Chief Product Officer, CommonLit

• Bachelor’s degree required
• 10+ years of product management experience, with 5+ in a senior leadership or executive role
• Proven success scaling SaaS products (bonus for experience in the Education space)
• Strong understanding of K–12, higher education, or workforce learning ecosystems
• Expertise in software development methodologies (ours is currently based on Basecamp’s Shape Up), product analytics, and user research
• Exceptional communication and storytelling skills — able to align and motivate teams around a clear, shared vision
• Passion for improving educational outcomes through technology and innovation

Desirable

• As CommonLit expands into the core ELA curriculum market, we are seeking a Chief Product Officer (CPO) to guide the next chapter of our product’s evolution and impact
• The CPO will create and execute the product strategy that will best position CommonLit to compete and thrive in a rapidly evolving edtech and curriculum landscape
• Through strong product knowledge and operations, the CPO will play a pivotal role in setting the development roadmap of CommonLit’s highly effective program, ensuring it meets intended goals for our audiences: students, teachers, and administrators
• The Chief Product Officer will directly oversee CommonLit’s Product Management and Design teams
• They will work closely alongside adjacent leaders in academics, engineering, and strategy to foster alignment, and shepherd focused execution within each development cycle
• The CPO will oversee the high altitude prioritization of CommonLit’s product development, and help to imagine and shape the innovative big bets we can make to the platform and product in the coming years
• We imagine a collaborative, dynamic leader, who is eager to operate a team with a strong culture, and clear systems, orienting towards an articulated long-term vision
• This action-oriented leader has a goal to learn, iterate, and continuously improve
• The CPO will ensure that CommonLit’s products are effectively designed, presented, and implemented for our end users, ensuring the customer experience (CX) for our audiences (teachers, students, administrators) drives towards our intended goals and values
• This is a key executive role, reporting directly to the CEO, and part of the senior leadership team
• Develop and execute a long-term product strategy aligned with the company’s mission, vision, 18 month organizational strategy, and annual business goals
• Articulate and oversee the realization of a customer (teacher, administrator, student) experience aligned to product goals
• Identify opportunities for innovation and differentiation in the education technology landscape aligned to user needs
• Oversee high altitude prioritization and resource allocation related to the product and engineering roadmaps
• Build, coach, and directly manage a high-performing product team including product management and UX/UI design
• Lead a high functioning, data-driven product organization, collaborating across product, engineering, academics, data science, and strategy through strong product operations, collaboration, systems, and rituals
• Foster a joyful culture of collaboration, innovation, and accountability
• Partner closely with sales, marketing, and GTM leaders to deliver cohesive, impactful products that enable the organization to consistently meet customer needs and retain and expand its customer base
• Oversee the end-to-end product lifecycle — from discovery and design to development and launch
• Work closely with engineering to achieve results
• Prioritize initiatives using data-driven insights, balancing short-term goals with long-term impact
• Implement frameworks for rapid experimentation, A/B testing, and continuous improvement
• Champion the voice of educators, students, and administrators across all product decisions
• Ensure products meet high standards for usability, accessibility, and pedagogical value
• Use qualitative and quantitative data to measure learning outcomes and user satisfaction
• Collaborate with Academics, Sales, Partnerships, and Finance to ensure product strategy supports growth and sustainability
• Translate educational impact into clear business metrics (engagement, retention, outcomes)

• Apply by: Friday, December 5 at 5 pm EST