Portfolio Assistant (US Higher Ed)

We believe in the power and joy of learning

At Cengage Group, our employees have a direct impact in helping students around the world discover the power and joy of learning. We are bonded by our shared purpose – driving innovation that helps millions of learners improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.
 

Our culture values inclusion, engagement, and discovery

Our business is driven by our strong culture, and we know that creating an inclusive workplace is absolutely essential to the success of our company and our learners, as well as our individual well-being. We recognize the value of diverse perspectives in everything we do, and strive to ensure employees of all levels and backgrounds feel empowered to voice their ideas and bring their authentic selves to work. We achieve these priorities through programs, benefits, and initiatives that are integrated into the fabric of how we work every day. To learn more, please see https://www.cengagegroup.com/about/inclusion-and-belonging/.
 

The Portfolio Assistant (PA) is involved in every functional area of our organization by providing direct, day-to-day support to Portfolio Managers and the teams. The PA provides a wide array of services to optimize the performance of the portfolio management, product development, and strategic marketing efforts in support of the group’s business goals.

This PA role will support two Higher Ed Portfolio Managers within the Humanities and Social Sciences.
 

What you'll do here:

Administrative tasks-

• Provide general administrative support. Perform basic administrative tasks, including oversight of the reviewing process, processing invoices, crafting basic Profit & Loss proposals, maintaining product and customer databases, providing budget tracking information, and processing contract requests.

• Prepare documents needed for meetings across the assigned product teams, including Strategy Meetings, Production Launches, and digital road-mapping.

• Plan and manage meeting logistics.

Portfolio and Product Development-

• Support development of strategic documentation, such as Portfolio Business Plans, Portfolio Roadmaps, strategy documentation, etc.

• Support Portfolio Management in building product proposals.

• Serve as point for contact for Author Relations questions and contract processing.

• Suggest alternative solutions to improve procedural clarity and decrease risk.

Market Analysis-

• Conduct independent research on topics or trends relevant to the courses supported and synthesize and deliver the results to Portfolio Managers and the teams.

• Benchmark competitive offerings and actively update comparisons when necessary.

• Participate in the design, execution, and analysis of market research, and identify potential ideas for improvement.

Marketing, Sales, and Customer Support-

• Provide accurate and sufficiently detailed information about products via Product Marketing Form.

• Provide marketing and sales team members with priority information upon request.

• Respond to sales or customer inquiries in a timely and efficient manner with a high level of accuracy.

• Serve as point of contact for Customer Support cases using the JIRA ESCAL process and resolve questions/issues by working with the product team to deliver solutions.

Key Competencies:

• Action Oriented: Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy and enthusiasm.

• Optimizes Work Processes: Knowing the most effective and efficient processes to get things done, with a focus on continuous improvement.

• Collaborates: Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.

• Self-Development: Actively seeking new ways to grow and be challenged using both formal and informal development channels.

• Demonstrates Self-Awareness: Using a combination of feedback and reflection to gain productive insight into personal strengths and weaknesses.

• Nimble Learning: Actively learning through experimentation when tackling new problems, using both successes and failures as learning fodder.

Skills you’ll need here:

• B.S. or B.A. degree or equivalent experience preferred

• Tech savvy with proficiency in MS Word, Excel, PPT, as well as databases.

• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail

• Effective time management

• Excellent written and interpersonal communication skills

• Proven ability to take initiative and follow projects through to completion autonomously

• Flexibility and adaptability to dynamic conditions

Cengage Group’s Higher Education business, Cengage, supports learning and student success by providing materials and digital solutions to faculty and students enrolled in two-year, four-year and vocational programs. We currently serve more than 10 million of the 18 million students in US higher ed. Setting a new standard of service for our customers, we deliver quality, easy-to-use course materials from textbooks and eBooks to courseware such as MindTap and WebAssign. In the US, we offer Cengage Unlimited and Cengage Unlimited for Institutions. We help instructors be better teachers, we help institutions solve problems and we empower students to leverage the power and joy of learning to transform lives.
 

Cengage Group does not discriminate based upon race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, marital status, parental status, cultural background, organizational level, work styles, tenure and life experiences. Or for any other reason
 

Cengage Group is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at [email protected] or you may call us at +1 (617) 289-7917.
 

About Cengage Group

Cengage Group, a global education technology company serving millions of learners, provides affordable, quality digital products and services that equip students with the skills and competencies needed to be job ready. For more than 100 years, we have enabled the power and joy of learning with trusted, engaging content, and now, integrated digital platforms. We serve the higher education, workforce skills, secondary education, English language teaching and research markets worldwide. Through our scalable technology, including MindTap and Cengage Unlimited, we support all learners who seek to improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.

Compensation

At Cengage Group, we take great pride in our commitment to providing a comprehensive and rewarding Total Rewards package designed to support and empower our employees. Click here to learn more about our Total Rewards Philosophy.

The full base pay range has been provided for this position. Individual base pay will vary based on work schedule, qualifications, experience, internal equity, and geographic location.  Sales roles often incorporate a significant incentive compensation program beyond this base pay range.