Fast Facts

CommonLit is seeking a Chief Product Officer (CPO) to lead the product strategy and development of its edtech platform, ensuring effective user experiences for students, teachers, and administrators.

Responsibilities: The CPO will develop and execute product strategy, manage product teams, oversee the entire product lifecycle, and ensure alignment with organizational goals while driving customer focus and innovation.

Skills: 10+ years of product management experience, including 5+ in senior leadership, expertise in SaaS products, strong communication skills, and a passion for educational technology.

Qualifications: Bachelor's degree required; proven success in scaling SaaS products, especially in education, is preferred.

Location: Remote-first position with team members located in nearly 30 states and Washington, D.C.

Compensation: $200000 - $300000 / Annually

CommonLit is a nonprofit education technology organization dedicated to ensuring that all students, especially students in Title I schools, graduate with the reading, writing, communication, and problem-solving skills they need to be successful in college and beyond. We envision a world where all students get the opportunity to have a world class education. We operate an online reading program for grades 3-12, www.CommonLit.org, that is used by teachers in over 90,000 American schools.

The Opportunity

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.

Apply by: Friday, December 5 at 5 pm EST

Roles and Responsibilities

Product Strategy & Innovation

“Build towards the future”

-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

Leadership & Team Development

“Grow, retain, and manage an action-oriented team”

-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

Product Execution & Delivery

“Build the right thing at the right time”

-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

Customer Focus & Impact

“Architect the systems to prioritize real user needs”

-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

Business & Market Alignment

“Meet business goals” 

-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)

Qualifications

-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

Preferred Experience

-Experience with adaptive learning technologies, content personalization, or data-driven instruction

-Familiarity with education standards (e.g., Common Core, NGSS) and district procurement processes

Salary and Benefits

Salary: $200,000 - $300,000, commensurate with experience 

At CommonLit, we are committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive company culture that values work-life balance and adapts to life’s changes. We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support our employees’ health, well-being, and financial security:

-Health, dental, and vision insurance

-HSA and FSA Plans, including Medical FSA, Limited FSA, and Dependent Care FSA options

-Company-sponsored basic life insurance, with additional options for supplemental life insurance

-Legal insurance

-401(k) retirement plan with a 4% safe harbor employer match

-Access to exclusive discounts, including pet insurance, hotel booking discounts, and more

-Remote work support, including a home office set-up stipend

Generous time off, including:

-16 paid holidays annually

-Paid time off accruals and sick leave

-Paid family leave, including caregiver leave, medical leave, and 12 weeks of paid parental leave

-2 floating holidays

-Volunteer and school visitation leave

-Jury duty leave

-Bereavement and compassionate leave

-Flexible work options

As a remote-first organization, CommonLit has team members in nearly 30 states and Washington, D.C. We strive to create a collaborative and engaging workplace through various connection opportunities:

-Monthly remote activities, such as dumpling-making, yoga, and virtual escape rooms

-Monthly "CoffeeLit" sessions for connecting with colleagues

-Learning and development opportunities for teams and individuals

Apply by: Friday,December 5 at 5 pm EST