Director of Product Management – Enterprise Applications

The Director of Product Management Enterprise Applications leads Vertex Educations most complex and high-impact platformsWorkday NetSuite (FIS) Sage Intacct (FIS) ensuring they deliver measurable business value for Vertex employees and the schools we serve.

By delivering high-quality user-centered solutions the Director enables every Vertex and school team to effectively advance our mission of changing lives through education. These platforms connect people data and processes across HR finance and planning helping every team focus more time and energy on delivering exceptional outcomes for students.

In partnership with the Sr. Director of Product & Engineering this role sets the strategic vision for Vertexs business systems portfolio driving platform optimization automation and delivery through consistent frameworks and shared best practices.

Essential Functions:

1) Strategy Prioritization & Roadmap Delivery:

• Develop and maintain comprehensive product roadmaps for Workday NetSuite and Sage Intacct aligned with Vertexs strategic objectives and measurable business outcomes.

• Lead structured planning cycles using prioritization frameworks (Impact/Effort MoSCoW RICE) to focus resources on high-impact work.

• Define value-driven epics and user stories managing agile execution that prioritizes long-term strategic outcomes over reactive fixes.

• Monitor and report on platform health and adoption through defined KPIs ensuring transparency across product delivery and executive teams.

2) SaaS Portfolio Vendors & Implementation Partners:

• Oversee the full lifecycle of Vertexs business systems portfolio ensuring stability optimization and continuous improvement.

• Manage third-party support contracts and spending including support agreements and partnerships with Workday support providers such as AVAAP.

• Lead vendor selection contract renewals and SOW negotiations; hold partners accountable for SLAs performance and delivery quality.

• Standardize out-of-the-box capabilities and documented configurations; ensure partners deliver to Vertex conventions and avoid one-off customizations.

3) Data Governance Access & Reporting Enablement:

• Partner with IT/Engineering Finance and HR teams to ensure data quality ownership and reliability across all business systems.

• Implement and maintain robust role-based access controls (RBAC) audit protocols and identity alignment across Workday NetSuite and Intacct.

• Oversee integrations and data flows between systems to ensure accuracy consistency and reliable analytics.

• Own the embedded analytics and reporting library within business systems; ensure aligned definitions and optimized performance across all tools.

4) Service Model & Change Controls with IT:

• Define and clarify service ownership boundaries escalation pathways and change control processes in partnership with IT and system administrators.

• Establish pragmatic release cadences blackout windows and risk mitigation practices to reduce disruption and maintain operational continuity.

• Serve as an escalation point for critical system issues coordinating rapid assessment and resolution across product IT and vendor teams.

• Drive a culture of operational excellence emphasizing proactive improvement disciplined change management and lifecycle stewardship.

5) People Leadership Stakeholder Partnership & Adoption:

• Lead and develop a high-performing team of product managers analysts and system specialists supporting Workday NetSuite and Intacct.

• Build a product culture rooted in transparency accountability and user empathy ensuring team members grow in both capability and impact.

• Partner closely with the Sr. Director of Product & Engineering to apply shared frameworks and delivery standards across the portfolio.

• Build strong partnerships across the organization to understand user needs align priorities and drive adoption through communication training and feedback loops.

Required Qualifications:

Education:

• Bachelors degree in Information Systems Computer Science Business Administration or related field.

Experience:

• Minimum of 7 years leading product management or product strategy for internal-facing enterprise systems SaaS platforms or similar large-scale technology.

• At least 3 years managing direct reports (Product Managers/Owners Analysts) demonstrating successful mentorship and team growth.

• Demonstrated track record defining and executing strategic prioritized roadmaps; skilled in using structured prioritization frameworks.

• Extensive experience managing vendor/partner relationships SOWs licensing platform spend and renewals.

• Proven expertise establishing structured change management service ownership boundaries and agile product practices.

• Hands-on knowledge of data governance practices including RBAC data quality management and analytics enablement.

Credentials:

• Agile certification (CSPO PSPO or equivalent).

• Familiarity with IT service management frameworks (ITIL v4 Foundation or similar).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Masters degree in Business Administration MIS Computer Science or related.

• Experience within K12 education charter schools or educational technology domains.

• Prior experience in technology management consulting or systems implementation within a complex distributed organizational environment.

• Hands-on experience managing educational enterprise platforms (ERP SIS HRIS finance systems helpdesk/service management tools).

• Advanced certifications in agile methodologies (e.g. SAFe) ITIL Managing Professional or data governance/privacy (FERPA familiarity).