Director of Product Marketing

San Carlos, CA (Remote)

$150K/yr – $180K/yrDirector/Executive7+ years expFull time

Posted 5 weeks ago

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Job Summary

Own positioning and messaging for a portfolio of education programs by closing the loop between learner VoC, audience definitions, and performance signals.

  • Positioning Ownership: define POV to win in market across active and pipeline programs.
  • VoC + Data Linkage: synthesize learner interviews with demographics and NPS to validate messaging and inform the brief for copywriters.

Job Description

Responsibilities

  • Own positioning for all active and pipeline programs — develop defensible, specific positioning that reflects a real POV on why a program wins in market, not a summary of what it covers.
  • For each new launch, develop a clear target audience definition, core message, and expected learner profile that give Growth a strategic foundation before campaign planning begins.
  • Own company-wide ICP clarity across the existing portfolio — maintain a living, data-informed view of who our learners are, what drives them, and how that is evolving.
  • Monitor positioning health for existing programs. Flag when enrollment demographics, NPS signals, or performance patterns suggest positioning has drifted and a refresh is needed.
  • Own the VoC program — design and run a regular cadence of interviews with prospective learners, active learners, rejecters, and alumni.
  • Synthesize findings into clear positioning inputs and share them with Growth and Product on a defined cadence. Interviews that don't change something aren't worth running.
  • Partner with our data team to connect qualitative VoC findings with quantitative signals — enrollment demographics, NPS, ad performance — to build a complete picture of whether our positioning is working.
  • Run quarterly persona reviews to assess whether the learners we are reaching match the learners we are targeting.
  • Serve as the primary strategic point of contact for our copywriter — provide clear positioning direction before he writes, and precise editorial direction when his output needs refinement.
  • When VoC work or feedback loops from Growth signal that positioning has shifted, drive that change through the messaging framework and brief the copywriter on what needs to be updated in the messaging bank.

Requirements

  • 7+ years in product marketing or marketing communications, with meaningful time in a B2C or direct-to-consumer context.
  • Strong copy editing instincts. You do not need to write everything, but you need to be able to evaluate and improve what others produce.
  • A systems thinker. You operate in terms of frameworks and scalable processes before defaulting to manual execution.
  • Decisive and direct. You make positioning calls and drive alignment without waiting for consensus. You are comfortable owning a point of view and defending it.
  • A clear communicator who can translate complex positioning into a brief a growth marketer or copywriter can actually act on.
  • Data-oriented. You can read performance signals, work with demographic and NPS data, and integrate quantitative inputs into your positioning thinking.
  • Actively use AI to scale your own output. Not conversant — you have demonstrably changed how you work because of AI.
  • Experience working in a startup or growth-stage environment where priorities shift and systems are being built, not inherited.

Benefits

  • Equity: Ownership is a core value, and each full-time employee can invest in Ziplines Education via a stock option (equity) grant, which will vest across four years.
  • Time off: We offer a flexible paid time off policy, in addition to 10 paid holidays.
  • Flexible, remote work environment : We are a fully distributed team with folks all over the U.S. We meet as a full team at least one time per week and have in-person gatherings or team offsites one or more times per year.
  • Family health and wellness : Choose from a range of medical, dental, and vision insurance plans (premiums start at $0/month) for yourself or your family.
  • 401K : We know your future self will thank you when you start contributing to your company-sponsored 401k.
  • Plus, additional benefits we’d be happy to share with you during the hiring process.
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Ziplines Education

Ziplines Education is a career accelerator that partners with over 30 leading colleges and universities to bridge the gap between higher education and industry. Our mission is to equip professionals with the in-demand skills needed to thrive in today’s technology-driven workplace. Through flexible, cohort-based online certificate courses, Ziplines delivers knowledge, skills, and industry-recognized technology certifications that align with employers' needs. Learn more at ziplines.com.

Founded in 2017
120 employees (20 in marketing)