Product Manager, Zendesk Ticketing & Knowledge Management Systems

Uncommon Schools  is a nonprofit network of high-performing, public charter schools providing an outstanding K-12 education in historically under-resourced communities. We have proudly built schools that reflect our student population, with more than 60% of our teachers and staff across our network identifying as a person of color. Uncommon currently manages 52 schools serving more than 20,000 students in five cities: Boston, Camden, New York City, Newark and Rochester. We are proud that Uncommon graduates persist in and graduate from college at five times the rate of their peers nationally. We achieve this by offering strong academic, co-curricular, and social-emotional learning that prepares students for success in college and beyond.

As a member of Uncommon’s Product Management Team, the Product Manager will own work streams that will help ensure the Team achieves its goals and objectives. Beyond technical knowledge, the Product Manager must have strong change management, planning, and communication skills in order to manage technology and processes at Uncommon’s scale and high standard. Star team members are focused, self-driven, fast, and hold themselves and their work to a high standard.

Responsibilities:

• Manage Use Cases: Deeply understand stakeholders’ goals and use cases for the platforms (i.e. respond to general questions, manage VIPs, track SLAs, coach new support staff, and understand how documents and files are stored and used by Instruction, Operation, and team like HR in support of our schools)
• Own Processes: Develop and manage implementation of all processes for day-to-day platform use (i.e. automations, security protocols, deletion policies, best practices for cross-team work)
• Own Policy & User Management: Build policy resources, including user management policy around roles, access level, and responsibilities for stakeholders and the Data & IT team
• Troubleshoot: Troubleshoot & work with vendor to resolve Tier 3 issues
• Own the Product Roadmap and Maintenance Strategy: Manage system upgrades, backups, testing, connectivity with other enterprise applications
• Build Expertise: Attend training/webinars offered by vendor to build expertise

Work with Business Process Owner(s) to understand and champion the appropriate long-term vision for the platforms [Zendesk, Qualtrics]:

• Process improvement: Use robust product knowledge to improve systems and process
• Enhancements: Identify new areas/ways the product can be used (either internally and externally)
• Project Support: Support the implementation and roll-out of new applications alongside our Data & IT team colleagues

Training and documentation:

• Knowledge Base: Own creation and management of all internal and school-facing Knowledge Base articles on support, troubleshooting, and best practices for the platform[s] - including home office policy and best practice documentation in the form of an intranet
• Training: Develop and Facilitate Training
  • School facing: Develop and facilitate training for school leaders, which they will turnkey to their staff 
  • Data & IT: Help define and coordinate vendor-offered training sessions at the right level for those managing the Service Desk and Relationship Managers.
• Process Documentation: Work with School Leaders and other Home Office Leads to document existing processes related to supported applications (e.g. documentation of methods and procedures)

Vendor Management:

• Contract & Payment: Manage renewal and payment of yearly contract
• Manage Relationship: Build relationships with vendors, act as a liaison between vendor and Uncommon on any projects, and own school-level escalations & difficult conversations.
• Escalations: Work with Director to manage vendor issues

Organizational Relationships:

• Work closely with regionally-based Associate Chief Operating Officers, school-based Directors of Operations, other Home Office Leaders, and members of the Data and IT Team. 

Education Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree; Master's preferred 

Experience Requirements:

• 5+ years of work experience (customer-focused role preferred) 
  • 3+ years in K-12 environment 
  • 1+ years supporting user provisioning based on an ERP or Active Directory
  • 1+ years managing Zendesk Ticketing System OR 2+ years managing a Ticketing System other than Zendesk
  • 2+ years managing or supporting student-facing technology 
  • Familiarity with Agile principles of product management 
  • Experience creating and managing shared knowledge sharing sites, including intranets and learning management systems (LMS)
  • Demonstrated ability to diagnose issues, identify root causes, and implement effective solutions
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, and experience developing communication plans
  • Proven ability to create and execute complex, detailed project plans affecting more than fifty stakeholders
  • Growth mindset and interest in giving and receiving feedback with the goal of constantly improving
  • Demonstrated excellent personal effectiveness strategies (organization, time management, and follow-up skills)
  • Willingness to perform hands-on work as well as assisting in strategic projects
  • Advanced skills in Excel and Google Sheets/Forms

Travel/Schedule:

• Minimum 3 days a week in our central office located in downtown Manhattan
• Occasional travel to other Uncommon Regions (New Jersey, Rochester, Boston) as needed to support schools.

Our people are what make us uncommon. It’s important to us that our compensation practices align with our values and enhance our ability to attract and retain talent.  Our compensation philosophy is focused on equity and fairness, retaining our talented staff and valuing their expertise, and transparency and clarity.

Compensation for this position:  Candidates who meet all job description requirements will likely receive an offer of $100,800. The starting compensation for this role is between $95,200 to $112,000.  The starting pay will depend on various factors including but not limited to relevant professional experience, education, certifications, and tenure with Uncommon Schools.  To receive an offer at the top of the range, candidates will need significant experience beyond the job description requirements.  Because we value staff tenure in a role, we do not currently cap salary ranges for current staff members. 

Other Benefits:

• 19 days of paid time off in addition to three weeks of paid winter and summer org-wide holidays
• Extensive, best-in-class training and development  
• Choice of 3 comprehensive health insurance plans
• Pre-tax flexible spending and health saving accounts
• Financial planning & wellness
  • 403(b) retirement savings program + employer match
  • 529 college savings program
  • Public Service Loan Forgiveness application assistance
  • Financial  planning tools and assistance
• Dependent Care FSA, back up childcare and daycare discounts, pet care insurance
• Paid leave of absence 
  • Fully paid parental leave
  • Fully paid medical leave
  • Additional paid Short Term and Long Term Disability insurance 
• Mental health and counseling support + wellness benefits

Uncommon believes in the importance of being a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization that enables our students and staff to thrive. We are committed to building an exceptional team that reflects the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our students. We also strive to ensure an inclusive community by creating a space for meaningful dialogue about issues of race and identity for our staff and students. As an equal opportunity employer, Uncommon provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. We also ensure that individuals with disabilities receive all privileges and benefits associated with employment and are provided reasonable accommodations for the interview process and to perform core job functions. If you would like to request an accommodation, please email [email protected].