Senior Product Manager - Research

About the Role We’re looking for a Senior Product Manager to lead our Kuali Research product, a mission‑critical area of our higher‑education SaaS platform. This role is ideal for a seasoned product manager who thrives in ambiguity, operates with deep customer empathy, understands how to drive business growth with product investments, and consistently delivers high‑impact outcomes. As Senior Product Manager, you will own this complex product domain end‑to‑end — shaping vision and strategy, driving roadmap decisions, and partnering closely with engineering, design, and go‑to‑market teams. You’ll influence cross‑functional alignment, elevate product quality, and ensure the Kuali Research solution delivers measurable value to colleges and universities, while delivering business outcomes that support company growth objectives. Who are we? Kuali builds software solutions for higher education. We help our customers — colleges & universities — focus on providing a fantastic education to students by decreasing their administrative costs. We work in a competitive space, ripe for innovation, with users ready to be delighted. Our Culture As a company, we are guided by our cultural values: Iterate to evolve Cultivate openness Act with accountability Assume the best Practice humility Deliver amazing experiences At Kuali, we learn from and teach each other, we practice transparency and empathy, we delight in delivering value to our customers, and we WIN! We work remotely, and have for years. Distributed work is in our bones, with a history of institutions working across state lines on open-source software for more than ten years. Our employees each work in the environment where they’re happiest, from Pennsylvania to Seattle. We work consciously to create a collaborative and healthy remote work culture, and we travel to meet in person a few times each year. We feel it’s important for employees to come to work refreshed and ready for the week so we have a four day work week policy, Monday-Thursday. Everyone should love their work. At Kuali, we embrace diversity and inclusion at every level. We value and respect individuals from all backgrounds, recognizing that a rich tapestry of experiences and perspectives fuels our success as a company and enriches our collective human experience. What you’ll be responsible for Product Strategy & Vision Own the long‑term strategy for our Research, ensuring alignment with Kuali’s overall portfolio visions and strategy as well as the company mission and business goals. Translate customer needs, market trends, competitive intelligence, and data into a clear, actionable roadmap Identify opportunities for innovation in configurability, workflow optimization, and AI‑enabled capabilities. Discovery & Customer Insight Lead deep discovery efforts with higher‑education institutions, including interviews, workflow analysis, and usability testing. Develop a strong understanding of institutional processes, compliance requirements, and user personas. Validate hypotheses through experimentation, prototyping, and data‑driven decision‑making. Execution & Delivery Partner with engineering and design to design and deliver high‑quality features and capabilities on time and with clear success criteria. Write detailed product requirements documents, including business value, epics, user stories, acceptance criteria, and additional artifacts that define the problem and solution. Ensure releases meet accessibility, security, and performance standards expected in EdTech. Cross‑Functional Leadership Collaborate with marketing, sales, and customer success to support go‑to‑market readiness and customer adoption. Represent the product in customer advisory boards, roadmap reviews, and internal planning sessions. Mentor associate and mid‑level PMs, modeling strong product thinking and execution discipline. Impact & Outcomes Define and track KPIs that measure product health, adoption, and customer value. Drive continuous improvement through iteration, experimentation, and feedback loops. Influence portfolio‑level decisions through strong storytelling and strategic insight. About you We’re looking for curious, enthusiastic, empathetic people to solve problems, execute on ideas, advocate for the customer, and contribute to a team culture built on trust and mutual respect. We build and support systems using both Java and Node.js/React. We believe that great developers can always learn new tools. Above any specific tech stack, we’re looking for versatile developers — those who know when to think big and when to act small, and who are comfortable in both greenfield and refactoring projects. We believe the best results are created by teams who represent a broad range of ideas and perspectives. We value employees with diverse backgrounds and experiences. Ideal candidates have experience with: 8+ years of product management experience, including ownership of complex SaaS products. Demonstrated success driving strategy and execution in a fast‑paced, remote, cross‑functional environment. Strong analytical skills with experience using data to inform decisions and measure outcomes. Exceptional communication skills — able to simplify complexity and influence at all levels. Deep customer empathy and experience in conducting structured discovery. Familiarity with agile methodologies and modern product development practices. We’d be delighted if you bring experience with: Experience in higher‑education technology, enterprise workflow systems, or adjacent SaaS domains. Knowledge of accessibility standards (WCAG, ADA) and compliance frameworks (FERPA, COPPA). Experience with configurable platforms, workflow engines, or AI‑enabled product features. Background in open‑source or community‑driven product ecosystems. Perks Remote-first work Top-of-the-line equipment of your choice to get your job done A truly exceptional benefits package including full premium coverage for employee and dependent medical and dental care 401(k) matching Employee stock option plan Paid Maternity/Parental leave All the paid time off you need (just work it out with your manager) Encouragement and support in learning and improving your skill-sets. Space to work on self-driven projects during quarterly “hack weeks” Employee resource groups and community events