Director of Product Ops Digital Commons
Our Company
Elsevier is a global information analytics company that helps institutions and professionals progress science, advance healthcare and improve performance for the benefit of humanity. We serve the research, academic and clinical communities through the application of technology and analytics to content. In this way, we empower those communities to contribute to social progress, to enhance human well-being and to share and expand the breadth of human knowledge.
About the Role
The Director of Product Operations leads the Product Operations team and is accountable for its performance and results. The team sits at the intersection of Sales, Product Management, Consulting Services, and Digital Commons clients, providing specialist support — technical work such as migrations and manual integrations, plus risk assessment and mitigation — that goes beyond a standard Consulting Services engagement. Success in this role requires extensive knowledge of the Digital Commons product suite, internal procedures, and client needs, combined with the people-leadership skills to develop managers and professional associates, set departmental priorities, and execute the team's business plan within objectives set by senior Product leadership.
Key Responsibilities
1. Sales-to-Launch Handoff & Onboarding
- Partner with the Sales team to evaluate prospective clients for product fit, flag areas of concern, and communicate clearly about Digital Commons capabilities, services, and workflows.
- Own a smooth handoff of new client setups from Sales, keeping momentum toward an on-time, well-supported launch.
- Facilitate an easy, confidence-building product introduction so new institutions are set up to succeed from day one.
2. Migrations & Technical Delivery
- Ensure migrations — including legacy repository and content migrations — have the technical resources and support they need to hit agreed deadlines.
- Oversee manual integration tasks and other specialist technical work that falls outside standard Consulting Services scope.
3. Customer Lifecycle, Retention & Growth
- Manage the post-sales customer lifecycle — ongoing assistance, renewals, up-sell, and cross-sell — to build lasting customer loyalty and satisfaction.
- Track customers' product usage to keep them engaged and help them maximize the platform's potential; deliver or coordinate training where it helps customers get more from the product.
- Coordinate with Sales and Consulting Services on upcoming cancellations: lead save efforts through client action plans, evaluate what's driving dissatisfaction, and measure the success of interventions.
- When a contract can't be saved, ensure a smooth, professional off-boarding experience.
4. Risk Assessment & Mitigation
- Apply sound judgment to identify and prioritize the projects that will most effectively mitigate risk across the client portfolio.
- Build and drive mitigation plans for at-risk accounts in partnership with Sales and Consulting Services.
5. Product & Workflow Collaboration
- Advise the Product team on the design, functionality, and rollout of new features and fixes, bringing frontline client and technical insight into the roadmap.
- Partner with Product to proactively communicate upcoming projects and major system issues to clients.
- Identify opportunities to improve current workflows and procedures; initiate and guide improvement plans, then gather feedback once changes are in place.
6. Team Leadership & Department Management
- Lead, manage, and develop the Product Operations team, providing leadership to managers and professional associates and taking accountability for team performance and results.
- Develop departmental plans, determine production and team priorities, allocate resources, and execute the department's business plan.
- Set policies related to the team's area of responsibility, with oversight from senior Product leadership; guide decisions by department and organizational objectives.
- Mentor teammates to encourage skill acquisition and career development.
7. Cross-Functional Communication
- Communicate proactively and effectively with colleagues across Sales, Product, Consulting Services, and the wider organization.
- Take on additional projects as required.
What You'll Need
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience; advanced degree a plus.
- Significant experience in product operations, customer success, technical account management, or consulting — ideally within SaaS, EdTech, scholarly publishing, or higher-education technology.
- Experience with institutional repository, digital scholarship, or research information management platforms strongly preferred; familiarity with Digital Commons is a strong plus.
- Demonstrated people-leadership experience, including developing managers and/or professional associates and being accountable for team results.
- Comfort scoping and overseeing technical work such as data migrations and manual integrations, without needing to be the one writing the code.
- Strong stakeholder management skills across Sales, Product, and Consulting Services, with the judgment to prioritize client risk and impact.
- A data-informed approach to tracking product usage and customer health.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence at all levels, including with clients and executives.
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