory with bold plans for global growth. We aim to reach one million young people by the end of 2026 with 100,000 of those engaging on a regular basis.

THE ROLE

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced product manager/owner to make a significant impact in a small, mission-driven charity. We are at a key moment in our digital transformation journey, having completed a foundational phase of insight gathering and opportunity exploration. We are now ready to move on to roadmapping and implementation and we need a permanent Principal Product Manager to take the lead.

This is not a sit-back-and-strategise role. While you will define the roadmap, you will also be the person who builds it. You will be the sole digital expert in our core team of 16. You must be ready to drive the delivery yourself, and lead the shift from a short-term project mindset to a proactive product mindset.

Your support system: While you will be the primary digital champion within our charity, you will have access to the expertise and resources of The Economist Group (TEG). We are a product-led organisation and you will find many product-minded colleagues to bounce ideas off. You will build relationships with technical specialists across the business and have access to mentorship from senior specialists. You will benefit from the agility and hands-on nature of a start-up with the support network of a global organisation.

As a Principal Product Manager you will balance strategic vision with practical execution. You must be strong on delivery and capable of managing the entire product lifecycle.

Delivery and execution

? Lead the build You will personally oversee and drive the delivery of our new digital ecosystem including a new website and an integrated CRM. You will be in the practical detail of the project daily.

? Manage the product lifecycle You will lead the product management: writing detailed user stories, defining acceptance criteria, grooming the backlog and shepherding work through sprints.

? Drive efficiency You will personally identify and implement quick wins, integrations and automations to drastically reduce manual data transfer and reporting processes, as well as oversee longer term transformation goals such as upskilling and new systems and processes. This will incorporate agile and lean working practices that focus on delivering incremental value.

? Manage suppliers You will be the day-to-day point of contact for external development agencies, co-designing solutions and actively engaging in scoping with them, as well as raising and managing issues, holding them to account and ensuring they deliver value on time and on budget.

Strategy and vision

? Own the digital roadmap Review our strategic insights to construct a compelling phased digital roadmap that aligns with our long-term organisational goals.

? Articulate the vision Create a clear vision for our digital products and secure alignment from senior stakeholders on how they will improve our users' experiences.

? Lead digital investment Drive the shift to an iterative product mindset and recommend sufficient ongoing digital investment to deliver continuous improvement.

Discovery and data

? Deeply understand our users You will conduct the discovery work - surveying users, analysing data and articulating product-market fit for our Topical Talk platform.

? Get data in better shape You will oversee the data planning to replace current fragmented systems and define the strategy for a new user data model. This role involves leading and supporting the set-up and implementation of the CRM project and defining its integration with the wider technology ecosystem, requiring a strong understanding of how data works and relates across multiple systems.

? Improve impact measurement Define how to organise and manage data to enable staff to easily access, analyse and measure our impact more effectively.

? Deepen technical understanding Ensure the technical strategy and vision considers the relational behaviour of all technical components, driving a deep cross-team and cross-user understanding of how the ecosystem must fit together to be efficient and scalable.

Leadership

? Be the digital champion Act as the key internal digital expert for the team, bridging the gap between technical complexity and business strategy for the Senior Leadership Team.

? Leverage TEG access Scope out and develop opportunities to align our digital and product requirements with solutions available at TEG.

REQUIRED SKILLS, ATTRIBUTES AND EXPERIENCE

Skills and attributes

? Builder: You enjoy scoping, defining and managing the creation of great digital tools or experiences and understand the technology required to effectively deliver the product.

? Curious: You ask the right questions with the goal of producing quality results.

? Listener: You are a great listener who can understand user needs and synthesise them into requirements.

? Documenter: You are strong on documenting user stories, use cases, workflows, requirements and dependencies for internal tech teams and external suppliers.

? Communicator: You are a strong communicator who is able to explain your vision to outside vendors and technology professionals while taking non-technical colleagues across The Economist Educational Foundation team on the journey with you.

? Technical understanding: You can get into the technical details of a back-end platform or product and understand how to get the most out of it. This must include experience of using CRMs and CMSs, as well as developing a deeper understanding of user experience (UX) beyond user interface (UI) design.

? Service mindset: You are committed to providing a high-quality product that meets user expectations.

? Reflective: You seek opportunities to learn and grow your hard and soft skills through feedback and self-reflection.

Experience

You must have:

? A proven track record in a Product Manager/Owner or similar role where you were personally responsible for the delivery of a digital product through its full lifecycle.

? Direct hands-on experience managing product backlogs, writing user stories and working in agile sprints independently

? Strong ability to lead discovery work yourself, translating complex user and stakeholder needs into actionable requirements for major projects such as a new website or CRM build.

? Experience managing and leading external development agencies, suppliers or technology partners.

? Expertise in defining and implementing data strategies to drive decision-making.

? A commitment to the safety and wellbeing of all children. Our recruitment adheres to strict safer recruitment principles and involves comprehensive safeguarding checks, including an enhanced DBS check and full verification of references. An offer of employment is conditional on the successful completion of these checks.

You might have:

? Experience or strong knowledge of Content Management Systems (CMS) and Headless architectures, including an understanding of how efficient products can scale and adapt, the nature of code such as Python, Django, or .NET without being a coder, and how to govern content effectively.

? Familiarity with major CRM systems and the required hierarchical data models.

? Experience working in the not-for-profit, charity or educational sectors, including an understanding of age-appropriate design and safeguarding principles in digital environments.

WHAT WE OFFER

? Real impact: you'll support the team to make a real difference to children's ability to think critically, listen well, express themselves and understand the big issues of our time

? A friendly, driven and highly-effective team: we are deeply committed to being an inspiring place to work, where we learn and achieve things that matter together. Our team of experts work creatively and collaboratively, whilst taking full responsibility for their goals.

? Development and support: we invest in training and development and will support you to build the skills and experience as you need, for example, working with you to find expert mentors within The Economist Group.

? A competitive benefits package to support your wellbeing, growth, and work-life balance (see above).

We're particularly keen for you to apply if you are from a community under-represented in the charity sector or have lived experience of facing extra barriers because of your background.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: From 53,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Company pension Flexitime Private medical insurance Sick pay
Work Location: Hybrid remote in London WC2N