Job Opportunities at Maskew Miller Learning

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead the ideation, development, and launch of digital products and channels in collaboration with the product team and other stakeholders.
• Help define the product strategy, objectives and key results.
• Define and prioritize product and channel features based on our vision, product strategy, customer feedback, data analysis, and market trends.
• Work closely with the experience design team to create user-centric and intuitive product experiences.
• Collaborate with the software engineering team to ensure the successful implementation and quality assurance of digital products.
• Collaborate with the research team to conduct market research and user testing to gather insights and validate ideas.
• Monitor and analyze product and channel performance metrics to drive continuous improvement and optimization.
• Communicate product vision, strategy, and progress to internal stakeholders and external partners.
• Work closely with the Chief Innovation and Technology Officer to align the work of the Innovation and Technology team with the rest of the business, and vice versa.

Educational Requirements

• Relevant tertiary qualification or equivalent 

Experience Requirements

• 8+ years of work experience
• 3+ years of experience in product management in technology
• Proven track record of successfully launching and managing a digital product or products from ideation to release to product-market fit
• Experience working in agile development environments and cross-functional teams
• Experience with the responsible use of AI tools in your product management.
• Nice to haves
• Experience in both B2B and B2C technology products
• Experience in education or edtech
• Experience as part of a team who created with AI-enabled software
• Experience as an entrepreneur
• An author or content developer for your own or someone else’s blog or any other publication

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Key Duties and Responsibilities

Contribution to Product strategy

• Afrikaans Language subject matter expert.
• Research and understand market needs in collaboration with the research team.
• Maintain relationships with Curriculum officials and external stakeholders.
• Generate Afrikaans language product and service pedagogy framework based on policy documents for all the subjects relevant to Grade R - 12.
• Research and analyse curricula, policy documents/gap analysis and evaluation criteria relating to submission and tender requirements.
• Review and analyse competitor and alternative products/services.
• Generate product or service concept/vision for all components.

Financial Management

• Prepare product budgets for sign-off (forecast costs).
• Manage product costs within approved budgets.
• Respond to budget queries and changes.
• Sign off and approvals of work as per schedule of authority.

Content Development

• Develop detailed specific product/service plan.
• Develop design spec and cover briefs.
• Develop detailed instructional design/digital brief. 
• Develop detailed author/Subject Matter Expert (SME) commissioning brief.
• Recruit appropriate authors/SMEs. This includes the development and retention of market-leading content developers and subject matter experts (SMEs).
• Work closely with authors/freelancers to create products or services based on the relevant pedagogy.
• Commission content/service according to detailed product plan.
• Manage the development of print and digital content.
• Provide continuous support during the writing/content development process. 
• Contribute to development of content for marketing material, including creating the product value proposition.
• Review quality and conformity and provide feedback until content is approved.

Project Management

• Create project schedule (forecast time).
• Responsible for the overall deadline of projects. This means ensuring that projects are completed by the agreed due date.
• Remain up to date with all admin duties and foster best practice.

Production Support

• Ensure that the vision for the product or service is carried through the entire production process.
• Support the Managing Editor/s during production phase by: 
• addressing content/author queries
• approving final artwork and photo selection
• reviewing first draft and artwork pages
• Signoff and approving master set files.

Testing/trialing/research

• Develop prototype/sections/full product for testing/trialing/research purposes.
• Validate prototypes/sections/full products.
• Analyse and apply research feedback to improve products and services.

Maintenance - Business as Usual

• Backlist maintenance - reprint corrections, respond to customer queries.
• Constant review of current products for improvement and market relevance.

Relationship with External stakeholders

• Develop relationships with relevant Ministry and DBE officials and external stakeholders. 
• Brief external SMEs, consultants, freelancers as needed.

Develop good practice

• Develop pool of excellent content developers/SMEs capable of responding to the needs as they arise.
• Develop skills of content developers/SMEs through training.

Collaboration

• Collaborate closely with colleagues during all stages of the project within the matrix.  
• Contribute to development of content for marketing material.

Follow new trends and developments

• Stay abreast with new trends and developments in products/services, pedagogy, and market needs.
• Attend relevant workshops, conferences and other industry events to stay up to date.

Project Lead responsibilities

• As required, to perform the role of the project lead.

Digital

• Manage the development of digital content.
• Concrete understanding of the Afrikaans language Learning Design best practice and principles for digital learning.
• Good understanding of instructional design and user-experience design best practice and principles – when & how to employ specialists.
• Collaborate with the Design and Digital Development team to develop digital content / products.

Educational Requirements

• Relevant Degree in the subject matter of Afrikaans Language.

Experience Requirements

• Minimum three to five years working knowledge within the Content creation of Afrikaans school textbook publishing and or extensive Afrikaans teaching educational environment. 

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Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Maintain an effective and professional royalties’ system and process that caters for all needs of the business.
• Ensure compliance with all MML royalty policies and procedures to achieve error free operations, including taking responsibility for:
• The royalty general ledger month end procedures in BM.
• Recalculations of royalties for author contracts finalized after the first sale date of the title.
• The royalty period end procedure in BM (annual, bi-annual and quarterly).
• The compilation of payment schedules to settle royalties payable to authors.
• Accurate royalty statements, tax invoices and IT3b certificates.
• The loading of author contracts.
• Provide assistance to the external auditors and the internal auditors, where relevant.
• Maintain an overall knowledge of the royalty expense and reporting process, including contractual requirements, reconciliations, royalty analyses and forecasting.
• Month-end and year-end period close of the royalty module of BM.
• Ensure that all transactions are compliant with SARS with respect to VAT, Income Tax, and any withholding taxes for foreign authors, including any other applicable taxes.
• Prepare accurate analyses of foreign author payments for inclusion in the annual MML income tax submissions.
• Collaborate with and assist the Reporting Team to gather source data to complete monthly general ledger reconciliations.
• Proactive collaboration with the business in respect of author contract enquiries, agreeing accountability between the areas to resolve and ensure, where accountable, that any enquiries are resolved within the accepted turnaround times.
• Proactively follow up on all unclaimed royalty payments and achieve or exceed targeted performance levels.
• Collaborate with the business and/or Legal to reduce the number and amount of accrued royalty contracts loaded in the royalty subsidiary module of BM.
• Attend to individual authors’ issues as they arise and within acceptable pre-determined turnaround times.
• Assistance in other special projects, as required.
• Assist in the resolution of royalty payment issues.
• Work in a team environment and from the office.
• Meet or exceed department operation standards.

Experience Requirements

• 3-5 years’ experience
• Skills and Competencies
• Strong analytical skills.
• Innovative.
• Problem solver.
• Customer focused.
• Ability to work within deadlines.
• Adaptability to changing environments.
• Highly organized with excellent attention to detail.

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Key Duties and Responsibilities

IT strategy and planning

• Develop and execute the IT strategy in alignment with MML and Novus’ business goals and digital transformation agenda.
• Identify emerging technologies and trends, evaluate their potential impact on us, and recommend strategic IT investments.
• Collaborate with executive leadership and stakeholders to define IT priorities and roadmaps.

IT operations and infrastructure management

• Oversee the day-to-day IT operations, ensuring the stability, security, and efficiency of our IT infrastructure and systems.
• Manage the network infrastructure, servers, databases, and other critical IT components.
• Monitor system performance, identify and resolve issues, and implement proactive measures to minimize downtime.

Team leadership and development

• Lead and inspire a team of IT professionals, providing guidance, coaching, and mentoring to foster a high-performing and collaborative culture.
• Recruit, train, and develop IT staff to ensure the department has the necessary skills and expertise to support our technology needs.
• Establish performance goals and conduct regular performance evaluations for team members.

Vendor and contract management

• Evaluate and manage relationships with IT vendors, service providers, and contractors to ensure the timely delivery of high-quality services and solutions.
• Negotiate contracts, manage budgets, and monitor vendor performance to ensure alignment with agreed-upon service-level agreements and cost-effectiveness.

IT security and compliance

• Update and implement IT security policies, procedures, and controls to safeguard our technology infrastructure and data assets.
• Stay updated on the latest cybersecurity threats and industry best practices, implementing measures to mitigate risks.
• Ensure compliance with relevant regulations, data protection laws, and industry standards.

IT project management

• Oversee the planning, execution, and delivery of IT projects, ensuring they are completed on time, within budget, and meet quality standards.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to gather requirements, define project scope, and manage expectations.
• Monitor project progress, identify risks, and implement mitigation strategies to ensure successful project outcomes.

Educational Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field
• Experience Requirements
• Proven experience (5 or more years) in a senior IT leadership role, preferably in a large enterprise or technology-driven organisation.
• Strong knowledge of IT infrastructure, networking, security, and systems administration.
• Experience in driving digital transformation initiatives and implementing innovative technology solutions.
• Excellent leadership and team management skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate a diverse team.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with stakeholders at all levels.
• Solid project management skills, with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Demonstrated ability to manage budgets, negotiate contracts, and oversee vendor relationships.
• Knowledge of IT security best practices and compliance requirements.
• Experience of both on premise and cloud infrastructure and solutions.

Nice to haves

• Experience in the print and/or publishing sectors.
• Experience in implementing AI automations, working with LLMs and ensuring the responsible adoption of AI tools in the company.

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Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop our website and ecommerce platform according to a product backlog, applying Agile software development principles
• Ensure seamless integration of ecommerce functionality, payment gateways, and user accounts
• Conduct thorough testing and debugging to deliver a near-flawless user experience
• Maintain our website and ecommerce platform
• and infrastructure deployment
• Collaborate with the experience design team and provide input on UX and UI designs to optimize development efforts while delivering user-friendly interfaces and engaging customer journeys
• Architecture and infrastructure design backed by effective documentation
• Continuous self-development and expansion of skills and mentoring other team members to do the same
• Communicate technical needs and risks effectively outside of the team
• Stay abreast of industry trends and emerging technologies to drive continuous improvement

Educational Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in a related field
• Strong portfolio showcasing successful website and ecommerce platform projects
• Experience Requirements
• At least 3 years’ experience as a web developer with expertise in ecommerce platforms
• Proficiency in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and other relevant programming languages
• Experience working with content management systems (CMS)
• Experience with web analytics tools
• Familiarity with SEO best practices
• Experience with AI technologies and their responsible application in web development

Nice to haves

• Knowledge of UX/UI design principles and methodologies
• Experience with agile development practices
• Previous experience in the education, edtech or publishing industry
• Experience as an entrepreneur
• An author or content developer for your own or someone else’s blog or any other publication
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Engineering