Senior Product Specialist (Systems Analyst VI) - Internal Vacancy

MISSION: The Texas Education Agency (TEA) will improve outcomes for all public-school students in the state by providing leadership, guidance, and support to school systems.

Core Values:

We are Determined: We are committed and intentional in the pursuit of our main purpose, to improve outcomes for students.

We are People-Centered: We strive to attract, develop, and retain the most committed talent, representing the diversity of Texas, each contributing to our common vision for students.

We are Learners: We seek evidence, reflect on success and failure, and try new approaches in the pursuit of excellence for our students.

We are Servant Leaders: Above all else, we are public servants working to improve opportunities for students and provide support to those who serve them.

This position is funded through August 31, 2025, with federal stimulus funds. Continuation of the position beyond that date is contingent upon available funding. This federally funded position will provide critical support for the agency to urgently address student learning loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is a 5-day internal posting.  We are only accepting applications from current Texas Education Agency (TEA) employees. External applicants will not be considered.

Position Overview: The Digital Strategy team develops the strategy for and manages the implementation of digital solutions that enable and support TEA program delivery and student outcomes.

The Senior Product Specialist will support Digital Strategy team members and TEA program teams to create or leverage high quality digital products that enable program delivery and outcomes, based on deep user engagement, understanding of problems and opportunities, and by leveraging modern human-centered design and product marketing practices. The Senior Product Specialist will play a critical role in ensuring the successful deployment of digital solutions and services in support of program delivery by maintaining a strong user-centric focus, sharing and systematizing human-centered design principles, and driving alignment with existing work in the field. This role will primarily focus on product strategy for the Texas Gateway (TEA's Content Management System), and may provide support to additional products including TEALearn (TEA's Learning Management System) and the Texas Education Exchange.

This role performs highly advanced consultative and technical assistance work related to digital solutions and services for program teams. They will work under minimal supervision with extensive latitude for the use of initiative and use strong independent judgement. They will guide and oversee the work of contractors.

This role sits within the Division of Digital Strategy & Analytics (DS&A) in the Office of Analytics, Assessment, and Reporting (OAAR) and reports to the Director of Digital Strategy.

Flexible work location within the state of Texas may be considered for qualified candidates.

Please note that a resume and short answer responses are required attachments for applying to this position. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Applicants who are strongly being considered for employment must submit to a national criminal history background check.

Essential Functions

Job duties are not limited to the essential functions mentioned below. You may perform other functions as assigned.

1.Product Strategy and User Research: Owns or stewards product vision in support of agency programs and goals, including discovery with stakeholders, user and market research, build vs buy decisions, communications strategy development, cross-functional team leadership, and collecting and analyzing data to inform product decisions; works with Digital Strategy team to build alignment around product strategy with agency leadership.

2.Program Delivery Support: Helps program team partners adopt a modern product development mindset and make sure they have the right resources and supports to best leverage digital solutions as part of their program delivery strategy; Coaches and mentors agency staff, helping them develop into capable product managers in their own right; Develops frameworks for assisting program team partners in navigating and implementing available digital tools.

3.Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement: Develops and delivers high-quality communications on program/project status, methodology or design, and processes to program teams, key stakeholders, and interested groups and team members; Develops and fosters collaborative working relationships with other agency groups including IT, Contracts and Procurement, and Finance, as well as Education Service Center partners; bridges gaps between technical and non-technical audiences.

4.Knowledge Sharing and Leadership: Advances human centered design, delivery, and digital product marketing practices and methodologies at the agency through the development and delivery of high-quality team-wide resources and training materials, including methods, tutorials, guides, presentations, and design/product marketing toolkits, facilitation of a community of practice, and mentorship and coaching of colleagues within DS&A and other agency partners.

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university

• Experience: At least six (6) years of experience in strategy, program management, technology, or a related field.

• Substitutions: An advanced degree may substitute for two years of required experience.

Other Qualifications

• Share the belief that all Texas students can achieve at high levels and are able to succeed in college, career, or the military

• Previous experience or strong interest in K-12 public education strongly preferred

• Experience with Ed-Fi and/or the Texas Education Exchange strongly preferred

• Experience in developing and releasing digital products with proficiency in agile product management techniques, such as user story writing, MVP definition and backlog prioritization

• Skill in management of projects toward outcomes, recognizing the need to prototype and iterate along the way and expecting the ultimate design to look different than the original idea

• Prior experience using data analysis software and communication tools including Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Smartsheet, SharePoint and other tools to effectively synthesize, analyze and communicate vast amounts of data and documents effectively

• Strong communicator, able to bridge gaps between technical and non-technical audiences

As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age or veteran status, unless an applicant is entitled to the military employment preference.

To review the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) codes from each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces to each job classification series in the State's Position Classification Plan (provided by the State Auditor's Office), please access the Military Crosswalk (occupational specialty code) Guide and click on the military "occupational category" that corresponds with the state classification in this job posting title.

This position requires the applicant to meet Agency standards and criteria which may include passing a pre-employment criminal background check, prior to being offered employment by the Agency.

No phone calls or emails, please. Due to the high volume of applications, we do not accept telephone calls and cannot reply to all email inquiries. Only candidates selected for interview will be contacted.