Executive Program Manager, Economics

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 Executive Program Manager, Economics drives the commercial success and pedagogical impact of Macmillan Learning’s course-based digital solutions. This role is responsible for developing and executing business strategies that align with company goals while positioning Macmillan as the destination of choice for innovative teaching and learning practices. The Executive Program Manager, Economics evaluates and sizes market opportunities, builds business cases, and owns P&L performance for Economics. In addition, the Executive Program Manager identifies and pursues cross-discipline opportunities where Macmillan’s portfolio can deliver greater competitive advantage and new revenue streams. By cultivating a diverse pipeline of thought leaders and change agents, the Executive Program Manager ensures a steady flow of innovative ideas that directly shape digital products and instructional solutions.

Acting as both a discipline partner and a cross-functional leader, the Executive Program Manager aligns Product, Sales, Marketing, and Implementation teams around cohesive go-to-market strategies and execution. Ultimately, the Executive Program Manager ensures Macmillan Learning’s offerings stand out in the market by combining pedagogical credibility, digital innovation, and data-driven business performance to deliver sustainable growth, differentiation, and customer success. This role does not have managerial responsibilities.

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 academic discipline, 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 discipline areas in partnership with the Go-to-Market team.
• Develop and maintain standardized documentation, such as Customer Segment Profiles, to inform product and investment decisions.

Talent Identification & Engagement

• Cultivate and sustain a pipeline of thought leaders, innovators, and change agents whose expertise advances Macmillan’s market positioning and strategic growth.
• Build and manage an ecosystem of high-impact collaborators and content creators 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.

Financial & Business Case Ownership

•  Own the P&L for assigned discipline portfolios 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.

Author & Collaborator Relationship Management

• Engage current authors in evolving digital strategies and align textbook updates or revisions with broader product directions.
• Maintain strong communication with authors and collaborators to foster continued engagement with digital-first initiatives.

Cross-Functional Strategic Leadership

• Evaluate and pursue business opportunities that span across disciplines or institutional segments, identifying areas where combined strengths can create competitive advantages and new revenue streams.
• Partner with senior leadership to size and prioritize cross-discipline opportunities and translate them into actionable roadmaps.
• Drive identified strategies to highlight Macmillan’s differentiation.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelors Degree.
• A minimum of 10 years of experience in higher educational publishing/learning company including experience in higher education sales.
• Demonstrated success in the development and launch of educational technology and ability to work cross functionally with media and product teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; strong presentation skills.
• Outstanding project management skills, with ability to juggle multiple ongoing projects, to work effectively in a fast-paced environment, and the ability to delegate and benchmark effectively.
• Ability to set priorities, meet deadlines, and work independently.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office and Google Apps.
• Experience in business strategy, portfolio management, or program leadership within higher education, academic publishing, edtech, or a related field.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in Editorial, Sales, Ed Tech.
• Demonstrated experience in launching or scaling new product lines, features, or business models in response to evolving instructional or institutional needs.
• Strong working knowledge of emerging educational technologies (e.g., generative AI, adaptive learning platforms, data visualization for learning analytics) and their implications for higher education.
• Skilled at blending quantitative analysis with qualitative field insights to shape go-to-market and investment decisions.

Salary Range: $115,000  - $135,000 / year.

Exemption Status: Exempt   

Physical Requirements:   

Must be able to multi-task, concentrate in an open office work environment, and to travel occasionally. Must be able to work more than 40 hours per week 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 equal opportunity compliance program in compliance with the NY Department of Education’s guidance.  Portions of the equal opportunity compliance program are available for review by applicants and employees by contacting Human Resources at Macmillan Learning.