Cengage Learning

Sr Director, Portfolio Management (Remote)

Cengage Learning$163K — $212K *
US-AnywhereRemote in Ohio, US
Education, Government & Non-Profit
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree or equivalent experience preferred.
  • 12-15+ years in product or portfolio management and strategic leadership roles.
  • 10+ years leading people managers.
  • Proven ability to develop high-performing teams.
  • Experience in influencing cross-functional stakeholders.
  • Strong financial analysis skills and business case development.
  • Excellent communication skills with senior audiences.

Responsibilities

  • Develop and lead the portfolio strategy and performance aligned with corporate goals.
  • Guide teams in using market data and customer insights to inform product decisions.
  • Oversee portfolio lifecycle decisions from concept to launch across diverse product lines.
  • Align cross-functional teams around shared priorities and execute unified strategies.
  • Coach and develop Portfolio Directors and Managers to enhance team performance.
  • Ensure effective portfolio operations and compliance to support growth.

Benefits

  • Participation in the company's discretionary incentive bonus program.
  • Comprehensive Total Rewards package.
  • Professional development opportunities.
Full Job Description
As the Senior Director of Portfolio Management you will define and drive the end-to-end portfolio vision, strategy, and performance for our global K-12 curriculum business. This includes a highly complex, multi-discipline portfolio spanning Social Studies, Science, Advanced Placement, English Language Learning, Math, and Australia Primary & Secondary.

Operating at the intersection of product leadership, portfolio management, and operational strategy, you will be accountable for translating customer needs and market opportunities into high-impact product investments that deliver measurable business outcomes. You will lead a team of Portfolio Directors and Managers while acting as an enterprise integrator across product, academic design, operations, finance, and go-to-market teams.

Success in this role requires balancing strategic vision, customer value, operational excellence, and financial performance across a broad and diverse product ecosystem.

What you'll do here:
  • Develop and lead portfolio strategy and performance: Create and refine a clear, insightful portfolio strategy that matches corporate priorities. Be responsible for meeting growth, revenue, and profitability goals while ensuring offerings deliver unique and meaningful value to customers.
  • Lead a hypothesis-driven, evidence-based product approach: Guide teams in developing and testing strategic hypotheses using customer insights, market data, and rapid validation techniques to inform investment decisions and continuously refine direction.
  • Drive end-to-end portfolio lifecycle decisions: Oversee decisions from concept through launch and iteration, balancing speed, quality, customer impact, and business outcomes across multiple product lines and markets.
  • Act as an enterprise integrator: Align cross-functional teams-including Product, Academic Design, Operations, Finance, and Go-To-Market-around shared priorities, resolving tradeoffs and ensuring execution against a unified strategy.
  • Build and develop a high-performing leadership team: Coach and elevate Portfolio Directors and Managers, strengthening critical thinking, decision-making rigor, and accountability across the organization.
  • Own and evolve Portfolio Operations as a strategic capability: Ensure that product, financial, and licensing infrastructure-including royalties, product setup, and system workflows-scales effectively to support portfolio growth, compliance, and operational excellence.


Skills you will need here:
  • Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree or equivalent experience preferred
  • 12-15+ years of experience in product management, portfolio management, strategy, or related leadership roles
  • 10+ years of leadership experience including leading people managers
  • Strong product leadership capabilities, including building and developing high-performing teams
  • Experience influencing and aligning cross-functional stakeholders
  • Exceptional ability to navigate ambiguity, prioritize across competing demands, and drive organizational alignment
  • Strong financial skills, including business case development and performance analysis
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence senior audiences
  • Willingness to travel up to 20%


Compensation

At Cengage Group, we take great pride in our commitment to providing a comprehensive and rewarding Total Rewards package designed to support and empower our employees. Click here to learn more about our Total Rewards Philosophy.

The full base pay range has been provided for this position. Individual base pay will vary based on work schedule, qualifications, experience, internal equity, and geographic location. Sales roles often incorporate a significant incentive compensation program beyond this base pay range.

In this position, you will be eligible to participate in the company's discretionary incentive bonus program. This position's bonus target amount, which is not guaranteed and is dependent on individual performance and overall company results among other factors, is provided below.

30% Annual: Individual Target

$163,100.00 - $212,000.00 USD

About Cengage Learning

Cengage is an American educational content, technology, and services company for the higher education, K-12, professional, and library markets. It operates in more than 20 countries around the world. The company provides print and digital textbooks, instructor supplements, online reference databases, distance learning courses, test preparation materials, corporate training courses, career assessment tools, and other educational materials. Cengage was founded in 2007 as a merger between Thomson Learning and Gale. In 2018, the company filed for bankruptcy and emerged with a new ownership structure. Cengage has approximately 5,000 employees and generates over $1.5 billion in annual revenue.
Learn more about Cengage Learning
Size
5,000 employees
Industry
Founded
1994

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