Coughlan Companies
Senior Director of Innovation and Growth Strategy
Coughlan Companies, Edina, Minnesota, United States
Overview
Full-time Description Capstone has added an exciting new role of Senior Director of Innovation and Growth Strategy. This position leads strategic initiatives to identify new growth opportunities for Capstone's content business. This role explores adjacent markets, develops innovative product concepts, assesses acquisition opportunities, and creates strategies to extend existing or new content into new formats and channels. The ideal candidate combines sharp strategic thinking, market research expertise, and a deep understanding of content potential to drive the future growth of our organization. Our preference is for this role to be hybrid based out of our Edina MN location. However fully remote work may also be considered for the right candidate.
Why You’ll Want To Join Capstone
Have you ever read something that increased your understanding of the world around you — an article, a book, a research paper, a piece of local legislation, a poem, or a short story? Capstone is a mission-driven community of passionate creative people who believe in the power of literacy. Our mission is to make reading fun for kids so that they never experience literacy as the barrier that prevents them from understanding and engaging with the world around them. For more than 30 years Capstone has led the way in K-5 educational publishing, creating award-winning books and digital learning experiences (PebbleGo). The information landscape has changed dramatically since we first started in 1991, and competition for kids’ attention is at an all-time high. This changing landscape inspires our continued growth and innovation; today’s kids need trusted sources of content more than ever, but their standards for what’s considered engaging have never been higher. At Capstone we’re excited by that challenge—are you?
Your Responsibilities
Market & Opportunity Research: Continuously monitor trends in educational content and technology products and adjacent industries to identify potential growth opportunities. Cultivate relationships both internally and externally in order to gain insight and opportunities. Innovation Strategy: Develop and drive a product innovation roadmap including new product concepts, partnerships, and revenue-generating opportunities. Product Concept Development: Collaborate with content, product, design, and engineering teams to conceptualize, test, and launch new offerings in current and adjacent markets including go-to-market strategies and handoffs to development. Idea Evaluation System: Build and implement a structured system for evaluating potential ideas, distinguishing high-potential initiatives from those unlikely to succeed. Financial Collaboration: Work closely with the FP&A team to model financial impact, assess feasibility, and prioritize initiatives based on strategic and financial merit. Manage department budget. Acquisition & Partnership Analysis: Evaluate potential acquisitions, partnerships, or licensing opportunities that align with strategic growth goals. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with marketing, sales, analytics, and finance teams to validate ideas, assess market potential, and ensure alignment with company objectives. Thought Leadership: Serve as a subject matter expert on content and product innovation and market expansion, presenting findings and recommendations to the executive team, the Board, and others as needed. Performance Tracking: Define metrics to assess the impact of new initiatives and guide decision-making. Team Lead: Initially an individual contributor; may define and build a team of product development and go-to-market colleagues, collaborate with partners internal and external, and lead indirectly or directly. Culture Builder: Champion a culture of innovation across the organization by introducing and supporting frameworks, workshops, and practices that inspire creativity and experimentation, working with partners across the business.
Education, Experience and Skills
Bachelors degree in Business, Marketing, Education, Media or a related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred. 8 years of experience in market research, business development, content strategy or product innovation. Proven track record of identifying growth opportunities and successfully launching new products or initiatives. Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills with the ability to translate data into actionable insights. Experience building systems or processes to evaluate, prioritize, and operationalize ideas. A collaborative, energetic and dynamic leader who is comfortable working independently and in teams; navigating ambiguous situations; and supporting change initiatives. Excellent communication and presentation skills with experience working with senior leadership. Experience in acquisitions, partnerships, or licensing is highly desirable. Passion for content, media, and exploring innovative ways to reach audiences. An ability to fail quickly, learn from failures, and move forward is essential.
Key Competencies
Strategic foresight and curiosity Market analysis and competitive intelligence Innovation and creative problem-solving Idea evaluation and decision-making frameworks Cross-functional leadership Business acumen and financial literacy
Travel Requirements
This position requires some travel (5-10%).
Inclusion & Belonging
Capstone embraces equal opportunity and a culture of belonging for all employees and applicants. We are an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer. All candidate information will be kept private according to EEO guidelines. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process please send a request to
The pay range for this role takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered surrounding compensation including but not limited to: skill sets, experience and training, work location, and other business and organizational needs. At Capstone it is not typical for an individual to be hired at the top of the range for their role. A reasonable estimate of the annual pay range for this position is $148,000 - $223,000.
Benefits & Compliance
Capstone strives to provide comprehensive and market-competitive benefits to meet the needs of our employees and their families. Click here to see our benefits. Pre-Employment Background Check Required.
Employment Authorization: Capstone cannot sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa. To be considered, applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.
Required Experience
Exec
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Full-time Description Capstone has added an exciting new role of Senior Director of Innovation and Growth Strategy. This position leads strategic initiatives to identify new growth opportunities for Capstone's content business. This role explores adjacent markets, develops innovative product concepts, assesses acquisition opportunities, and creates strategies to extend existing or new content into new formats and channels. The ideal candidate combines sharp strategic thinking, market research expertise, and a deep understanding of content potential to drive the future growth of our organization. Our preference is for this role to be hybrid based out of our Edina MN location. However fully remote work may also be considered for the right candidate.
Why You’ll Want To Join Capstone
Have you ever read something that increased your understanding of the world around you — an article, a book, a research paper, a piece of local legislation, a poem, or a short story? Capstone is a mission-driven community of passionate creative people who believe in the power of literacy. Our mission is to make reading fun for kids so that they never experience literacy as the barrier that prevents them from understanding and engaging with the world around them. For more than 30 years Capstone has led the way in K-5 educational publishing, creating award-winning books and digital learning experiences (PebbleGo). The information landscape has changed dramatically since we first started in 1991, and competition for kids’ attention is at an all-time high. This changing landscape inspires our continued growth and innovation; today’s kids need trusted sources of content more than ever, but their standards for what’s considered engaging have never been higher. At Capstone we’re excited by that challenge—are you?
Your Responsibilities
Market & Opportunity Research: Continuously monitor trends in educational content and technology products and adjacent industries to identify potential growth opportunities. Cultivate relationships both internally and externally in order to gain insight and opportunities. Innovation Strategy: Develop and drive a product innovation roadmap including new product concepts, partnerships, and revenue-generating opportunities. Product Concept Development: Collaborate with content, product, design, and engineering teams to conceptualize, test, and launch new offerings in current and adjacent markets including go-to-market strategies and handoffs to development. Idea Evaluation System: Build and implement a structured system for evaluating potential ideas, distinguishing high-potential initiatives from those unlikely to succeed. Financial Collaboration: Work closely with the FP&A team to model financial impact, assess feasibility, and prioritize initiatives based on strategic and financial merit. Manage department budget. Acquisition & Partnership Analysis: Evaluate potential acquisitions, partnerships, or licensing opportunities that align with strategic growth goals. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with marketing, sales, analytics, and finance teams to validate ideas, assess market potential, and ensure alignment with company objectives. Thought Leadership: Serve as a subject matter expert on content and product innovation and market expansion, presenting findings and recommendations to the executive team, the Board, and others as needed. Performance Tracking: Define metrics to assess the impact of new initiatives and guide decision-making. Team Lead: Initially an individual contributor; may define and build a team of product development and go-to-market colleagues, collaborate with partners internal and external, and lead indirectly or directly. Culture Builder: Champion a culture of innovation across the organization by introducing and supporting frameworks, workshops, and practices that inspire creativity and experimentation, working with partners across the business.
Education, Experience and Skills
Bachelors degree in Business, Marketing, Education, Media or a related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred. 8 years of experience in market research, business development, content strategy or product innovation. Proven track record of identifying growth opportunities and successfully launching new products or initiatives. Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills with the ability to translate data into actionable insights. Experience building systems or processes to evaluate, prioritize, and operationalize ideas. A collaborative, energetic and dynamic leader who is comfortable working independently and in teams; navigating ambiguous situations; and supporting change initiatives. Excellent communication and presentation skills with experience working with senior leadership. Experience in acquisitions, partnerships, or licensing is highly desirable. Passion for content, media, and exploring innovative ways to reach audiences. An ability to fail quickly, learn from failures, and move forward is essential.
Key Competencies
Strategic foresight and curiosity Market analysis and competitive intelligence Innovation and creative problem-solving Idea evaluation and decision-making frameworks Cross-functional leadership Business acumen and financial literacy
Travel Requirements
This position requires some travel (5-10%).
Inclusion & Belonging
Capstone embraces equal opportunity and a culture of belonging for all employees and applicants. We are an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer. All candidate information will be kept private according to EEO guidelines. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process please send a request to
The pay range for this role takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered surrounding compensation including but not limited to: skill sets, experience and training, work location, and other business and organizational needs. At Capstone it is not typical for an individual to be hired at the top of the range for their role. A reasonable estimate of the annual pay range for this position is $148,000 - $223,000.
Benefits & Compliance
Capstone strives to provide comprehensive and market-competitive benefits to meet the needs of our employees and their families. Click here to see our benefits. Pre-Employment Background Check Required.
Employment Authorization: Capstone cannot sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa. To be considered, applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.
Required Experience
Exec
#J-18808-Ljbffr