[Remote] Chief Product Officer, Lucas Learning

🌍 Remote, USA 🚀 Full-time 🕐 Posted Recently

Job Description

Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Lucas Learning, a division of the George Lucas Educational Foundation, focuses on creating innovative learning simulations for K-12 education. The Chief Product Officer will provide strategic and creative leadership, overseeing the development of engaging project-based learning experiences while managing cross-functional teams and partnerships.

Set and communicate the direction for Lucas Learning's exemplar portfolio in close partnership with the executive committee and senior leadership
Translate leadership vision into clear priorities, success measures, and roadmaps that guide day-to-day decisions and long-term planning
Develop clear narratives and materials, such as concept briefs, demo walkthroughs, learning rationale, and evidence of impact, to support partnership exploration
Lead hands-on product and creative direction across game design, UX, narrative, learning design, and art direction
Ensure simulations are engaging and grounded in sound learning principles
Design experiences that build transferable skills such as inquiry, problem-solving, collaboration, and communication
Maintain a high bar for quality and relevance for K-12 students and educators, starting with middle school
Shape a sustainable technical approach for exemplar-quality work and long-term maintainability
Innovate with AI in both development workflows and experience design using hands-on expertise
Establish clear guardrails for responsible AI use in K-12 learning contexts
Lead cross-functional execution from early prototypes to production-quality vertical slices that are robust, well-documented, and ready to share externally
Plan milestones and delivery rhythms
Oversee playtesting and structured feedback with teachers and students to ensure the experience works in real classroom conditions
Define readiness criteria for sharing work externally and exploring partnerships
Lead and develop a high-performing team of approximately 3-4 direct reports, such as a technology lead, learning design lead, and art director
Establish clear decision-making practices and ways of working
Manage external vendors and specialist partners as needed
Oversee an annual budget of approximately $4 million with transparency and accountability
Prepare for and participate in board meetings, executive reviews, and special projects as needed

History of driving innovation in games or interactive media by introducing new design approaches, technologies, or production methods that improved quality or expanded what the product could do
Track record in the gaming industry, including shipped games or interactive products across console, PC, mobile, or related platforms, with clear ownership of meaningful product decisions. Knowledge of education markets is a plus
Experience partnering with founder-level or board-level stakeholders and translating high-level vision into clear priorities and execution plans
Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams from early concept through shipped, production-quality interactive releases
Hands-on experience applying AI in product development or experience design
Experience operating as a true player-coach, actively reviewing builds, shaping feature decisions, and engaging in early prototyping, not solely overseeing from a distance
Experience in a small team, studio, or startup environment where the scope is broad and quality expectations are high is preferred
Strategic product leadership with strong creative judgment and a high standard for craft
Forward-looking perspective on AI, with the ability to identify meaningful opportunities and understand risks in K-12 contexts
Strong people leadership skills, including coaching, collaboration, and accountability across disciplines
Deep understanding of game and interactive experience design, including playtesting and iterative improvement
Ability to integrate learning design, game systems, AI capabilities, and technical architecture into cohesive, production-quality interactive experiences
Demonstrated technical fluency with software architecture and interactive systems, including deep engagement in engineering tradeoffs and product integration decisions
Direct experience working hands-on with software development teams to ship interactive products
Ability to translate vision into clear priorities, roadmaps, and decision points
Confidence in communicating with and influencing senior stakeholders
Genuine interest in innovating in education and alignment with GLEF's mission
U.S.-based. Must be able to work primarily in West Coast hours; West Coast location strongly preferred
Experience designing for youth or family audiences, including accessibility and trust considerations
Familiarity with project-based learning principles
Experience creating reference-quality work intended to influence broader practice
Experience developing materials that support partnership exploration, such as demos and concept documentation
Strong product development practice for interactive experiences, including prototyping, playtesting, and iterative refinement
Hands-on facility with AI-enabled tools and systems used in development and experience design
Ability to evaluate tradeoffs across feasibility, quality, maintainability, and learning goals
Comfort reviewing work across disciplines and giving clear, actionable feedback
Practical understanding of building stable experiences suitable for external sharing and partnership contexts
Preferred technical experience includes establishing responsible AI practices in learning environments, familiarity with analytics and qualitative research methods, accessibility and inclusive design standards, and experience documenting work for external reuse or handoff

Comprehensive health, vision, and dental insurance
An employer-matched retirement plan of up to 6% of salary, vested immediately
An annual education stipend to support professional development

George Lucas Educational Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides education administration program services. It was founded in 1991, and is headquartered in Nicasio, California, USA, with a workforce of 11-50 employees. Its website is https://www.lucaslearning.com.

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