Product Manager, FirstSearch

Job Details

The Product Manager, FirstSearch leads the development and delivery of AI-enabled discovery experiences, owning end-to-end researcher workflows within Discovery and Delivery Services. This role focuses on creating intuitive, high-quality search experiences that leverage natural language understanding, semantic search, and connected knowledge to help researchers easily express intent, explore relationships, and move seamlessly from discovery to access. Partnering closely with cross-functional teams and stakeholders, the Product Manager translates researcher needs and market trends into product strategy, roadmaps, and innovative solutions aligned with evolving, AI-driven user expectations. This role drives execution of complex initiatives, ensures alignment with organizational strategy, and delivers value to member libraries through strong product leadership, user insight, and continuous collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Oversees market analysis and develops the product strategy and business cases for FirstSearch and new researcher offerings
• Defines strategic product goals for FirstSearch aligned to the researcher
• Defines discovery features to improve a researcher’s open, exploratory workflow
• Contributes to product roadmaps
• Collaborates on release plans with software development team
• Collaborates with Discovery Product team to ensure semantic features integrate with existing search results and next gen discovery
• Collaborates with finance in the production of product budgets and forecasts
• Develops pricing strategies and product positioning plans which contribute to maximizing product profitability
• Provides leadership to cross-functional product workgroups
• Leads Product management meetings
• Resolves conflicts and drives consensus
• Facilitates collaboration and communication and secures commitment between Development and Product Management and other divisional workgroups towards achievement of common goals
• Develops and monitors progress on product roadmap

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience
• 2 to 4 years of experience in product management, user experience, or customer experience of digital products, or equivalent experience
• Demonstrated ability to deliver natural language, and semantic discovery solutions; able to partner effectively with search engineering teams
• Demonstrated knowledge and use of AI in day-to-day workflows and use of AI/linked data to create engaging next generation discovery solutions
• Well-developed communication and presentation skills
• Demonstrated understanding of the product lifecycle
• Demonstrated collaboration with product users, designers, and researchers
• Experience defining and launching new idea or product concepts
• Experience leading cross functional workgroups

Desired But Not Required

• Master’s in Library & Information Science, Business Administration, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• 2 to 4 years of experience in library services or library management systems
• Knowledge of OCLC products and services
• Experience with financial planning and financial forecasting

Working Conditions

Normal office environment.

ADA/EAA

The above statements cover what are generally believed to be principal and essential functions of this job. Specific circumstances may allow or require some people assigned to the job to perform a somewhat different combination of duties.