Group PM / Director of Product, Engagement

About Us Academia.edu is a venture-backed, for-profit, and profitable company based in San Francisco. We are recognized as the world’s leading platform for researchers and scholars to share work, discover research, and connect with academics globally. Our bold vision is to democratize and accelerate the world's research, enhancing the speed of scientific discovery and technological progress for the benefit of everyone. We imagine a world where accessing academic papers is effortless, keeping track of cutting-edge research is seamless and collaborating with researchers is easier than ever before. Our platform empowers millions of scholars worldwide to push the boundaries of human understanding. We believe in the power of knowledge to change lives and the world, and our commitment to this mission drives everything we do.

Join us as we continue to redefine what's possible in the world of research. Discover careers that challenge, inspire and propel you toward a future where your ideas can truly change the world. At Academia.edu, we're not just shaping the future of research—we're shaping the future of possibilities.

Please note that this role is in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our office comes alive on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays! Three times a week, our Bay Area team gathers in our office located in San Francisco's Financial District (580 California St) for All Hands meetings, collaborative sessions, innovation-driven brainstorming, and events that bring us closer together. Our space has everything we need—from cozy rooms for 1:1 mentoring and focused work to larger rooms designed for team activities.

The RoleWe are seeking a high-performing Product Leader to lead our Engagement Products group. We believe there is a major opportunity to provide Researchers with a best-in-class social experience to keep up-to-date in their fields; maintain relationships with their colleagues, discover great research, and collaborate with peers to accelerate their work. In this role you will drive up the number of academics engaging in our free social products on the site on a recurring basis. This includes developing the key surfaces and functions of our site, including the home page and onboarding experiences, people recommendations, and new social modalities like groups or events. You will be responsible for 3 product teams to start, both with PMs in seats and the need to develop (and hire) the area further.

Key Responsibilities

• Define the strategy for the Academia.edu social platform and drive alignment with key exec stakeholders
• Drive adoption and growth of the Academia.edu social experience
• Hire and support a high-performing product team; with a track record of empowering reports
• IC a product team in the early stages of your time with us, in order to show execution excellence and model performance to your reports
• Advocate for and up-skill product as a function in your area, and across the company

Requirements

• 7-12 years of product experience, with a focus on social (or community) B2C products
• Previous experience in one of engagement growth, media/messaging/community products, or onboarding/activation of B2C users
• Previous experience hiring and leveling-up PMs
• Strong IC product skills; you know how to “lead from the front” and teach best practices
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and oral
• Demonstrated ability to make a significant business impact, autonomously
• Customer-centric approach with a knack for data-driven validation
• Experience working with cross-functional teams (ENG, UXR, Data, Design) and leaders
• Startup experience is essential; bonus for a history of successful product pivots
• Technical understanding and ability to engage in high-level technical discussions
• Extensive experience with A/B testing and user research (both qualitative and quantitative)
• Proven expertise in launching and scaling products to millions of users

Nice To Haves

• Experience in Edtech or academia
• A stint in growth-stage tech companies during a ‘high-growth’ period
• A stint in social media tech companies (ex: Meta, Youtube, Reddit, Linkedin) Experience in launching products from inception to market (0->1)