Sr. Manager, Product Operations

ABOUT PER SCHOLAS: For 30 years, Per Scholas has been on a mission to drive mobility and opportunity in the ever-advancing technology landscape by unlocking the untapped potential of individuals, uplifting communities, and meeting the needs of employers through rigorous tech training. By teaming up with dynamic employer partners, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to innovative startups, we're forging inclusive tech talent pipelines, fulfilling an ever-increasing need for skilled talent. With national remote training and campuses in 20+ cities and counting, Per Scholas offers no-cost training programs in the most sought-after tech skills, spanning Cloud, Cybersecurity, Data Engineering, IT Support, Software Engineering, and more. To date, 30,000+ individuals have been trained through Per Scholas, propelling their professional trajectories into high-growth tech careers with salaries three times higher than their pre-training earnings. Learn more by visiting PerScholas.org and follow us on LinkedIn , X , Facebook , Instagram , and YouTube . Per Scholas preferred hires reside within the following states : AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, MD, MA, MI, MO, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TX, WA DEPARTMENT : National Program POSITION TITLE : Sr. Manager, Product Operations REPORTS TO : VP, Product Strategy & Innovation OFFICE: Remote Travel: 25% Full Time (40 hours per week) WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR Per Scholas is seeking a Senior Manager, Product Operations to strengthen operational rigor and execution reliability across the Product Services department. This role establishes the operating systems that enable curriculum products to move from intake through planning, delivery, launch readiness, and performance reporting with consistency and accountability. The Senior Manager, Product Operations owns portfolio execution operations, including intake workflows, sprint and milestone cadences, dependency and risk management, launch readiness standards, documentation and decision-trail governance, and KPI (Key Performance Indicator) reporting infrastructure. The role partners closely with Product Management, Training Delivery, Revenue, and Research & Evaluation (R&E) to ensure shared visibility and disciplined follow-through. This role does not own product strategy, curriculum direction, evaluation methodology or analysis, or direct people management. It enables operational excellence so Product Managers can focus on roadmap and content decisions and Learner Evaluations can focus on study design, analysis, and learning impact. Final prioritization and tradeoff decisions sit with the VP, Strategy & Design. This role is expected to surface options, impacts, and recommendations to support timely decisions. WHAT YOU’LL DO Operating Rhythm, Planning, and Portfolio Execution ○ Lead the department’s operating cadence, including bi-weekly sprint planning, weekly execution reviews, monthly portfolio reviews, and quarterly planning support, with clear inputs, outputs, owners, and follow-through. ○ Convert portfolio priorities into executable plans, including milestones, critical paths, dependencies, and delivery checklists that support on-time, high-quality releases. ○ Maintain risk, dependency, and blocker logs; drive resolution by facilitating decision-making and escalating issues with clear options, impacts, and recommendations. ○ Provide capacity and resourcing visibility (load, throughput, constraints) in partnership with Product Management leadership to support transparent tradeoffs and protect delivery commitments. ○ Identify operational gaps and implement process improvements that reduce friction, improve cycle time, and increase delivery predictability across Product Services. Intake, Workflow Systems, and Tooling Governance ○ Own end-to-end intake operations, including request capture, triage, routing, prioritization support, stakeholder communications, and status transparency. ○ Administer and continuously improve Product Services systems of record: Asana and Smartsheet for projects; Airtable for the product catalog. Establish clear rules for where work is tracked and reported. ○ Establish and maintain SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) and templates for planning, execution, launches, reporting, and documentation, including version control and decision-trail requirements. ○ Own standardization, documentation, and lifecycle management of Product Services course collateral for internal and external use, ensuring materials are current, version-controlled, and easily retrievable. ○ Design and maintain lightweight automations that improve communication and status visibility across departments (e.g., intake acknowledgements, milestone alerts, dashboard refresh routines). Launch Readiness and Change Control ○ Lead cross-functional launch readiness for new and refreshed products, ensuring readiness checklists, enablement needs, communications, and operational handoffs are complete prior to release. ○ Implement change control practices to document scope changes, decision rationale, and downstream impacts; ensure release notes and stakeholder communications are timely and consistent. ○ Ensure launch artifacts meet defined standards (runbooks, enablement materials, system readiness confirmations) before releases proceed. KPI Operations, Reporting, and Accountability ○ Operationalize KPI measurement in partnership with Product and R&E by maintaining KPI definitions, data sources, owners, refresh cadences, and data quality checks. ○ Produce executive-ready reporting on a consistent cadence, including monthly performance packets and dashboard updates, with clear status, context, and action plans (owner and due date). ○ Monitor and report execution health signals (throughput, cycle time, backlog aging, milestone variance) and drive corrective actions when performance trends decline. Team Collaboration and Innovation (10%): ○ Manage the operational execution of pilots and learning experiments, including timelines, instrumentation requirements, data capture readiness, and readout coordination. ○ Ensure evaluation work is operationally supported while R&E retains ownership of methodology, analysis, and findings. ACCOUNTABILITY & SUCCESS MEASURES ○ Within the first 30 days, the Sr. Manager will conduct a baseline assessment to establish current-state performance benchmarks and define ongoing improvement targets. ○ Intake responsiveness: consistent triage turnaround and stakeholder updates; clear queue health and aging visibility. ○ Portfolio hygiene: roadmap initiatives and work items consistently include owner, status, dates, dependencies, and risks. ○ Milestone predictability: improved on-time delivery with documented variance drivers and corrective actions. ○ Launch readiness compliance: launch checklists completed prior to release; handoffs executed consistently. ○ Reporting reliability: monthly packets and dashboards delivered on time with defined completeness and action registers. ○ Decision-log discipline: major scope and priority changes documented promptly with rationale and downstream impacts. ○ Tool adoption and data quality: consistent use of the system of record; reduced duplicate tracking and manual follow-ups. ○ Collateral and catalog integrity: active products have current, version-controlled collateral and accurate product records (status, owner, links to artifacts). ○ Automation impact: measurable reduction in manual follow-ups and coordination overhead through maintained workflow automations. WHAT YOU’LL BRING TO US Required Skill Sets ● 6+ years of experience in product operations, program management, portfolio operations, or delivery operations in a cross-functional environment. ● Demonstrated success designing and running operating cadences, including dependency and risk management and executive-ready reporting. ● Strong fluency with work management and reporting tools, including Asana (or equivalent), Smartsheet (or equivalent), Airtable (or equivalent), Google Workspace, and dashboard workflows. ● Experience operationalizing performance measurement, including data definitions, refresh cadences, data quality checks, and recurring reporting routines. ● Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree is a plus. Core Skill Sets ● Systems leadership: design repeatable workflows that scale across multiple products and stakeholders. ● Execution discipline: structure ambiguous work into plans, milestones, and measurable outputs. ● Stakeholder leadership: drive alignment, clarify decision rights, and secure closure on priorities and dependencies. ● Data rigor: maintain reliable operational metrics and translate performance signals into action. ● Communication excellence: produce concise, decision-ready updates and maintain clear documentation. Preferred Skill Sets ● Experience implementing workflow governance and SOPs across complex stakeholder environments. ● Experience building lightweight automations that reduce manual coordination and improve visibility. ● Experience in nonprofit, workforce development, education, or adjacent mission-driven environments. Professional Qualifications ● Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical industry experience. ● Excellent written communication and organizational skills with the ability to follow through on small details. ● Strong evaluation support and data management skills (operations, readiness, instrumentation), with analysis owned by R&E. Personal Characteristics ● Results-oriented and pragmatic, with a bias toward clarity and follow-through. ● High ownership and initiative; identifies gaps, builds systems, and sustains operating rhythms. ● Comfortable operating across multiple teams and business lines, balancing urgency with disciplined process. For this role specifically, we are targeting a salary range between $70,000/year and $75,000/year, where the difference in salary is typically determined by several factors, including the geography in which the selected candidate resides and alignment with qualifications and experience. #LI-Remote Benefits & Perks Per Scholas offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, financial well-being, and overall quality of life! Holidays & PTO: Full-Time Per Scholas team members enjoy over 40 days of paid time off each year through a mix of holidays, vacation, and sick/personal time! All employees are eligible for Holiday pay upon hire (a total of 22 holidays annually, including a week off for Independence day and a week before the New Year ). Full-Time Benefits Eligible employees also receive 80 Wellness Hours to use for Sick, Safe, or Personal reasons and accrue Vacation at a rate of 8 hours at the beginning of every month, supporting rest, recharge, and work-life balance. Vacation accruals increase with tenure. Part-time employees are afforded time off on a prorated basis and in accordance with local requirements. Comprehensive Medical Coverage : Benefit eligible employees can choose from multiple medical plans through Cigna or Kaiser Permanente (where available), with options to fit your needs. Eligible employees also have access to a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) that reimburses eligible out-of-pocket expenses, up to $4,000 for individuals and $8,000 for families. Dental and Vision Insurance : Eligible employees can select from two dental plan options and a vision plan. Employees who waive medical coverage receive employer paid dental and vision premiums. Retirement Savings: 401(k) plan with a current 100% employer match on contributions up to 6%, eligible employees are offered entry and full vesting after 90 days with the company. Employee Assistance Program (EAP) : Free, confidential, 24/7 access to counseling, legal support, and financial resources for employees and their household members Parental Leave: Eligible employees are offered up to 6 weeks of 100% paid parental leave to support employees as they welcome a new child and bond with their family. Additional Benefits & Perks: Eligible employees have access to employer-paid life and AD&D Insurance, as well as employer-paid short-term disability coverage, with the option to elect additional life coverage and long-term disability insurance. Flexible Spending accounts are available for healthcare, dependent care, and commuting expenses. Per Scholas also offers a range of voluntary benefits, including: Accident, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, Legal Services, and Pet Insurance. Additional resources include healthcare concierge support, financial wellness tools, and employee discount programs. QUESTIONS? If you have any questions about this role, please feel free to email our Talent team at [email protected] . We look forward to viewing your application! Equal Employment Opportunity We're proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. PII Policies Non-Discrimination Policy