Manager, Product Operations

Based in New York, NY on site, the Manager, Product Operations at Hearst Media Services leads cross-functional program leadership, operational systems, and AI enabled workflow innovations to turn strategy into execution.

Salary: USD 100,000 - 130,000 per year

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of top-priority, cross-functional programs aligned to strategic goals and measurable results.
• Coordinate among teams to minimize dependencies, improve alignment, and clarify execution.
• Assist leadership in turning strategic priorities into operational plans across the product organization.
• Host planning sessions, retrospectives, workshops, and operational reviews to drive alignment and accountability.
• Own and refine planning cadences such as quarterly roadmapping, intake processes, prioritization frameworks, and governance.
• Design scalable workflows, systems, and documentation practices to enhance consistency and visibility across teams.
• Increase visibility into capacity, delivery health, risks, and outcomes via dashboards and metrics.
• Help teams measure outcomes, not just outputs, across initiatives and workflows.
• Identify opportunities to use AI, automation, integrations, and current tools to boost team effectiveness, reduce overhead, and speed execution.
• Continuously optimize how teams leverage existing platforms and workflows to maximize the value of the tech stack.
• Experiment with tools and practices that improve planning, communication, reporting, documentation, and knowledge sharing.
• Develop scalable automations, templates, systems, and playbooks to help teams integrate AI responsibly into daily product development.
• Champion evolving ways of working, guiding teams to adapt thoughtfully as technology and needs evolve.
• Act as strategic owner and administrator of collaboration and productivity platforms such as Jira, Confluence, Airtable, Miro, and AI tooling ecosystems.
• Create workflows, templates, and automations that enhance operational efficiency and collaboration.
• Support onboarding, documentation quality, transparency, and knowledge sharing across teams.
• Cultivate a collaborative, inclusive, and high-trust team culture grounded in continuous improvement.

Requirements

• Experience in product operations, program management, or product management within a technology or digital product environment.
• Solid understanding of Agile product development and organizational operations.
• Track record designing scalable workflows, operational systems, and process improvements.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and influence without direct authority.
• Strong analytical capabilities with experience using operational metrics and reporting to inform decisions.
• Experience guiding organizational change management and adoption efforts.
• Experience designing and deploying AI assisted workflows, automation solutions, and operational systems that boost team effectiveness and reduce manual overhead.
• Ability to build systems balancing flexibility, usability, scalability, and maintainability.
• Advanced Airtable expertise, including relational data modeling, automations, interfaces, and workflow design.
• Jira
• Confluence
• Miro
• Figma
• Google Workspace & Microsoft 365
• Analytics & Reporting
• Looker
• Power BI
• Google Analytics
• Spreadsheet modeling, operational reporting, and data analysis
• ChatGPT
• Claude
• Gemini
• Cursor
• Zapier
• Make
• Power Automate

Technologies

• Airtable
• Jira
• Confluence
• Miro
• Figma
• Google Workspace
• Microsoft 365
• Analytics & Reporting
• Looker
• Power BI
• Google Analytics
• Spreadsheets
• ChatGPT
• Claude
• Gemini
• Cursor
• Zapier
• Make
• Power Automate

Benefits

• Physical Wellbeing: Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage to keep you and your family healthy.
• Invest for the Future: Competitive retirement plan with matching program in most markets.
• Generous Paid Time Off: Recharge with ample time off, including holidays and vacation.
• Paid Parental Leave: Support for growing families, with paid leave for new parents.
• Monthly Child & Dependent Care Reimbursement: Financial support for the care of your loved ones.
• Emotional Wellbeing: Mental wellness benefits to support your best self.
• LGBTQ+ & Inclusive Health Services: Inclusive healthcare designed for diverse needs.
• Fertility Coverage & Menopause Support: Assistance for family planning and related needs.
• Pet Wellness Reimbursement & Rover Credits: Support for your pets' health and happiness.

About Hearst Newspapers

Hearst Newspapers (HNP) is the operating group responsible for Hearst's newspapers, local digital marketing services, and directories. With more than 2,500 colleagues nationwide, HNP publishes 30 daily and 50 weekly newspapers reaching more than 45 million readers each month.

As local journalism and technology continue to evolve, Hearst Newspapers is investing in innovative ways to tell stories, grow audiences, and strengthen communities. From AI powered newsroom tools to smarter operational systems, our teams are using technology to improve experiences for both readers and employees.

Our mission is to be the most trusted and accurate source of news and information in the communities we serve. We are committed to truthfulness, fairness, independence, and the belief that access to reliable information is essential to a healthy society.

About the Product Development Team

The Hearst Newspapers Product Development team partners closely with newsrooms and business stakeholders to build digital products and experiences that serve the evolving needs of local communities and future generations of readers. We operate at the intersection of journalism, technology, audience behavior, and business innovation — delivering trusted local reporting in ways that are more accessible, engaging, and relevant to how audiences consume information today.

The Mission of Product Operations

Product Operations turns strategy into execution by building scalable systems, reducing operational friction, and thoughtfully integrating AI, automation, and emerging technologies into day to day workflows. This is a highly adaptive, hands on function. The strongest people on our team are builders and problem solvers who are comfortable navigating ambiguity and leaving teams, systems, and processes better than they found them.

About the Role

As Manager, Product Operations, you will help drive alignment, improve execution, and build the operational foundations that enable teams to deliver meaningful outcomes. The role spans program leadership, workflow design, planning operations, tooling, team enablement, and organizational effectiveness. You will partner closely with stakeholders across product, engineering, design, editorial, advertising, finance, and marketing to help complex initiatives move forward with clarity and momentum. You will also identify opportunities to leverage AI, automation, and emerging technologies to improve collaboration, execution, and operational efficiency. This is an ideal opportunity for someone who enjoys solving operational challenges, leading cross-functional initiatives, and building scalable systems that help teams work smarter.