Product Manager – Researcher Experience – (£55–66k per annum) – 18 months FTC – Hybrid Role
Join us and be part of a mission-driven, independent publisher. You’ll work with a diverse group of people who share a passion for empowering researchers, educators, and institutions to shape the future.
About Sage:
Sage is a global academic publisher of books, journals, and library resources with a growing range of technologies to enable discovery, access, and engagement. Believing that research and education are critical in shaping society, Sara Miller McCune founded Sage in 1965. Today, we are controlled by a group of trustees charged with maintaining our independence and mission indefinitely.
Our guaranteed independence means we’re free to:
-
Do more – supporting an equitable academic future, furthering disciplines that drive social change, and helping social and behavioural science make an impact
-
Work together – building lasting relationships, championing diverse perspectives, and co-creating resources to transform teaching and learning
-
Think long-term – experimenting, taking risks, and investing in new ideas
About the Role & our Team:
- We are looking for a Product Manager to join our Research Pillar product team in Product Innovation at Sage. This is an 18 months fixed term maternity cover position and exciting opportunity to lead developments from our Researcher Experience roadmap, focused on improving the end-to-end experience for our journal researchers. This position will be responsible for a core area of the Researcher Experience roadmap, along with priority development projects, as needed.
- The Research Pillar product team manage a variety of products in the researcher journey, including our core journals platform, Sage Journals; our Sage preprints community platform, Advance & our Submission & Peer Review platform. We are also responsible for the end-to-end researcher experience across all products & lead development across products & systems to improve the researcher experience and ensure researcher-centric systems & workflows.
- We work with all departments involved in journals publishing, including editorial, marketing, production, customer service & sales. We also work closely with our Technology division and Product people across Sage. We are also heavily involved in our product vendor relationships, working closely with our vendor teams.
-
Product Innovation is a team of product people within Sage working on exciting and innovative product lines. The team includes Product Managers, UX Designers, and Researchers. We are passionate about providing as much value to our users and customers as possible, in ways that work for the business.
- We’re a very welcoming and fun team, with a culture of inclusion and a focus on continuous improvement and learning. We take a user-centred approach to product design, basing our decisions in evidence and expertise, and bringing best practice from the world of product management to everything we do.
Could you be our new Product Manager? Are you?
- A product manager with excellent communication & relationship management skills?
- Confident working with multiple stakeholders across the business, including senior management to drive decision making & delivery?
- Familiar with the Journals publishing landscape, in particular the academic researcher journey?
- Data-driven, market & user focused with the ability to get things done at pace, quickly delivering value to customers and to Sage?
- Thrive in a collaborative environment where you will be adept at problem-solving and offering a solutions-focused approach to your work.
- Comfortable reaching out and gaining an empathy with our market, building a strong knowledge of the key users and customers, acting as an advocate for their needs and views.
Your new role:
- Lead the definition and delivery of a product roadmap & backlog, or a specific area of a large product or business area roadmap. Manage the prioritisation, definition and delivery of product enhancement projects, collaborating with relevant stakeholders, UX & design teams, technology & the technology vendor for the product(s), along with carrying out user testing, so as to meet the business goals and KPIs set out for the product(s).
- Talk accurately about your core user personas and their common user journeys drawing on data.
- Explore new enhancement concepts, effectively drawing on user research and web analytics as well as collaboration with UX Designers to test, validate and evolve.
- Lead the creation of user stories for enhancement projects.
- Responsible for guiding the development team to prioritise and effectively execute the technology solution.
- Lead project teams and meetings, driving discussions and decision making.
- Develop a thorough understanding of the product(s), who are using them and how by analysing product usage data and conducting user research. Set, monitor and analyse KPIs for all enhancement projects.
- Earn trust, collaborate with key team members from across the business working on the day-to-day running of the product(s) to improve efficiencies and solve product-related issues.
- Communicate internally and contribute to external communication, with non-technical language, as relevant, to ensure product enhancements and success are promoted and understood, and that any issues or bugs affecting the use of the product are shared and handled, as appropriate.
- Interact regularly with product customers & users to ensure full understanding of their wants, needs and perspectives in order to be an effective voice within SAGE advocating their viewpoint.
- Report your work towards your product vision in alignment with your team, framing your work to relate back to the long-term goals of the product. Establish strong relationships with product stakeholders, promoting the reputation of the product, and the work of the Product Innovation department.
- Do your work with DEI in mind to include diverse voices in your work, follow accessibility principles and demonstrate inclusive behaviours in the way you work with colleagues.
- Do your work with a Lean Mindset, systematically improving your work processes to continuously look to add more value for your customers and drive efficiencies in your work
- Actively engage in emerging technologies, techniques and innovations to drive strategic business decisions
Overview of benefits:
- 25 days holiday excluding bank holidays full-time/pro-rated for part-time roles
- 2 additional ’floating days’ of personal leave, in recognition that each of us has cultural, religious, or family commitments that fall at times when the company is not closed.
- Access to Sage books and journals
- Tuition scheme and support for pursuing professional qualifications
- Hybrid working arrangements - In office 20% of contracted hours. We work flexibly and most staff can choose to work from home for up to 80% of their contracted hours.
Other benefits, which may change include:
- Sage lunches held weekly in the office
- Variety of snacks and beverages available in the office
- Healthy lifestyle reimbursement
- Access to the Company doctor
- Access to Company loans (season ticket loan, rental deposit loan, cycle loan)
If you have a disability and need any support during the application process, please contact humanresources@sagepub.co.uk. We will respond to any requests for support in a timely manner. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.
A cover letter is important to us, this offers the hiring manager valuable insights into how your skill set aligns with the role, what unique contributions you can bring to the team and why you are interested in this position. Therefore, when applying for this role online, please upload your cover letter and CV as one document.
Applications without a cover letter may regrettably not be reviewed.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
At Sage we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team that is representative of all sections of society and to sustaining a culture that celebrates difference, encourages authenticity, and creates a deep sense of belonging. We welcome applications from all members of society irrespective of age, disability, sex or gender identity, sexual orientation, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief as creating value through diversity is what makes us strong. As a business and as an organisation with an increasingly agile workforce, we're open to flexible working arrangements where appropriate.
