Ranking Product Owner (Japanese Speaking)

THE are looking for a full time Product Owner to own the methodology and delivery of the Japan University Ranking and potential associated products

The Company

The World University Insights Ltd, publisher of Times Higher Education, is the data provider underpinning university excellence in every continent across the world. As the company behind the world’s most influential university ranking, and with almost five decades of experience as a source of analysis and insight on higher education, we have unparalleled expertise on the trends underpinning university performance globally. Our data and benchmarking tools are used by many of the world’s most prestigious universities to help them achieve their strategic goals.

For more information on Times Higher Education please visit www.timeshighereducation.com

Key role responsibilities:

Responsibilities will include (but are not limited to):

• Liaising with the Project Sponsor and Data Science team on the continued improvement and review of our assessment methodology Accountability for the delivery of all aspects of the ranking product according to strict timelines, and working in close collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to ensure all deadlines are met Developing in-depth understanding of the particularities of Japanese higher education in our various ranking systems (beyond this ranking)
• Working closely with our developers to configure our data collection system for the collection of university data related to this ranking
• Responsible for driving institution engagement and participation as well as reporting progress to stakeholders
• Ownership of the data quality process, both applying current processes and driving further improvements
• Liaising with other areas within the Data team, including project management, data scientists who will build the rankings, and Data Operations Manager for engagement and participation numbers.
• Liaising with other team such as Sales, Consulting, Editorial on the methodology and results
• Managing the relationship with our Japanese partners at Benesse Corp / Shinken AD
• Building strong relationships with institutions (both data collection and post-ranking queries)
• Managing the ranking release process (in partnership with our Marketing and Editorial teams)
• Contribute to building the reputation of the rankings and THE as a whole.

Education and experience requirements

• You will be able to demonstrate the aptitude and attitude to take responsibility for successful delivery of the Japan University Ranking.
• You will be the subject matter expert at THE on Japanese higher education: your deep knowledge of the topic will enable you to communicate efficiently with institutions as well as higher education experts, and to drive the strategic development of the Japan rankings over the long term.
• You will need experience in performance assessment, with a good understanding of both the conceptual aspects (framework building) and technical aspects (data requirements, mathematical modelling options)
• You will be an excellent communicator, negotiator and influencer: the role involves close collaboration with external customers and key business stakeholders, product managers, data scientists, software and infrastructure engineers and commercial teams. You will need to communicate efficiently in both English and Japanese with corporate partners and ensure full alignment on all aspects of the rankings from all parties.
• You will also be comfortable with reporting at an executive level as the role will involve frequent senior management progress / milestone reporting updates.
• You will be highly motivated, delivery focussed, pragmatic and have an open and honest approach. Able to work both at a detail and strategic level as and when required.
• Knowledge of data analysis using tools such as RDBMS, SQL, Excel, etc an advantage but not required.
• Japanese language skills required.
• Degree level education desirable

THE are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We recognise that we are all different. Great strength is born through different perspectives and experiences. That is why we are committed to our mission of creating an inclusive culture that enables our people to feel able to bring their whole selves to work. We are proud to be part of the Global Equality Collective and a mindful employer to help support THE achieve this.