Director of Product Management

Catalyst Exchangeis seeking an experienced and hands-on Director of Product Management to join our growing team. In this role, you will lead the product management function for our SaaS platform, driving strategy, execution, and innovation. You will manage a team of product managers/product owners, building their skills and supporting them in producing high-quality outcomes.  You will shape our roadmap and ensure our platform delivers impact at scale. Your leadership will empower nonprofits and education systems by creating tools that strengthen organizations serving communities nationwide.

This is both a strategic and execution-focused role — you will be equally setting direction and rolling up your sleeves to define requirements, guide builds, and test features. You will manage a team of product managers/product owners as they build skill and produce high-quality outcomes. This position reports to the VP of Product and Technology.

Who We Are

Catalyst Exchange (Formerly Catalyst:Ed) is a national nonprofit that improves outcomes for America’s children and youth by strengthening the schools and nonprofits that serve them. We do this by connecting them to the expertise, resources, and hands-on support they need to drive transformational outcomes for students, families, and communities.

We’re on an exciting growth trajectory, building a new technology platform from the ground up, designed to scale from supporting hundreds to thousands of organizations. This platform will empower nonprofits and education agencies by providing the technical capacity they need to become more effective, innovative, and equitable in their work.

Your Role & Responsibilities

As the Director of Product Management, your responsibilities will include the following areas:

Product Strategy & Vision (~20%)

• Partner with the VP and executive leadership to refine and execute the product strategy.
• Lead product innovation efforts using design thinking and user-centered approaches to uncover unmet needs, generate new ideas, and validate concepts through rapid experimentation and prototyping.
• Translate high-level vision into a clear, actionable roadmap aligned to organizational goals.
• Stay hands-on with early product discovery and definition, ensuring strategy is grounded in user and data insights.

Roadmap & Prioritization (~30%)

• Own the end-to-end product roadmap, balancing innovation and operational needs.
• Prioritize features using data-driven frameworks, maximizing user value and business impact.
• Maintain transparency by communicating roadmap decisions and updates to stakeholders.
• Balance near-term delivery goals with long-term strategic bets.
  
  

Leadership & Team Development (~20%)

• Manage, mentor, and grow a team of product managers/product owners.
• Establish best practices, processes, and tools for consistent, effective product management.
• Foster a culture of ownership, accountability, and innovation.
• Steward the organization’s outcomes-driven culture—leading with empathy, performance, and learning.
• Build trust, shared purpose, and team alignment during a period of growth and change.
• Guide team members in identifying strengths, development goals, and stretch opportunities aligned to both their aspirations and organizational needs.
  
  

Execution & Delivery (~20%)

• Oversee development of product requirements (PRDs, user flows, personas, feature specs).
• Collaborate closely with engineering, design, marketing, and sales to deliver high-quality launches.
• Lead new product introductions, beta programs, and feature rollouts, ensuring readiness across internal and external teams and stakeholders.
• Champion Agile practices, ensuring teams are empowered, iterative, and efficient.
• Be hands-on in sprint planning, backlog grooming, and product QA to ensure delivery quality in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

Stakeholder Engagement (~10%)

• Conduct stakeholder interviews and user research to validate needs and refine solutions.
• Advocate for users and serve as the voice of the customer across the organization.
• Provide regular reporting and insights to senior leadership.
• Strengthen cross-functional communication between product, programs, partnerships, and operations.

Qualifications

Required Skills & Experience

• 10+ years of product management experience, with at least 5+ in SaaS platform environments.
• Proven success in building, launching, and scaling new products.
• Demonstrated expertise in roadmap development, prioritization, and agile best practices.
• Proven experience leading end-to-end product launches and managing beta or early-access programs.
• Strong leadership skills with experience managing and developing teams of product managers/product owners.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and influencing skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities with a bias for action.
• Ability to apply design thinking and experimentation to drive product innovation.
• Experience working in fast-paced, high-growth SaaS environments with rapid iteration cycles.
• Comfortable being both strategic and hands-on in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
  
  

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Experience managing or designing two-sided platforms or marketplaces with network functionality.
• Experience leading platform or product migration from one tech stack to another to achieve improved scale, performance, or usability.
• Familiarity with SaaS growth metrics, product analytics tools, and experimentation frameworks.
• Knowledge of cloud-based software development (e.g., AWS).

Success Outcomes

Within 3 Months:

• Establish and begin following Agile and product management best practices to enable the tech and sprint teams to operate with a clear backlog several sprints ahead and deliver at a predictable cadence.
• Coach and train the product management team on formal product processes, documentation standards, and best practices to strengthen consistency and effectiveness.
• Build strong relationships across product, engineering, and cross-functional teams and gain deep understanding of the platform, user segments, and roadmap priorities.

Within 6 Months:

• Deliver product releases at a predictable and sustainable cadence, meeting roadmap commitments.
• Strengthen cross-functional planning, QA, and release management processes to improve quality and velocity.
• Implement performance and feedback mechanisms for both the product team (to enhance collaboration, ownership, and growth) and the product itself (to gather user insights and inform future roadmap decisions).

Within 12 Months:

• Define and drive the product roadmap forward to enable platform scale, adoption, and measurable impact.
• Lead user group discussions and external product launches that advance Catalyst Exchange’s visibility and engagement.
• Operate a high-performing product management team aligned around mission, delivery, and continuous learning.

Good to Know

• Compensation: Compensation is commensurate with experience. Salary range: $154,000 – $174,000. Benefits include medical and dental insurance coverage, 403(b) with up to 5% match on base salary, and a generous leave policy.
• Team: You will work closely with our VP of Product and Technology, engineering leadership, and cross-functional teams.
• Preferred Start Date: asap.
• Travel Requirements: Occasional travel is required for in-person team meetings.
• Working Hours: Flexible work hours with some overlap required with our U.S. and India-based teams

How to Apply

If this sounds like the right role and the right mission for you, please complete the application. We will review applications on a rolling basis shortly after they are received. The selection process includes a work exercise, 3–4 virtual interviews of 45–60 minutes each, and reference checks.

Catalyst Exchange is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.