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Product Manager, Bloomsbury Digital Resources

We are looking for an experienced and enthusiastic Digital Product Manager to join our Product Management team, reporting to the Senior Product Manager for Drama, Fashion and Visual Arts. Our team is part of Bloomsbury Digital Resources, which sits within the wider Bloomsbury Academic and Professional Division.

As a Product Manager, you will play a key role in a dynamic, growing and friendly team, who are re-imagining Bloomsbury’s academic publishing for a digital environment. Working on our industry-leading online products for visual arts and fashion, you will be central to shaping, developing, launching and managing some of our multi-award-winning suite of digital products.

Bloomsbury is a key player in scholarly publishing and winner of The Bookseller’s Academic, Educational & Professional Publisher of the Year Award 2021. The Academic & Professional Division is expanding and recently acquired Red Globe Press (from Macmillan Education Ltd), Zed Books and Oberon.

Bloomsbury values the importance of work life balance and we offer flexible working options. This role is only expected to be in the office 2 days per week and we offer a core hours policy of 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, with flexible Fridays throughout the year. See below for further details.

The role

To be the Product Management lead for a successful and growing list of products including Bloomsbury Fashion CentralBloomsbury Applied Visual ArtsBloomsbury Design Library, and Bloomsbury Architecture Library.

Product Development

  • Work alongside Business Owners and Editorial leads to shape and develop new digital product ideas from initial concept through to proposal stage
  • Be the Product Management lead for new products, working collaboratively with other functions during design and development, managing testing, and taking responsibility for defining requirements, scope and MVP
  • Carry out user experience research with librarians, academics, teachers and students pre and post-launch to ensure that products meet user needs
  • Use the Bloomsbury Publishing Platform to load content and configure HTML pages for new sites, working with Marketing and Editorial to agree site layout and visual design

Product Management

  • Manage a portfolio of product sites post-launch, ensuring that the programme of updates and enhancements meet agreed schedule and budget; work collaboratively with Production and Content Architecture colleagues to deliver new content
  • Act as ‘product champion’ and work with external software developers, Sales, Marketing and Customer Services colleagues to communicate information around new releases, day-to-day site management and take the lead on issue resolution and bug-fixing
  • Provide regular website usage analytics reports and advise on opportunities for improving content & features based on analytics and customer feedback
  • Liaise with partner organizations over content supply and data requirements

People management

  • You will also manage a small team of two Digital Product Assistants to assist in delivery of the above and support their growth and development

Knowledge, skills and experience 

  • Significant experience of digital product management, with a demonstrable record of delivering successful digital products and a proven ability to see things from the user’s perspective
  • Proven project management experience and ability to lead complex digital projects to agreed schedule, budget, scope and quality in a matrix environment
  • An understanding of web usability issues in digital products, in particular the needs of academic users and of the library market and library systems
  • Experience of conducting user research
  • Experience of working with Content Management Systems, or similar; demonstrable level of technical competence and comfortable to learn new systems and processes
  • People management skills, a willingness to delegate appropriately and to support the development of your team
  • Excellent time management and the ability to prioritise both your own workload and that of your team
  • An eye for detail and a logical, problem-solving approach
  • A collaborative team-player with excellent all-round communication skills with a proactive and ‘can do’ attitude

Desirable

  • Experience of gathering and interpreting web usage analytics
  • Knowledge of data and coding (e.g. XML, HTML, CSS)
  • Knowledge of Agile principles and their application in a digital publishing environment

Additional information

The role is a full-time permanent position and can be based either at our London office 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP or at our Oxford office, Kemp House, Chawley Park, Cumnor Hill, Oxford OX2 9PH

We offer a hybrid working pattern of 2 days office based / 3 days home based (or fully office based if preferred by the applicant).  Allocated office days for this role are: Wednesday and Thursday. Currently those who are confident and happy to be in the office are coming in, and those who are concerned about Covid-19 are continuing to work from home. This working arrangement is in place until 1 April 2021.

Please apply with a CV and covering letter addressed to Human Resources (Word or PDF format only) via the ‘APPLY NOW’ button detailing how you meet the requirements outlined above for this role by 16th January 2022.

Bloomsbury Benefits

As well as a fantastic opportunity to join a global award-winning organisation, Bloomsbury offers the following competitive benefits package:

Working Pattern

  • hybrid working pattern of: 2 days office based / 3 days home based (or fully office based if preferred)

Holidays

  • 25 days holiday
  • 3.5 days Christmas company holiday

Other Benefits:

Flexible Fridays – take Friday afternoon off by working an additional 3 hours and 45 minutes earlier in the week

Season Ticket Loan

Share Save Scheme

In-house Doctor

Eye Care Voucher Scheme

Mob Group – online fitness classes, mindfulness, cookery classes, workshops etc.

Company culture! – Employee Voice Meetings, Staff Networks (BAME, Disability, Mental Health, LGBTQ+ and Parents, Guardians and Carers), 15 Mental Health First Aiders trained across the UK offices, Publishing Events and access to free Publishing Resources

For additional benefits see below

Bloomsbury is willing to make any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please flag to the recruitment team if required

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK.

The Company

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

Bloomsbury Publishing is a leading independent publishing house, established in 1986, with authors who have won the Nobel, Pulitzer and Booker Prizes, and is the originating publisher and custodian of the Harry Potter series. Bloomsbury has offices in London, New York, New Delhi, Oxford and Sydney. Within Bloomsbury’s Academic division, it publishes under Bloomsbury, as well as under a number of prestigious and historic imprint names. Read Our Story for how it all began. 

 Bloomsbury is committed to creating a working environment that stimulates creativity and collaboration, is respectful of difference, is inclusive and ethical in its practice, and promotes well-being. We are determined to nurture and develop our employees to reach their highest potential, and we know that our success is down to the passion, commitment and hard work of our talented people. We recognise the urgent need to attract and support applicants from all backgrounds and identities to become part of the global publishing industry, allowing diverse voices to reflect and shape our culture and society.

Please read more on our Missions and Values here.

Please read our environmental policy here.

Product Manager, Bloomsbury Digital Resources

Bloomsbury Publishing plc, London | Oxford
Full-time, Permanent
Publisher
Administration, Publishing, Training, Management, Communications, Data, Business Development, Product Management, Analytics, Digital
Reference: 
Product Manager, Bloomsbury Digital Resources
Salary description: 
Competitive

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Significant experience of digital product management, with a demonstrable record of delivering successful digital products and a proven ability to see things from the user’s perspective