Senior Product Manager

Nelnet Business Services (NBS), a division of Nelnet, Inc., provides payment technology and education services to more than 1,200 higher education institutions, nearly 12,000 K-12 schools, and millions of individual students, families, and supporters across the globe. Our culture of service enables us to form long-lasting and trusted partnerships, while our focus on creativity and innovative solutions empowers our customer communities to thrive.

The Senior Product Manager independently leads product strategy, customer discovery, roadmap execution, and product delivery for strategic software solutions within Nelnet's Education Services portfolio. This role partners closely with engineering, design, customer success, sales, and executive leadership to identify customer needs, define product direction, and deliver scalable solutions that create measurable value for K–12 school districts. The position is responsible for driving product outcomes from concept through launch while advancing Nelnet's long-term growth strategy.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Own and execute the end-to-end product strategy, roadmap, and delivery for strategic software solutions.
• Lead customer discovery efforts, including customer interviews, field research, usability testing, and market analysis to validate problems and define product opportunities.
• Translate customer insights into prioritized product requirements that balance customer value, business objectives, and technical feasibility.
• Define, track, and optimize product success metrics to drive adoption, engagement, customer satisfaction, and business outcomes.
• Partner closely with engineering and UX to deliver scalable, high-quality solutions through iterative Agile development.
• Identify opportunities to leverage artificial intelligence and emerging technologies to improve customer experiences and create differentiated product capabilities.
• Collaborate across cross-functional teams to align product priorities, drive execution, and deliver customer value.
• Build strong relationships with customers and serve as the voice of the customer throughout the product lifecycle.
• Influence cross-functional product strategy and roadmap decisions through data-driven recommendations and customer insights.
• Present product strategy, roadmap recommendations, and business cases to leadership teams and key stakeholders.

**Pay Range for this role is - $120,000 - $150,000 depending on experience

EDUCATION:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, Business, Education, or a related field.

• Advanced degree or product management certification preferred.

EXPERIENCE: 

Required:

• 5+ years of product management experience leading SaaS, cloud-based, or enterprise software products.
• Experience defining product vision, strategy, roadmaps, and feature prioritization.
• Demonstrated success leading customer discovery and translating customer insights into product strategy and roadmap decisions.
• Experience bringing software products from concept through MVP, launch, and continuous improvement.
• Experience partnering with software engineering and UX teams using Agile development methodologies. Experience using qualitative and quantitative data to drive prioritization and product decisions.
• Strong communication skills with experience presenting product strategy and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Excellent written communication skills with demonstrated experience developing clear, concise product documentation, including product requirements, business cases, roadmaps, and other product artifacts.

Preferred:

• Experience in K–12 education, EdTech, SaaS, or enterprise software.

• Experience with interoperability, data platforms, APIs, or system integrations.

• Experience with AI-enabled software products or data-driven applications.

• Experience working directly with customers to validate product-market fit.

• Experience launching new products or entering new markets.

COMPETENCIES/SKILLS: 

• Product Strategy & Vision
• Customer Discovery & Product Validation
• Product Roadmap Management
• Data-Driven Decision Making
• Cross-Functional Leadership & Influence
• Agile Product Development
• Customer-Centric Problem Solving
• Strategic Thinking
• Artificial Intelligence & Emerging Technology Awareness

Our benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, HSA and FSA, generous earned time off, 401K/student loan repayment, life insurance & AD&D insurance, employee assistance program, employee stock purchase program, tuition reimbursement, performance-based incentive pay, short- and long-term disability, and a robust wellness program. Click here to learn more about our benefits: Benefits & Perks - Nelnet Inc

Nelnet is committed to providing a welcoming and respectful workplace where all associates have the opportunity to succeed. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we ensure that all qualified applicants are considered for employment. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion/creed, national origin, gender, sex, marital status, age, disability, use of a guide dog or service animal, sexual orientation, military/veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law. We value the unique contributions of every team member and believe that a positive work environment benefits everyone.  

Qualified individuals with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations in order to apply or compete for positions at Nelnet may request such accommodations by contacting Corporate Recruiting at 402-486-5725 or corporaterecruiting@nelnet.net.

Nelnet is a Drug Free and Tobacco Free Workplace.

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Hiring

We may use automated or artificial intelligence enabled tools to assist with the initial review of applications, such as identifying relevant skills or experience. These tools are used to support human review and do not make hiring decisions. A recruiter reviews applications and determines which candidates move forward in the hiring process. For more information, see our Privacy Policy and Pre-Use Notice: Automated Tools in Hiring