Associate Director, Product Ops Mgmt

ETS is a global education and talent solutions organization enabling lifelong learners worldwide to be future-ready. For more than 75 years, we've been advancing the science of measurement to build benchmarks for fair and valid skill assessment across cultures and borders. Our worldwide impact extends through our renowned assessments including TOEFL®, TOEIC®, GRE® and Praxis® tests, serving millions of learners in more than 200 countries and territories. Through strategic acquisitions, we've expanded our global capabilities: PSI strengthens our workforce assessment solutions, while Edusoft, Kira Talent, Pipplet, Vericant, and Wheebox enhance our educational technology and assessment platforms across critical markets worldwide.

Through ETS Research Institute and ETS Solutions, we're partnering with educational institutions, governments, and organizations globally to promote skill proficiency, empower upward mobility, and unlock opportunities for everyone, everywhere. With offices and partners across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas, we deliver nearly 50 million tests annually. Join us in our journey of measuring progress to power human progress worldwide.

ETS is the state testing contractor for the California Assessment System which includes the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) and the English Language Proficiency Assessment for California (ELPAC). We are a dynamic team that likes to have fun and to support each other, as we focus on going the extra mile to provide excellent value and service to our California client.

The Associate Director will direct the outreach and support for the California local education agencies (LEAs) for the CAASPP and ELPAC assessments by leading and guiding two managers and their teams. This role will ensure that LEAs are maintaining proper security for assessments as the leader of the testing security audits and working with team members to monitor information entered in the Test Operations Management System. This role works with multiple ETS functional groups and with subcontractors to manage day-to-day operations of an existing product.

Responsibilities

End-to-End Product Operations Management & Delivery

• Contribute to the creation of the work plan and executing the day-to-day operations of an existing product, based on the direction provided by leadership.
  

• Work directly with the Product Owner and Senior Director to transition product concepts from MVP to operational

• Provides input for the creation of the product work plan and executes against the product work plan

• Directs work of FCEs (Functional Centers of Excellence) to meet Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

• Provide substantive input to senior management and create informal internal proposals about how to improve on the means in which we communicate between the client and LEAs, design solutions for the client based on capabilities and tools, coordinate the creation of the solutions, and maintain client relationships.

• Identifies and shares product delivery improvement areas with Product Managers

• Communicates and collaborates with FCEs / vendors / partners clearly and effectively

• Accountable for the efficient resolution of operational issues within product and fully understands the day-to-day operations and flow status

• Accountable for delivering on products / features promised to client / customer

• Participate in client / customer meetings as needed to provide operational expertise

• Directly accountable for management of the operations for assigned product of lower size, and/or complexity working directly with Product Owner and Senior Director.

Contract/SLA Fulfillment

• Responsible for ensuring that product delivery meets client expectations

• Directs the work of product operations team to ensure that milestones are met, contractual obligations are fulfilled, and delivery meets client expectations

• Oversee the administration of the California assessments by working with the entire California team to work through any issues that may occur during the administration windows.

• Tracks performance against SLAs and work with FCEs and service providers to improve performance as needed

Risk Management

• Identifies operational risks and create mitigation plans

Financial Management

• Responsible for tracking/managing all product-related expenditures against budget

• Responsible for supporting attainment of surplus targets by controlling expenses

• Works with FCE's to identify opportunities to reduce product costs across the value chain, and be accountable for their implementation

Human Resource Management

• Adhere to ethical standards and comply with the laws and regulations applicable to the job function

Required Skills

• Ability to work with cross-functional teams

• Demonstrated understanding of product operational needs

• Ability to identify new ideas to improve performance and productivity

• Ability to provide status updates of day-to-day operations

• Deep understanding of SLA's and KPI's

• Possess strong decision making and prioritization skills

• Strong communication skills

• Responds effectively when faced with uncertainty and/or lack of data by seeking the data necessary to guide decision-making

• Ability to manage and optimize suppliers

• Ability to lead through influence (matrix management)

Education, Certifications, or Special Licenses

• Undergraduate degree (or equivalent experience) in related fields such as: Business Administration, Operations Management/Engineering or other areas combined with relevant work experience

• Master's Degree in Education or related field, preferred

Relevant Years of Experience Required

• 2+ years of experience working with an LEA especially within the LEA assessment office

• 2+ years of combined experience in operations management

• Previous experience in one or more of the following: project management, business analysis, budget management, product management or client relationship management is desired

The salary range for this role is between $120,000 to $135,000. The actual salary offered will depend on the successful candidate's relevant experience.

#LI-MM1

#LI-REMOTE

ETS believes in a Total Rewards philosophy for our employees, and they include:

• Health, Vision, Dental insurance plans to choose from
• Generous continuous learning support, from individual learning grants to up to 6 classes a year for tuition reimbursement as well as on-line learning access
• Generous PTO and vacation time to balance your work and life
• Additional 8 hours of PTO for volunteer work
• Retirement plan (401(a)) and traditional Roth (403b) with company contribution
• Commuter Benefits, Pet Insurance, 1 year subscription to Calm App

ETS is mission driven and action oriented

• Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging is at the forefront of the ETS employee's daily work. To further foster an inclusive environment ETS is home to a wide variety of Affinity groups that celebrate the diversity of our talented employees.
• How about cultivating growth, innovation, and continuous transformation for the next generation of rising professionals as leaders? ETS offers multiple Business Resource Groups (BRG) for you
• Are you passionate about volunteering and being active in your career and community? ETS offers our Center for Advocacy & Philanthropy (CAAP) where we encourage ETS employees to become active volunteers in their communities and schools through the ETS Cares Giving Campaign. Our employees can support any 501c3 or eligible charity of their choice.

ETS is an Equal Opportunity Employer comprised of people with different experiences, strengths, and backgrounds who share a passion for advancing quality and equity in education. We are dedicated to building teams that reflect the various backgrounds, experiences, and identities of those we serve. The Talent Acquisition team strives to ensure candidates enjoy a fair and equitable hiring process. We believe our differences empower us to be a better team, making better decisions and delivering better results.