About SkillUp

SkillUp Online is a leading EdTech company focused on helping learners and organizations close the global skills gap through career-focused education, deep-skilling programs, and hands-on capstone projects.

As technology and AI continue to reshape the workforce, SkillUp is committed to building future-ready learning experiences that align with employer demand and evolving market needs.

Position Overview

SkillUp is seeking a Director, Program Portfolio Strategy to lead the strategic direction of the company’s program portfolio within the U.S. market.

This role is responsible for identifying market opportunities, validating demand, establishing portfolio governance frameworks, and guiding program investment decisions. The Director will work closely with product, marketing, and executive leadership teams to ensure SkillUp's offerings remain competitive, scalable, and aligned with workforce trends.

This is a highly strategic, fractional leadership role with significant influence on product direction and portfolio growth.

Key Responsibilities

Program Portfolio Strategy

• Define and guide the overall structure and direction of SkillUp's U.S. program portfolio
• Identify high-potential program opportunities based on market demand and industry trends
• Recommend programs to launch, expand, redesign, or retire
• Define ideal customer profiles (ICPs) for each program offering

Portfolio Governance

• Develop and implement a structured framework for managing the program catalog
• Establish program lifecycle stages and performance benchmarks
• Monitor portfolio health and program performance
• Ensure portfolio scalability, focus, and strategic alignment

Market Intelligence

• Monitor the U.S. EdTech, workforce learning, and bootcamp landscape
• Analyze competitors, pricing strategies, and market positioning
• Track employer demand trends and workforce requirements
• Identify emerging skills, credentials, and career pathways

Demand Validation

• Implement structured demand-validation processes before program development begins
• Design and oversee validation initiatives, including:
  • Landing pages
  • Waitlists
  • Employer interviews
  • Market testing campaigns
• Partner with marketing teams to execute validation experiments and interpret results
• Ensure program development decisions are driven by validated market demand

Pricing Strategy

• Benchmark pricing against competing programs and market alternatives
• Evaluate and test pricing models
• Align pricing strategies with outcomes, positioning, and accessibility goals

Program Positioning & Messaging

• Collaborate with marketing teams to define program positioning
• Clarify target audiences and expected career outcomes
• Strengthen differentiation in competitive markets
• Align messaging with employer needs and learner expectations

Strategic Leadership

• Partner closely with product, marketing, and executive leadership teams
• Provide strategic guidance on program investments and portfolio decisions
• Mentor product owners and program leaders
• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on portfolio strategy and growth opportunities

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in EdTech, workforce learning, education technology, or related industries
• Proven experience building, managing, or optimizing program portfolios and learning products
• Strong understanding of the U.S. education and workforce development landscape
• Experience working with credential ecosystems such as:
  • Google
  • IBM
  • AWS
  • Similar industry-recognized certification providers
• Strong market research and demand validation capabilities
• Experience with pricing strategy and product positioning
• Ability to convert market insights into actionable portfolio decisions
• Experience collaborating across product, marketing, and leadership teams
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
• Ability to work independently within a fractional, high-accountability environment

What SkillUp Offers

• Strategic leadership role with significant influence over the U.S. program portfolio
• Opportunity to work at the intersection of product strategy, market intelligence, and workforce learning
• Flexible fractional work arrangement
• Fully remote and globally collaborative environment
• Direct exposure to executive leadership and key business decisions
• Opportunity to shape and scale a growing portfolio of workforce-focused learning programs

Candidate Profile

Ideal for senior product leaders, portfolio strategy executives, learning product leaders, workforce development specialists, EdTech executives, and product strategists with experience in market validation, portfolio management, pricing strategy, program positioning, and cross-functional leadership within education technology or workforce learning organizations.

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