Senior Product Manager - AI/Machine Learning & Buyer Experience

Organization 

The ASSISTments Foundation is a growing non-profit that spun out of Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 2019. Our founders, Cristina and Neil Heffernan, are former math teachers who could never find enough time to give students feedback and analyze data to plan instruction. They developed ASSISTments, a best-in-class math practice and assessment platform, to enable K-12 math teachers to assign high quality content and to use powerful data and reporting to better meet their students’ needs. 

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ASSISTments is the most rigorously studied and proven edtech solution on the market. The ASSISTments Foundation is focused on 1) scaling ASSISTments and 2) engaging in innovation and research, in partnership with the ASSISTments Lab @ WPI. We reached 95,000 students last year and are focused on accelerating this growth.

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Opportunity for Impact

We are seeking a Senior Product Manager - AI/Machine Learning & Buyer Experience to play a critical role in shaping the future of our platform. In this role, you’ll lead the development of personalized product experiences powered by machine learning, data science, and generative AI. You’ll work closely with data scientists, ML engineers, and designers to identify and execute on high-impact opportunities where intelligent systems can meaningfully improve the user journey, from dynamic personalization to predictive insights.

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This is not a pure R&D role, it’s about applied AI. You’ll translate technical capabilities into tangible product features that drive real value for students, teachers, and the business. You’ll need strong product intuition, a deep understanding of ML/DS and GenAI, and the ability to prioritize ruthlessly in a fast-moving environment with a focus on improving how students learn and teachers teach.

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In parallel, you’ll own the definition and evolution of our buyer persona strategy, ensuring we deeply understand the motivations, challenges, and decision-making processes of school and district administrators. You’ll translate these insights into product strategies that resonate with both users and purchasers.

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Key Responsibilities

Product Vision and Strategy

• Define and communicate a clear product vision for ML/DS and Buyer Experience initiatives.
• Identify high-impact opportunities where AI/ML can enhance educational outcomes, streamline workflows, and differentiate ASSISTments in the market.
• Align product strategy with organizational goals and user success across teachers, students, and school administrators.

Roadmap and Execution

• Own the roadmap for ML/DS and Buyer Experience products, from discovery through delivery.
• Prioritize problem areas based on user needs, business value, technical feasibility, and research insights.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver features on time and within scope.

Collaboration

• Partner with data scientists, engineers, designers, content teams, and researchers to design and deliver intuitive, impactful features.
• Act as a strategic bridge between The ASSISTments Foundation and PhD students and researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (where ASSISTments was first developed and where we have a research lab), especially in initiatives involving data science and emerging research.

Impact Research Integration and Innovation Scouting

• Serve as the primary product counterpart to WPI researchers who require support involving development aligned to funded research studies
• Leverage insights from these research projects with a product mindset, identifying which ideas have potential to scale and solve meaningful problems.
• Translate research insights into scalable product strategies, even when implementation paths differ.
• Oversee the success of our participation in an NSF Grant, SafeInsights, focused on making it easy for researchers to securely use our data for studies. This includes: 
  
  • Managing the creation of a data warehouse and data enclave for researchers to access ASSISTments data
  • Establishing systems and processes to monitor and track progress to grant goals
  • Managing partnerships associated with the grant 
  • Leading on annual reporting to NSF 
• Anchor research-driven initiatives in product OKRs and evaluate their potential impact on student learning and engagement.

Technical Guidance

• Stay current on advancements in data science, machine learning, and Generative AI, with an emphasis on their real-world application in education.
• Partner with technical leads to ensure ethical AI practices around fairness, transparency, privacy, and accessibility.
• Translate complex technical capabilities into user-facing features that solve real problems.

Buyer Persona Strategy

• Define and evolve our understanding of buyer personas, including district leaders and school administrators.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success to align product development with buyer needs.
• Incorporate buyer insights into roadmap decisions and go-to-market strategies.
• Ensure a cohesive buyer journey that reinforces our value proposition from discovery to adoption.

User Research and Feedback

• Conduct and synthesize qualitative and quantitative research to understand user pain points and workflows.
• Leverage user insights, in-product data, and learning science to inform feature development.
• Validate hypotheses and prototypes early and often to de-risk product decisions.

   Performance Metrics and Analytics

• Define and track success metrics for ML/DS and Buyer Experience features.
• Use data, A/B testing, and analytics to evaluate performance, inform decisions, and guide iteration.
• Identify and act on opportunities to improve user engagement and learning outcomes.

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Computer Science, Data Science, Education Technology) or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years of product management experience, including work on ML/DS or data-driven products.
• Strong understanding of machine learning concepts, data infrastructure, and AI implementation.
• Track record of leading end-to-end product development in cross-functional teams.
• Excellent communication and storytelling skills; able to influence both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience with user research and applying insights to strategy.
• Familiarity with Agile methodologies.

Preferred:

• Hands-on familiarity with ML/DS tools and frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn).
• Familiarity with Generative AI technologies and their emerging applications in product workflows.
• Experience designing and launching data-informed user experiences.
• Passion for education and deep connection to ASSISTments’ mission.

What TAF Offers

• The ability to work from anywhere in the United States
• The opportunity for flexible work hours
• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance with generous company contribution for both employees and dependents
• FSA and HSA options
• Life Insurance, Short Term Disability
• Paid parental leave
• Retirement plan with company match
• Five weeks of PTO, five sick days, and sixteen paid holidays
• Stipend for office set up

How to Apply

To be considered, please submit a resume and cover letter (both required) to Careers@assistments.org. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities throughout the hiring process and employment. If you need an accommodation to participate in the application process, please contact Suzanne Grace at careers@assistments.org to discuss your needs.

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Additional Info & Compensation

The salary range for this position is $115,000-$140,000, with the actual offer determined based upon level of experience and relevant skills. 

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All applicants must reside in the United States and must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. The ASSISTments Foundation is unable to provide sponsorship for employment visa status, now or in the future. 

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, The ASSISTments Foundation seeks not just to accept differences, but to celebrate and embrace them for the benefit of our staff, our product, and our community. Employment is based solely on someone’s merit and qualifications directly related to their professional competence. We do not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, genetics, protected veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, or any other characteristic protected by law. As an organization, we are committed to an equitable and inclusive work environment because we believe it’s the right way to treat people.

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Learn More

• Groundbreaking Study Reveals ASSISTments Impact on Math Achievement & Equity 
• PROOF POINTS: The value of one-size-fits-all math homework
• AI Math Research by ASSISTments and WPI highlighted in Forbes
• New AI Math Tutor to Help Students Problem Solve

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