Product Manager

Today, 67% of students and 82% of low-income students can’t read at grade level by the end of third grade. That’s when students are supposed to go from learning to read to reading to learn. It’s America’s number one education crisis and we know how to fix it.

Ignite Reading delivers one-to-one virtual tutoring that teaches every student the foundational skills they need to become a confident, fluent reader. We pair students who need extra support with expert reading tutors who provide daily, 15-minute, Science of Reading-based instruction that rapidly closes their decoding gaps. We focus on the foundational reading skills—phonics, phonemic awareness, and sight words—kids need to master so they can decode a sentence. Students in Ignite Reading’s program achieve over 2 weeks of reading skills growth per week of instruction, and notably all students achieve the same outstanding results including students with IEPs, multilingual learners, students of color and those receiving free or reduced-price lunch.

Ignite Reading is a mission-driven public benefit corporation. We believe we can do well for our team members and shareholders while we solve one of the nation’s biggest challenges. We believe we will be more successful with a diverse team and are seeking candidates who have lived experience related to social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Your Role

Reporting to the Director of Product, the Product Manager for Ignite Reading will manage the development and launch of our products, ensuring they meet customer and student needs and business objectives. You will work closely with cross-functional teams - including engineering, operations, customer support, data analytics, and marketing - to define product requirements and ensure successful product launches.

Ignite uses technology to enable the delivery of our virtual tutoring services, maximize the learning of our students, and accelerate our ability to scale. To this end, the core user experiences are focused on four key technology needs:

1. A tutoring logistics platform, which enables us to schedule, conduct and report on our tutoring sessions.

2. A tutor workflow platform, which lets tutors know exactly what to teach each student every day.

3. An extended learning application, which enables students to further engage with what they learn in their tutoring sessions outside of that 15 minute 1:1 window.

4. An AI/ML implementation, which will enable us to provide new experiences and ensure lesson fidelity as we scale.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct market research and analysis to identify customer and student needs and inform new products as well as improvements to existing products.

• Develop product roadmaps and work with cross-functional teams to prioritize and execute them.

• Define and document product requirements, including user stories, use cases, and functional specifications.

• Collaborate with design and engineering teams to create and deliver high-quality products that meet customer needs.

• Act as the product owner on the Scrum Team and participate in Scrum ceremonies.

• Work with marketing and operations teams to develop go-to-market strategies and ensure successful product launches.

• Build and maintain relationships with internal stakeholders across all levels, from customer experience teams to executive leadership, creating alignment on product vision, priorities, and resource allocation decisions.

• Monitor product performance and conduct research with users to identify areas for improvement.

• Define and track product metrics to measure success and drive continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in a product management role.

• Experience with Education Technology is not required but is considered a plus.

• Strong understanding of software development lifecycle and agile methodologies.

• Excellent communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams in a fast-paced environment.

• Passion for creating innovative products that meet customer needs and drive business growth.

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, such as computer science, engineering, or business

• Experience at early stage startups is a plus.

• Experience building products that leverage AI is a plus.

At Ignite Reading, we’ve decided to embrace a transparent compensation structure for a few reasons:

To promote fairness and equity: This approach supports fairness within our structure. When everyone knows how compensation decisions are made, it reduces the likelihood of pay discrimination based on factors like gender, race, relationships, or negotiation skills.

To provide accountability for our approach: The same role receives the same compensation, with no negotiation.

To build trust within the organization: When employees understand how their compensation is determined, they are more likely to trust organizational structures and decisions, which can lead to an overall better culture.

To support legal considerations: Many states are moving to requiring compensation listed on job descriptions and we want to follow these rules.

Salary: $140,000 - $160,000

We also ensure you have the tools you need to thrive both in and out of work.

• Employee Stock Options

• Medical, Dental, and Vision (80% employee coverage, 50% dependent coverage)

• Short-term Disability (100% employer paid)

• Technology Stipend

• Unlimited PTO + 12 paid holidays

• Professional Development Stipend

• Wellness Reimbursement

• Internet Stipend

• 12 Weeks of Parental Leave

• Yearly Staff Retreat

• Voluntary Life Insurance

We believe in building and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace environment. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer where all applicants are considered for employment without attention to color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status. Research shows that candidates from underrepresented backgrounds often don't apply for roles if they don't meet all the criteria – unlike majority candidates meeting significantly fewer requirements. We strongly encourage you to apply if you’re interested!

We are seeking candidates who have lived experience related to social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are a virtual organization with headquarters in the California Bay Area.