Research & Concept Lead

Role: Research & Concept Lead

Application requirement:
Please submit your CV and cover letter in English. Applications in other languages will not be considered.

About the role:

To strengthen our discovery concept development and usercentric innovation capabilities within Sanoma Learning we are looking for a Research and Concept Lead.

The Research and Concept Lead operates at the intersection of user insight future thinking and systems thinking driving complex discovery and concept initiatives across countries and disciplines. The role balances user value technical feasibility and business viability to shape concepts that are both ambitious and grounded.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead ResearchDriven FutureOriented Concept Development Drive earlystage discovery and concept work by combining deep user understanding with future thinking and systems thinking.
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  Translate emerging needs signals and trends into clear product concepts that consider longterm impact scalability and coherence across Sanoma Learning.
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  Coordinate and Conduct Research in the Italian Market Plan and execute qualitative and quantitative research in Italy ensuring local user pedagogical and market perspectives are deeply understood and accurately represented.
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  Connect Italian market insights with learnings from other countries to inform scalable concepts. Balance User Value Feasibility and Viability Lead balanced evaluations of desirability feasibility and viability throughout discovery and concept phases.
• Work closely with product technology pedagogy and business stakeholders to assess tradeoffs risks and opportunities and to guide informed decisionmaking. Drive UserCentric Strategy and Direction Embed usercentricity into product strategies roadmaps and investment discussions by grounding decisions in evidence insight and clearly articulated concepts.
• Contribute to Sanoma Learnings future vision by shaping problem spaces and opportunity areas before solutions are defined.
• Lead Complex CrossCountry Initiatives Drive complex initiatives spanning multiple countries and multidisciplinary teams.
• Align researchers designers product managers engineers and local stakeholders around shared understanding clear direction and wellarticulated concepts.
• Advance Discovery and Concept Practices
• Collaborate with research design and product peers to continuously evolve discovery concepting and validation practices methods and tools strengthening how ideas move from early insight to credible product direction.
• Enable Collaboration and Shared Understanding
• Act as a facilitator and connector across teams and markets ensuring insights assumptions constraints and decisions are visible discussed and understood.
• Foster strong collaboration between research design product and technology.
• Ensure Quality Coherence and Impact
• Maintain high standards for research synthesis quality and concept clarity.
• Ensure concepts are not only innovative but also coherent within the broader landscape actionable for teams and clearly linked to user and business outcomes.

Must have

• 5 years of experiencein research product discovery or related roles
• Strong future thinking and systems thinking capabilities applied to product discovery and concept development
• Proven ability to combine usercentric insight with feasibility and viability considerations
• Deep experience leading research and earlystage concept work in complex environments Ability to drive alignment and progress
• Excellent communication facilitation and storytelling skills
• Fluent in English (written and spoken); experience with the Italian market is essential
• Comfortable working in ambiguity and shaping direction where problems and solutions are not yet defined
• Strong analytical mindset combined with creativity and curiosity
• Collaborative proactive and qualitydriven approach to work

Nice to have

Experience working with education Background in innovation concept strategy or earlystage product definition.

Experience contributing to shared discovery or concept frameworks across organizations.

Familiarity with accessibility inclusion and ethical considerations in research and concept work.

About Sanoma Learning

How do you prepare students for the world engage their curiosity and inspire them to grow That is the main question of teachers all around the world. At Sanoma Learning it has always been our mission to help to find and develop best-in-class answers to this question. If you join us it means that you embark on an exciting journey to help shape the future of learning for primary secondary and vocational education. We believe that your journey is our success as a company.

Sanoma Learning is a leading K12 European learning company operating in 12 countries. Our learning products and services enable and support teachers and schools to develop the talents of every child to reach their potential. By offering printed and digital learning content as well as digital learning and teaching platforms for primary secondary and vocational education we want to grow our positive impact on learning across Europe. With over 3000 employees we help shape the future of education for 25 million of students.

So are you ready to start your journey to help shape the future of learning and help teachers to support all students to reach their potential

Sanoma Learning is an equal opportunity employer; we are committed to inclusion and diversity ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race color religion sex sexual orientation gender identity national origin disability or any other characteristics.