Product Owner - Curriculum Design (qualified teachers)

Location: UK remote (or option to work in our Sheffield office)
Annual Salary: £30,000 per annum
Hours: 37.5 hours per week (Core hours 10:00 am-2:00 pm Monday-Friday)
Contract: Permanent
Recruiter: Hope Parkin
Closing date for applications: 12/02/2024

Twinkl is a leading educational publishing company dedicated to supporting educators and enriching the learning experiences of students. We create innovative, high-quality educational resources that empower both students and teachers, fostering an environment of learning and growth.

We are looking for a dynamic, experienced, and passionate Teacher to join our team as a Product Owner for our new Curriculum Builder tool. This role presents a unique opportunity for someone with a blend of teaching experience, curriculum development expertise, and product management skills. The ideal candidate will lead the development of the Curriculum Builder tool from its initial concept to a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), and beyond, ensuring that we have and overseeing the development of a full, linear, progressive curriculum offering from early years to KS4, with the potential to expand internationally. This encompasses conducting user testing, making iterative improvements, and establishing the product as a market-leading tool in curriculum design.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the ideation, technical development, and launch of the Curriculum Builder tool.
• Define product vision and roadmap in collaboration with cross-functional teams, including engineers, designers, and educational experts.
• Develop and prioritise product features and user stories to create a compelling MVP.
• Conduct user research and usability testing to gather insights and identify user needs.
• Collaborate with the engineering team to ensure timely and quality delivery of features.
• Analyse market trends and competitor products to ensure our tool remains innovative and market-leading.
• Work closely with educators and stakeholders to ensure the tool meets the needs of a linear curriculum and is comprehensive and user-friendly.
• Continuously evaluate and improve the product based on feedback from users and performance metrics.
• Act as the primary point of contact for all product-related queries and decisions.
• Collaborate effectively with the other Product Owners to ensure consistency and alignment.
• Engage with key stakeholders both within and outside the organisation to understand and address the unique challenges and needs of educational professionals.
• Maintain a strong presence in the subject lead/curriculum design community by overseeing and contributing to relevant forums and groups.
• Collaborate with the Marketing Team to oversee and contribute to the marketing efforts for our curriculum offering.
• Work closely with the Schools Team to support the successful promotion and adoption of our curriculum in schools.
• Utilise data to inform product strategy, measure performance, and make informed decisions to drive market growth.
• Conduct competitor analysis, market research, and field research to stay abreast of industry trends.
• Report on product performance and progress towards strategic goals.

This exciting and varied role will give you the opportunity to play a key role in the development of the most popular teaching tools in the world and help to meet the needs of thousands of educators.

Requirements

To succeed in the role, you will need:

• Minimum 5 years of UK full class teaching experience after QTS with a deep understanding of curriculum planning and delivery.
• Proven experience in product management, particularly in EdTech or related fields.
• Strong understanding of the product development lifecycle, including experience in creating and managing an MVP.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and project management skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.

• Data-driven mindset with the ability to analyse and interpret complex information.
• Demonstrated ability to drive product strategy and innovation.
• Exhibits a strong work ethic, passion for the field, and genuine enthusiasm for the work.
• Essential for remote working- You will need access to a fast and reliable internet connection of at least 6mb down and 1mb upload. We recommend you use speedtest.net to check.

In this role, you will learn:

• Stakeholder management.
• Effective market and competitor research techniques.
• Product Owner mindset.
• Development of business propositions.
• Innovation techniques and principles.

You’ll work with:

• Head of Educational Content.
• Digital Content Manager.
• Product Team Lead (your line manager)
• Other Product Owners within the business working on different products and resource collections.
• Production, Sales, Cares, Marketing, Innovation and other teams from around the business.

Soft Skills:

• Is good fun to be with and has the ability to communicate well with others
• Is honest, trustworthy and reliable
• Produces quality work and is ready to learn new skills 
• An excellent communicator who can both share and listen to ideas

How to Apply…

Please apply with an up to date CV and a covering letter outlining how you meet the requirements listed in the job description and how your previous experience is relevant to this role. 

Recruitment process:

Step 1: Submit your CV and cover letter

Step 2: Complete a timed online Product Owner task

Step 3: Video interview with Hope and two members of the Product Team

Twinkl are proud to be an Equal Opportunities Employer. We celebrate diversity within all of our teams and are committed to continuing to build an inclusive workplace for all. If you require a reasonable adjustment to the application/selection process to enable you to demonstrate your ability to perform the job requirements please include this at the foot of your covering letter. This will help us to understand any modifications we may need to make to support you throughout our selection process.

Benefits

In return for everything you can bring, we can offer you an exciting role in a fast-growing and dynamic business, with plenty of career opportunities.

Here’s a couple of the things that make Twinkl a great place to be:

• A friendly, welcoming and supportive culture. We believe work should be fun and always put people before process
• Diversity, inclusion and belonging - our Employee Network Program includes working groups for LGBTQ+, People of Colour, Disabilities (visible and invisible), Women in Tech and Working Parents.
• From day 1 - Westfield Health, 29 annual leave days per year plus up to four additional days that may be awarded each year by the company, flexible working policy with opportunities to work from home and Twinkl subscriptions.
• After probation - company sick pay and cycle to work scheme.
• Long term service reward after 2+ years of service - Life insurance, enhanced pension contribution, enhanced maternity pay, enhanced adoption pay and enhanced paternity pay.