Fast Facts

Macmillan Learning seeks a Program Director for their Institutional portfolio to lead strategic initiatives that serve higher education institutions, focusing on business strategy, talent engagement, and cross-functional leadership.

Responsibilities: Key responsibilities include conducting market assessments, defining and executing business strategy, cultivating thought leaders in higher education, and leading cross-functional initiatives to enhance institutional impact.

Skills: Candidates should have a Bachelor's Degree and a minimum of 7 years in the publishing or related industry, with strong business strategy, team management, and collaboration skills.

Qualifications: Preferred candidates will have experience with educational technology, knowledge of emerging tech such as AI, and the ability to navigate the evolving edtech landscape.

Location: United States

Compensation: $120000 - $140000 / Annually

At Macmillan Learning, we're committed to driving innovation that transforms education. We seek team members who thrive on pushing boundaries, envisioning future possibilities, and building solutions that make a lasting impact. Whether you're a Pioneer shaping bold new ideas, a Builder turning possibilities into reality, or a Stabilizer optimizing for success, you'll play a vital role in advancing our mission. If you're excited by the prospect of testing new technologies, implementing transformative strategies, and thriving in a fast-paced, innovative environment, we’d love to hear from you!

The Program Director for the Institutional portfolio provides leadership across products and initiatives that serve higher education institutions, ensuring Macmillan Learning’s sustainable digital growth, differentiation, and pedagogical impact.

The Director establishes a cohesive portfolio strategy, evaluates opportunities in the context of higher ed institutions, and leads cross-functional initiatives that expand Macmillan’s competitive advantage, enabling business strategies are aligned, scalable, and positioned for long-term success.

The Director closely partners with other members of the Program team, as well as Product, Marketing, Sales, Implementation, and Finance leaders to integrate portfolio strategies into company-wide priorities. By cultivating and elevating thought leaders, the Director enhances Macmillan’s external visibility and credibility as a hub of innovation in higher education. This role manages other employees.

We know that talented candidates sometimes hesitate to apply when they don't meet every single qualification listed. We encourage you to apply if you're excited about this role and believe you can contribute meaningfully to our team, even if your background doesn't align perfectly with every requirement. We're looking for people who are passionate about our mission and can bring valuable perspectives to our work. Different experiences, skills, and approaches all have the potential to strengthen what we do. If this opportunity interests you, we'd love to hear how your unique background and abilities could contribute to our team's success. We're committed to building a workplace where everyone can do their best work and where diverse viewpoints are valued. We encourage all qualified candidates to apply - we're excited to learn about the different ways you might add value to our organization. 

Major responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Business Strategy, Opportunity Sizing & Competitive Intelligence

• Conduct market opportunity assessments, including TAM/SAM/SOM analysis, to identify and prioritize growth segments.
• Maintain deep knowledge of the institutional landscape, instructional innovations, and emerging competitors.
• Evaluate performance and competitive metrics to identify white space opportunities and refine Macmillan’s positioning.
• Define and execute business strategy for assigned projects in partnership with the Go-to-Market team.
• Develop and maintain standardized documentation, such as Market Segment Profiles, to inform product and investment decisions.
• Conduct market opportunity assessments, including TAM/SAM/SOM analysis, to identify and prioritize growth segments.
• Maintain deep knowledge of the institutional landscape, instructional innovations, and emerging competitors.
• Evaluate performance and competitive metrics to identify white space opportunities and refine Macmillan’s positioning.
• Define and execute business strategy for assigned projects in partnership with the Go-to-Market team.
• Develop and maintain standardized documentation, such as Market Segment Profiles, to inform product and investment decisions.

Talent Identification & Engagement

• Cultivate and sustain a pipeline of thought leaders, innovators, and change agents in the higher education landscape whose expertise advances Macmillan’s market positioning and strategic growth.
• Build and manage an ecosystem of high-impact collaborators that brings new practices and perspectives into Macmillan’s portfolio.
• Establish Macmillan as a destination of choice for influential partners by cultivating an ecosystem that attracts inbound opportunities and proposals.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Lead strategic initiatives that span multiple disciplines and business units, including ownership of the business case.
• Partner with senior leadership to align cross-functional priorities across Product, Marketing, Sales, Implementation, and Content.
• Serve as the senior strategic voice of the institutional portfolio and assigned cross-functional initiatives in executive planning and decision-making.
• Model authentic leadership and cross-functional influence to strengthen organizational culture.

Financial & Business Case Leadership

• Own the P&L for assigned projects and ensure financial performance meets or exceeds goals.
• Build business cases to evaluate and secure investment for new initiatives, features, and products.
• Apply iterative and data-informed approaches to evaluating return on investment and financing for innovation projects.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree.
• Minimum 7 years publishing (or related media industry) experience in editorial, acquisitions, or executive positions.
• Minimum of 3 years setting and meeting (or surpassing) strategic goals.
• Demonstrated ability to manage a team, set financial projections, and guide and communicate strategy to the broader organization.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience collaborating with product and engineering teams to develop educational technology.
• Strong interest in and working knowledge of emerging technologies, such as generative AI, learning analytics, or adaptive learning platforms, and how they shape institutional decision-making and product strategy.
• Ability to assess and advocate for AI-based tools that enhance decision-making, market modeling, or thought leadership content development.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and iterating strategy in fast-evolving markets—especially within the higher education or edtech space.

Salary Range: $120,000 - $140,000

Exemption Status: Exempt

Physical Requirements:

Requires periods of close concentration; must be able to multi-task; must be able to travel occasionally; work overtime - more than 40 hours a week – regularly, as needed.

The position is eligible for remote employment, excluding the following locations: Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming.  

Benefits

Regular full-time and qualifying part-time employees and their dependents are eligible for Macmillan benefits, effective on the employee’s date of hire. Macmillan also offers health benefits coverage to qualifying same-sex and opposite-sex domestic partners (may require additional documentation) of active employees.

• Competitive pay and bonus plan
• Generous Health Benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision)
• Contributions to your 401k retirement account through Fidelity 
• Generous paid time off, sick time, floating holidays, and paid holidays (Spring Reset Day , Juneteenth, Indigenous People's Day, Election Day, and more!)
• Employee Assistance Program, Education Assistance Program
• 100% employer-paid life and AD&D insurance
• And much more!

Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family owned company that improves lives through learning. By linking research to learning practice, we develop pioneering products and learning materials for students that are highly effective and drive improved outcomes. Our engaging content is developed in partnership with the world's best researchers, educators, administrators, and developers. To learn more, please visit macmillanlearning.com or see us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or join our Macmillan Community. Macmillan Learning is a division of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, a family-owned global media company headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany.  

At Macmillan Learning, we believe diverse perspectives and backgrounds enrich our mission to improve lives through learning. We actively seek candidates who reflect a wide range of identities, experiences, and communities. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, disability status, physical ability, neurodiversity, genetic information, protected veteran status, family and economic status and background, geographical status and background, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. You can read more about our Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion initiatives here.

The successful candidate for this position will be an employee of Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishing Group, LLC d/b/a Macmillan Learning. Bedford Freeman & Worth Publishing Group, LLC has developed an affirmative action program in compliance with the NY Department of Education’s guidance. Portions of the affirmative action program are available for review by applicants and employees by contacting Human Resources at Macmillan Learning.