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For my newest “Featured Gig” installment, I want to highlight the search for a director of content and product strategy at the Center for Academic Innovation at the University of Michigan. Sarah Dysart, chief learning officer at CAI, agreed to answer my questions about the role.
If you have a job at the intersection of learning, organizational change and technology that you are recruiting for, please get in touch!
Q: What is the university’s mandate behind this role? How does it help align with and advance the university’s strategic priorities?
A: The University of Michigan has long staked its reputation on research excellence and public purpose. Now we’re doubling down on scale, access and impact—transforming how learning reaches people across every stage of life, across the globe. Life-changing education is one of four core impact areas within the University of Michigan’s Vision 2034, and the person in the director of content and product strategy role will support this strategic work.
As Michigan accelerates its investment in digital learning, this person leads the charge: shaping and guiding a dynamic portfolio of educational products—online courses, certificates, degree programs, short-form learning experiences and beyond—that don’t merely mirror the classroom, but reimagine what learning can be. This role calls for both vision and precision, bringing together academic imagination, bold experimentation and the ability to turn ideas into action. The director will steer faculty ideas and institutional goals into cohesive, high-impact offerings that reflect the university’s boldest ambitions for learning at scale.
Q: Where does the role sit within the university structure? How will the person in this role engage with other units and leaders across campus?
A: This director role sits within the Center for Academic Innovation, operating at the intersection of ideas and implementation. The individual will collaborate closely with experts in learning design, media production, marketing, operations and research. But the real action is in the connections across campus.
Michigan’s schools and colleges host a vast breadth and depth of faculty expertise, and this role thrives on cross-campus collaboration—partnering with academic unit leaders, faculty and staff to co-create offerings that extend U-M’s mission far beyond Ann Arbor. Drawing on insights about learner demand and market opportunity, the director will guide faculty in selecting content areas and product types with the greatest potential, translating an idea sketched on a whiteboard into a course reaching learners across the globe.
Q: What would success look like in one year? Three years? Beyond?
A: In one year, the new director has helped identify and launch a diverse set of online learning offerings that reflect Michigan’s distinctive strengths. Relationships are strong, internal workflows are humming and early results show promising reach and impact.
In three years, the content portfolio resembles a greatest hits playlist for lifelong learners—diverse, well-balanced and deeply mission-aligned. It’s something learners want to come back and engage with, time and time again. Offerings address workforce needs, social challenges and global opportunity. Faculty are eager to collaborate. Partners are eager to invest.
Beyond that, success means transformation. The University of Michigan is recognized not just for what it teaches, but for how it reimagines teaching. Our educational offerings reach far beyond campus, connecting with learners across industries, geographies and life stages. This individual has played a key part in turning a world-class university into a truly global learning institution.
Q: What kinds of future roles would someone who took this position be prepared for?
A: We’re looking for someone who wants to shape what’s next—not just for learners, but for institutions. The director of content and product strategy will develop a rare blend of skills: the ability to lead across academic and operational contexts, to translate vision into scalable experiences, and to steward innovation with both purpose and precision.
From here, a person might go on to lead teaching and learning strategy at an institutional level, head up a center for innovation or lifelong learning, or take on an executive role at an organization working to expand access to education globally. Alternatively, one might pivot toward product leadership in mission-driven companies or foundations, applying their experience to broader systems change.
This role builds expertise and a portfolio not just of educational content—but of influence, insight and lasting impact.
