Manager / Senior Manager, Data Products & Programs
The Role
Simon & Schuster is investing in Data & Decision Intelligence to embed data, tools, and automation into everyday work and enable faster, better-informed decisions. The Manager or Senior Manager, Data Products & Programs will lead a portfolio of data- and AI-enabled software initiatives from problem definition through launch, adoption, and value realization. This role combines product management, program leadership, software delivery, and business transformation while helping shape the function's strategy and operating model.
What You Will Do
Own product outcomes. Work directly with business stakeholders to define users, decisions, problems, requirements, success measures, and product roadmaps grounded in measurable value.
Lead software delivery. Manage the full development lifecycle from discovery and design through build, testing, release, stabilization, and continuous improvement using agile or hybrid delivery methods.
Turn strategy into execution. Translate enterprise priorities into sequenced plans, milestones, dependencies, capacity needs, and investment choices across discovery, forecasting, optimization, and automation initiatives.
Coordinate cross-functional teams. Create clarity and momentum across publishing, commercial, operations, finance, engineering, analytics, decision science, security, and external partners.
Manage delivery rigor. Own integrated plans, dependencies, risks, budgets, vendors, release readiness, user acceptance, and executive reporting; resolve blockers and escalate tradeoffs early.
Design for adoption. Map current and future workflows, involve users throughout development, lead pilots and change plans, and establish feedback loops, training, support, and ownership after launch.
Guide responsible data and AI products. Build privacy, security, data quality, human oversight, explainability, and responsible-use requirements into product decisions and delivery plans.
Measure value and improve. Track adoption, cycle time, decision quality, operational impact, and business outcomes; use evidence to refine products, priorities, and the broader portfolio strategy.
What You Bring
Relevant experience. 7+ years in product management, technical program management, software delivery, digital transformation, or a related role, including leadership of complex cross-functional initiatives.
Software-development leadership. Demonstrated experience managing software products through discovery, requirements, architecture and design coordination, iterative development, testing, deployment, and production support.
Product and program discipline. Strong product discovery, roadmap, prioritization, dependency, risk, budget, vendor, release, and outcome-management skills; fluency with agile and hybrid approaches.
Data and AI fluency. Working knowledge of data platforms, analytics, machine learning, APIs, automation, and the controls required for responsible production use.
Business transformation. Ability to simplify complex workflows, lead adoption, influence without authority, and connect technical delivery to measurable business value.
Executive communication. Ability to frame decisions, communicate progress and tradeoffs clearly, and align senior business and technology leaders around outcomes.
Preferred
Relevant domain experience. Publishing, media, retail, supply chain, marketplaces, or other content- and inventory-based businesses.
Portfolio leadership. Experience coordinating multiple interconnected products, distributed teams, external vendors, and multi-year transformation programs.
An Inclusive Workplace. We welcome candidates with different paths and perspectives. If you do not meet every preferred qualification, we still encourage you to apply.