Product Manager, Collection Development, LAC Group, Emeryville CA

Posted August 4, 2013

LAC Group seeks motivated and enthusiastic Product Manager, Collection Development on behalf of our Client, a leading technology solutions provider for libraries. The Product Manager, Collection Development will partner with development leads, product architects, and key customers to define market requirements and packaging features for product release; strong understanding of library Collection Development and related products is essential and required. Exciting career opportunity for an entrepreneurial MLIS with product management experience and demonstrated understanding of the library automation marketplace. Work location, Emeryville, CA.

Responsibilities include:

• Manage primary and secondary market research, perform environmental scans, monitor competitive landscape, and work closely with development partner libraries to identify, understand and validate needs;
• Identify and develop user personas for individual products to ensure requirements are communicated in a clear, concise and actionable manner;
• Monitor technical trends; assess changing needs of the marketplace and provide leadership to Product Development in establishing requirements that will drive product success;
• Write product requirements and use case scenarios; iand communicate product requirements working with Product Development team to assess, prioritize and manage product deliverables and release sets across product portfolio taking into account custom software, bug fixes, new product and functional enhancements. Adhere to Company’s Agile Development practices;
• Working with Product Development team, establish, manage beta test planning and contribute significantly to product launch plans implementation.Actively monitor plan progress and conduct pro-active communication. Manage and engage development partner listserv throughout development lifecycle;
• Work to ensure high-levels of customer satisfaction resulting from product installations. Monitor customer sales, relationships and support calls to ensure product meets the highest levels of performance.Use this information flow as input to product enhancements and new features;
• Manage third-party vendors and partners as needed to support product portfolio. Develop technical product presentation and sales support material in support of these relationships;
• Present at user group and trade conferences. Perform in the capacity of product champion within the library market at large.Represent Client company at trade shows, in library forums, and standards committees. Act as a strategic peer representing the company on library listservs and other social media;
• Compose marketing release notes. Act as key resource to sales and marketing organizations to articulate a clear, singular product vision, communicate product features and benefits and competitive positioning and comparisons that drive tactical sales and marketing program development. Prepare and deliver presentations, white papers, articles, and participate in social media as needed. Contribute content to bid proposals and RFP responses;
• Maintain a status dashboard of product portfolio. Articulate product strategy, customer needs, product requirements and portfolio status at a corporate and product-team level.

Qualifications:

• Master of Library Science and/or substantive experience in libraries or the library automation marketplace. Demonstrated understanding of the Library and Internet markets;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; demonstrated ability to engage with customers, partner vendors, colleagues and competitors successfully;
• Ability and willingness to travel (15%) domestically with occasional trips of 7-8 days including weekends.Occasional international travel;
• Ability to communicate at the corporate and product-team level;
• Solid understanding of Company’s competitors and competitive offerings;
• Previous product management experience. Significant demonstrated experience in business development and negotiation;
• Strong personal organization, verbal and written skills.

Interested parties can please visit http://careers.lac-group.com/ to apply!