Senior Category Manager

Coursera
United States
On-site

Who this role is best for

A natural match if you have experience in consumer technology or education platforms and thrive in ambiguous environments.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with 7+ years in category management or product strategy in tech or e-commerce
    — “7+ years of experience in category management, product management, business strategy, product strategy, or a related function.”
  • Professionals with a learner-first mindset and ability to translate data into actionable strategies
    — “Learner-centered strategy: You start from a deep understanding of what learners need and turn it into a clear point of view on where a category should win, what to offer, and what to prioritize.”

Things to consider

  • The role requires commercial accountability beyond direct control of product or content teams
    — “You own the commercial outcome, not just the plan. You know your revenue, conversion, and margin numbers, understand what’s driving them, and hold yourself accountable for moving them, even when you don’t directly control the product surfaces or content.”
  • This is a US-based role with salary ranges dependent on geographic zones
    — “This role is available in the following US Pay Zones:”

How to stand out

  • Highlight past experience in driving measurable business outcomes across cross-functional teams
    — “Demonstrated ownership of business-level performance metrics, including revenue, conversion, retention, profitability, or customer lifetime value.”
  • Showcase your ability to prioritize and execute strategies in evolving, ambiguous environments
    — “This role is ideal for someone who thrives in ambiguity, combines analytical rigor with strong commercial and strategic judgment, and takes accountability for results.”
  • Demonstrate your skills in diagnosing performance and using data to inform strategic decisions
    — “Leverage data to diagnose business performance, uncover root causes, and identify and size high-impact growth opportunities.”
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Company

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • accelerated category growth through strategic initiatives
Typical background
background in business analysis, strategy, and operations

Skills & requirements

Required

Commercial OwnershipLearner-centered StrategyData AnalysisCross-functional ExecutionInfluence Senior Stakeholders

Preferred

Experience In A Fast-paced, High-growth EnvironmentAbility To Navigate Complex Business Challenges

Stack & domain

Commercial OwnershipLearner-centered StrategyData AnalysisBusiness AnalysisLearner And Market InsightsCross-functional ExecutionCategory Growth StrategiesCompetitive DynamicsBusiness PerformanceRoot CausesHigh-impact Growth OpportunitiesCommercial JudgmentStrategic ThinkingAnalytical RigorAccountabilityInfluenceAlignmentBusiness ImpactCategory ManagementBusiness Strategy

About the role

Original posting from Coursera via Greenhouse

About Coursera + Udemy

Coursera and Udemy are now one company, bringing together two mission-driven brands to create the world’s most powerful platform for turning learning into progress. Together, we help more than 300 million learners and 12,000+ enterprise customers build the skills they need for a world being reshaped by AI. Read more about the combined company by visiting our blog.

Why join us now?

AI is transforming how people learn, work, and grow, and the need for new skills has never been greater. Coursera brings trusted content and credentials from leading university and industry partners, while Udemy brings a dynamic skills marketplace and global network of real-world experts. By combining these strengths, we can connect more people and organizations to the skills they need, when they need them.

Shape what comes next

By joining our team, you’ll have the opportunity to reshape how the world learns and applies skills—and help millions of people participate in the new economy. Bring your ideas, expertise, and perspective to meaningful work that can make a difference at global scale.

About this role

The Category Growth team drives commercial performance across Coursera's Consumer portfolio, identifying and capturing the highest-impact opportunities to grow revenue, conversion, retention, and lifetime value. We combine deep business analysis, learner and market insights, and cross-functional execution to accelerate category growth.

As a Senior Category Manager, you will take end-to-end ownership of high-priority commercial growth opportunities, from diagnosing business challenges and identifying opportunities to setting strategy, prioritizing investments, and driving execution through measurable results. You’ll operate as a business owner, independently determining where to focus and mobilizing teams across Product, Marketing, Content, and other functions, as well as our university and industry partners, to deliver outcomes.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives in ambiguity, combines analytical rigor with strong commercial and strategic judgment, and takes accountability for results. You'll navigate complex business challenges, build alignment across stakeholders, and turn strategic priorities into measurable business impact.

About your skills

Commercial ownership: You own the commercial outcome, not just the plan. You know your revenue, conversion, and margin numbers, understand what’s driving them, and hold yourself accountable for moving them, even when you don’t directly control the product surfaces or content. You turn plans into results through tight prioritization and consistent follow-through.

Learner-centered strategy: You start from a deep understanding of what learners need and turn it into a clear point of view on where a category should win, what to offer, and what to prioritize.

Data analysis: You turn messy data into clear insight, and use it to find and size opportunities, diagnose performance, and make the case for decisions.

What You’ll Be Doing

Independently own ambiguous, high-priority business opportunities from problem definition through execution and measurable commercial results.

Develop category growth strategies grounded in learner needs, market trends, and competitive dynamics to define where to compete, what to offer, and where to invest.

Leverage data to diagnose business performance, uncover root causes, and identify and size high-impact growth opportunities.

Influence senior leaders and cross-functional teams to align priorities, overcome obstacles, and execute growth strategies.

Build scalable operating mechanisms and experiments to accelerate learning, optimize performance, and drive sustained growth.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Business, Economics, Marketing, Engineering, Analytics, or a related field.

 7+ years of experience in category management, product management, business strategy, product strategy, or a related function.

Demonstrated ownership of business-level performance metrics, including revenue, conversion, retention, profitability, or customer lifetime value.

Experience using quantitative analysis to diagnose business performance, size opportunities, and translate insights into strategic decisions.

Demonstrated experience developing customer- and market-informed strategies to identify growth opportunities, define priorities, and guide business investments.

Demonstrated experience leading complex, cross-functional business initiatives through implementation and measurable results.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience managing the commercial performance of a product category, portfolio, marketplace, or subscription business.

Experience designing operating mechanisms, business reviews, experiments, or scalable decision-making frameworks to improve business performance.

Experience operating independently in ambiguous environments with evolving priorities.

Experience in consumer technology, e-commerce, marketplaces, subscriptions, digital media, or education technology.

MBA or equivalent experience solving complex business problems across multiple functions.

Compensation

This role is available in the following US Pay Zones:

US Zone 3: $147,475 - $173,500

US Zone 4: $137,275 - $161,500

At Coursera, we offer competitive, zone-based pay aligned to your location, experience, and role level across four U.S. pay zones. Our total rewards package goes beyond salary, with comprehensive health and wellness benefits, bonus and RSU equity programs, and global perks designed to help you grow and thrive wherever you are.

US Pay Zones

Zone 1 – San Francisco Bay Area only

Zone 2 – New York City Metro and Seattle Metro

Zone 3 – CA (outside of SF Bay Area), CO, CT, DC, GA, IL, MA, MD, NY/NJ (outside of NYC Metro), OR, RI, TX, VA, WA (outside of Seattle Metro)

Zone 4 – All other US locations not listed in Zones 1–3

Posting Date: October 19, 2026

Application Window: October 19 - October 30, 2026

We anticipate the application window will be open until October 30, 2026. Based on business needs, this opportunity may remain posted beyond or closed before the anticipated application window.

#LI-JC2For more information about how Coursera collects and uses your personal information, please see our Coursera + Udemy Global Applicant Privacy Notice.

To protect against recruitment fraud, Coursera + Udemy recruiters only communicate via official coursera.org/udemy.com email addresses and never through personal accounts. We do not accept resumes via email or social media; please submit all applications directly through our careers page.

If you encounter suspicious recruitment activity, please report it via our Fraudulent Activity Submission Form.

Coursera is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to building a welcoming and inclusive workplace. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics and provide reasonable accommodations upon request at recruiting@coursera.org. 

Source: Coursera careers (Greenhouse)

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