Director of Product (Product Lead)

About CDI

The Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI) is a nonpartisan nonprofit that leverages technology to equip the next generation of Americans with the skills to bridge divides. We primarily work with college campuses, where we offer a comprehensive, evidence-based suite of products and offerings for stakeholders at every level—from college presidents to incoming students. Since launching in 2017, CDI has partnered with hundreds of campuses across the country. CDI was co-founded by psychologist Jonathan Haidt, the bestselling author of The Righteous Mind and The Anxious Generation.

It’s a pivotal moment to join CDI. We’re growing rapidly, and advances in AI are creating new possibilities for how technology can help people engage in better dialogue across differences. In this role, you’ll be at the forefront of shaping how we leverage these tools to expand our reach and impact.

About the Role

CDI is seeking a Head of Product to lead the strategy and execution of our e-learning platform and related technologies.

Reporting to the Chief Impact Officer, you will own the product roadmap, ensure our platform is scalable and reliable, and guide the integration of emerging technologies such as AI to expand CDI’s impact.

This is a player-coach role where you will set vision and dive into execution. You will translate partner, user, and cross-functional needs into clear priorities, manage an external development agency to deliver high-quality releases, and manage one internal Product Specialist. Your leadership will ensure CDI’s flagship platform, Perspectives, is stable, accessible, and continuously improving.

You will manage vendor relationships, budgets, and contracts while upholding privacy, security, and accessibility standards. Over time, you will help assess whether CDI’s current LMS-based architecture can support long-term growth or requires evolution.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on product leader with strong technical and AI expertise, a track record of building reliable B2B SaaS products, and a passion for using technology to advance CDI’s mission of fostering dialogue across differences.

Responsibilities

Success in this role will be measured by improving platform reliability and scalability, delivering on-time and high-quality releases, and crafting and executing against an innovative product strategy and roadmap. In the first 3–6 months, the two primary focus areas will be developing and accelerating CDI’s AI roadmap and bolstering platform stability.

Product leadership and strategy

• Act as the Chief Impact Officer’s technical thought partner in shaping overall product direction.

• Craft and execute an innovative roadmap aligned with CDI’s mission and organizational goals.

• Establish product OKRs, KPIs, and reporting dashboards to track performance and impact.

Drive product innovation (including AI)

• Prototype, validate, and deliver AI-powered features that enhance learning outcomes and engagement.

• Stay current on EdTech, AI, and platform trends to inform roadmap decisions.

• Integrate evidence-based practices into product design in partnership with Research and Education teams.

Strengthen platform health and scalability

• Safeguard performance and data integrity through proactive monitoring, risk tracking, and quality assurance.

• Ensure compliance with privacy, security, and accessibility standards.

• Develop and execute a medium-term scale plan, including evaluation of CDI’s current platform architecture.

Lead team and vendors

• Manage and mentor one Product Specialist, fostering growth and strong performance.

• Oversee external development partners to deliver high-quality, on-time, on-budget releases.

• Build processes, playbooks, and agile rituals that enable CDI to scale product capacity.

• Manage the technical product budget and negotiate vendor contracts.

Collaborate across the organization

• Partner with Implementation and Education teams to ensure products support effective, on-time delivery and partner success.

• Support Partnerships by fulfilling technical requirements for RFPs, procurement, and compliance.

• Align with Operations on privacy, security, and AI guardrails.

About You

• Product Leadership: Proven ability to set vision, craft roadmaps, and align diverse stakeholders around a clear strategy.

• Technical Fluency: Strong grasp of platform architecture, scalability, and security; comfortable managing technical vendors and partners.

• AI & Innovation: Hands-on experience with AI-powered features and a track record of applying emerging technologies responsibly to improve user outcomes.

• Execution & Reliability: Startup scrappiness; able to balance strategy with day-to-day delivery while ensuring stable, on-time releases.

• Analytical Mindset: Skilled at defining OKRs/KPIs, monitoring performance, and making data-driven decisions.

• Collaboration & Influence: Thrives in cross-functional environments, partnering fluidly with Education, Implementation, Partnerships, and Operations.

• Mission Alignment: Excited about CDI’s mission of fostering dialogue across differences, bringing humility and curiosity to complex issues.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of B2B SaaS product management experience, including 3+ years leading or mentoring other product team members.

• Experience in EdTech or a related field, with knowledge of data privacy/security and accessibility requirements; higher ed compliance experience preferred.

• Demonstrated experience with AI/LLMs and building AI-driven features.

• Knowledge of privacy, security, and accessibility standards; higher ed compliance preferred.

• Track record of managing budgets, vendor contracts, and external development partners.

Benefits

• Compensation — $155,000-$170,000

• A Mission-Driven Culture — we practice what we preach, so our work culture is characterized by intellectual humility, continuous improvement, and open-mindedness

• Remote-First — CDI was founded as a remote-first organization, and we work hard to maintain a strong team culture across vast distances 

• Unlimited PTO — as well as 13 company holidays

• Other Benefits — employer-supported health, vision and dental plans, subsidized parental leave, 3% 401k match, short- and long-term disability insurance, life and AD&D insurance, $1,000 annual professional development budget.