Vice President Research Development Jobs in Virginia

By joining the National Student Clearinghouse, you can be sure that the work you do now will help shape the future of education and the workforce in the U.S. As the trusted source for higher education data since 1993, the Clearinghouse is the leading provider of transcript and data exchange services, automated enrollment and degree verifications, learner insights and research, and compliance solutions for schools, businesses, and learners nationwide. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Clearinghouse works with nearly 3,600 postsecondary institutions to meet their compliance needs and with thousands of high schools and districts to provide continuing collegiate enrollment, progression, and completion statistics about their alumni. In addition, the Research Center publications inform policymakers and business leaders about student educational pathways. Using our unique combination of data, analytics, and software to drive our mission, security and privacy is paramount. Join us as we continue to invest in our talent and new advanced technologies to unlock the power of data on behalf of all learners.

The Vice President of Product Management and Development is a senior product leader responsible for driving the execution, alignment, and continuous evolution of the product roadmap (product strategy, agile product development, market research, financial analysis, product & feature launch, and execution) across assigned product portfolios (Business Services, Transcript Services, and/or Insights products).

This role partners closely with executive leadership to translate enterprise strategy into actionable product plans while ensuring teams apply best practices in product management and agile delivery. Key responsibilities include leading and developing Product Directors, Product Managers, and Product Owners; overseeing delivery of multiple, complex, interrelated initiatives; and ensuring consistent, high-quality product outcomes that meet customer, market, and financial objectives.

This position requires a strong command of data-as-a-service platforms, SaaS product management, and Lean Product Management (LPM) practices, with a balance of strategic thinking and hands‑on leadership in execution.

Currently, this is a remote‑first position, and this position may be required to periodically work on‑site at our office and the frequency would depend on the department/division's requirements. Therefore, candidates must either reside within a reasonable distance to commute to our office or be willing to travel to our office in Herndon, when required.

• The Vice President of Product Management and Development is a senior product leader responsible for driving the execution, alignment, and continuous evolution of the product roadmap (product strategy, agile product development, market research, financial analysis, product & feature launch, and execution) across assigned product portfolios (Business Services, Transcript Services, and/or Insights products).
• This role partners closely with executive leadership to translate enterprise strategy into actionable product plans while ensuring teams apply best practices in product management and agile delivery. Key responsibilities include leading and developing Product Directors, Product Managers, and Product Owners; overseeing delivery of multiple, complex interrelated initiatives; and ensuring consistent, high-quality product outcomes that meet customer, market, and financial objectives.
• This position requires a strong command of data, technology, and data use platforms, SaaS product management, and Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) practices, with a balance of strategic thinking and hands‑on leadership in execution.
• This role aligns product vision with business goals and market trends. Balances competing demands to focus on high‑impact features and products.
• Develop and articulate high quality product strategy, implementation plans, and decisions effectively.
• Creates product strategies to sustain competitive advantage. Uses data and qualitative information to identify trends, anticipate future needs, create and launch reputation building products and services that delight customers and meet financial requirements.
• Develops, maintains, and demonstrates a strong working knowledge of the Clearinghouse, its environment, including its mission, services, and key stakeholders and how each organizational unit contributes to that mission.
• Actively seeks opportunities for efficiencies and cost‑effective technologies and processes that reduce costs, streamline workflows, and optimize investments.
• Leads Team in the discovery, validation, and definition of new product features, capabilities, enhancements, and platform opportunities within assigned portfolio.
• Oversees market research activities including customer interviews, focus groups, voice‑of‑customer analysis, usage analytics, competitive research, and surveys.
• Directs pilot programs and proof‑of‑concept efforts; evaluates operational and financial viability in partnership with finance and strategy teams.
• Ensures product teams apply user‑centered design, low‑res prototyping, and well‑defined functional and non‑functional requirements and user stories.
• Leads, plans and executes product lifecycle activities including launch, iteration, and sunsetting/deprecation.

Go‑to‑Market & Commercialization

• Leads & partners with Finance, Strategy, Marketing & Communications, Sales, and Business Development to plan and execute feature releases and product launches.
• Supports early revenue generation and adoption through enablement, positioning, and customer engagement.
• Contributes to partnership evaluations including leading business case development, due diligence, and vendor/partner collaboration.
• Identifies, establishes, and implements metrics, and KPIs to guide decisions and measure outcomes, using hard data.
• Leads, plans and executes Go‑to‑Market Strategy: In cross‑functional collaboration with Strategy and MarComm, plans product launches and drives adoption.
• Utilizes methodical and rigorous approach in the problem‑solving process standards to include effectively identify the problem by gathering information, finding and evaluating alternatives, selecting and implementing best alternatives, monitoring and evaluating results.

Leadership & Team Development

• Develops team skills and abilities with demonstrated best practices in market analysis, usage analysis, competitive analysis, pricing analysis, customer mapping and using data to inform product decisions.
• Provides steady, servant leadership in the face of uncertainty, change and aggressive deadlines common to a rapidly growing company with an evolving business model.
• Develops and leads a team in a positive and professional manner with a proven track record of identifying issues across the organization and resolving them.
• Leads by example with a high level of emotional intelligence and demonstrates a positive, energetic “we can do it” attitude.
• Communicates the product and company vision and strategy to staff in a clear, relatable, and compelling manner that creates excitement.

Agile & Program Management

• Utilizes Agile methodologies and supports the Clearinghouse’s Lean Portfolio Management best practices - including cross‑functional collaboration - to coordinate and prioritize resources on high‑profile competing product initiatives.
• Displays strong grasp of Agile fundamentals as well as familiarity with Scrum, Kanban, and iterative development.
• Clearly creates and articulates the business context, metrics, milestones, dependences, schedules and success measures in delivery of product initiatives and adjusts for internal and external dependencies in planning.
• Monitors and manages projects, timelines, resources, risks and team capacity to ensure timely and high‑quality outcomes.

Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration

• Effectively presents product strategies, insights, and recommendations to senior leaders and cross‑functional stakeholders.
• Builds strong partnerships across Technology, Sales, Marketing, Customer Operations, Finance, and external partners at all levels across the organization.
• Leads resolution of conflicts and competing priorities through influence and collaboration, not position.
• Continuously stays abreast of and adapts to evolving tools, technologies, customer expectations, and market conditions.
• Establishes new standards, tools, processes, and metrics for customer‑centric, service‑oriented standards across product teams.
• Expertly represents the Clearinghouse professionally with internal and external stakeholders using an “at your service no‑job‑is‑too‑small