Executive Program Director, STEM

At Macmillan Learning were 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 youre a Pioneer shaping bold new ideas a Builder turning possibilities into reality or a Stabilizer optimizing for success youll play a vital role in advancing our mission. If youre excited by the prospect of testing new technologies implementing transformative strategies and thriving in a fast-paced innovative environment wed love to hear from you!  

The Executive Program Director STEM provides leadership and strategic direction for Macmillan Learnings STEM portfolio driving sustainable digital growth innovation and pedagogical excellence. This role synthesizes discipline strategies into a unified forward-looking vision that advances partnerships deepens market relevance and strengthens Macmillans leadership position in higher education. As both strategist and catalyst the Executive Program Director shapes multi-year portfolio strategy steers cross-functional initiatives that accelerate growth and cultivates a dynamic ecosystem of internal and external thought leaders. By influencing decisions across Product Marketing Sales Implementation and Finance the Director ensures that the STEM portfolio not only achieves business success but also delivers measurable learning impact across the global higher education landscape. This role manages other employees.

We know that talented candidates sometimes hesitate to apply when they dont meet every single qualification listed. We encourage you to apply if youre excited about this role and believe you can contribute meaningfully to our team even if your background doesnt align perfectly with every requirement. Were 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 wed love to hear how your unique background and abilities could contribute to our teams success. Were 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 - were excited to learn about the different ways you might add value to our organization.   

Major responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Portfolio & Market Strategy Synthesis

• Set and execute the strategic vision for the STEM portfolio ensuring market share growth in alignment with corporate priorities and emerging opportunities in digital learning.
• Converge discipline-level strategies with a cohesive data-informed holistic STEM portfolio vision that anticipates market shifts and institutional needs.
• Identify and prioritize investment opportunities partnerships and innovations that strengthen Macmillans competitive advantage and long-term revenue growth.
• Lead comprehensive market and opportunity analyses to inform portfolio positioning and product differentiation.
  Serve as the executive voice for STEM within corporate strategy influencing decisions that drive cross-portfolio success.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner with senior leaders across Product Marketing Sales and Finance to align organizational resources and priorities around strategic portfolio outcomes.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives that advance digital transformation and new business models.
• Represent the STEM portfolio in executive planning budget prioritization and performance reviews ensuring accountability to strategic goals.
• Translate corporate strategy into clear actionable frameworks that guide teams across the organization.
• Champion a culture of innovation collaboration and inclusive leadership across the organization.

Talent Ecosystem Development

• Oversee the health and balance of the thought leader pipeline across disciplines ensuring diversity and sustainability.
• Enlist high-impact collaborators who make visible contributions to portfolio development and organizational research (conferences advisory boards publications).
• Monitor trends in grant awards and partner with research/pedagogy leaders on shared interests and projects.
• Position Macmillans reputation as the destination of choice for innovators across higher education.

Financial & Business Case Leadership

• Own multi-year financial planning for the STEM portfolio ensuring disciplined investment and resource allocation that balance near-term profitability with long-term innovation.
• Oversee the development of business cases and financial models for new initiatives ensuring strategic alignment and cross-functional buy-in.
• Evaluate portfolio performance against key retention metrics providing executive-level insights and recommendations for continuous improvement.
• Drive accountability for revenue margin and growth targets within the broader organizational financial strategy.

Leadership & Mentorship

• Serve as a visible ambassador for Macmillan Learning in the STEM and higher education communities shaping the dialogue around digital pedagogy access and innovation.
• Provide strategic guidance mentorship and professional development for the STEM Program team.
• Develop succession and capability plans that build leadership depth across the team and ensure organizational scalability.
• Ensure consistency in strategic approaches metrics and frameworks across the Program Strategy team.

Qualifications :

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelors Degree.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in educational publishing/learning company or related industry.
• Minimum of 3 years editorial experience in quantitative disciplines.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in the publishing industry.
• Established presence or thought leadership in the STEM education or edtech ecosystem with contributions to conferences academic partnerships or digital pedagogy initiatives.
• Proven ability to lead bold forward-thinking initiatives that redefine portfolio strategy product differentiation or go-to-market approaches in response to emerging market opportunities.
• Deep curiosity for and practical knowledge of emerging technologies in higher education such as generative AI adaptive learning learning analytics or digital credentialing.

Salary Range: $160000 - $180000

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.  

Additional Information :

Benefits 

Regular full-time and qualifying part-time employees and their dependents are eligible for Macmillan benefits effective on the employees 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 Peoples 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 inspires whats possible for every learner. We envision a world in which every learner succeeds. Through our content tools and services we aim to make that a reality. To learn more please visit  join our Macmillan Community stay connected to our Learning Stories blogs or see us on LinkedIn Facebook or X. Macmillan Learning is a division of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group a 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 affirmative action program in compliance with the NY Department of Educations guidance.  Portions of the affirmative action program are available for review by applicants and employees by contacting Human Resources at Macmillan Learning.

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Full-time