Audio Network is an independent music company, breaking down boundaries to deliver authentic and creative music solutions to content creators in every industry, all around the world. The company collaborates with over 750 talented composers and artists, and has over 100,000 tracks in its catalogue, carefully curated into albums and playlists in every imaginable genre, all easily discoverable via its website www.audionetwork.com
As part of our continued international expansion, we’re looking to hire a Senior Product Manager based in our Farringdon office in Central London.
Overall Purpose of the Role
Software products have two distinct stages: figuring out what to build (Product Discovery) and then building it correctly (Product Delivery)
At Audio Network, product managers are responsible for leading both phases and collaboratively delivering them with our in-house development and technology team.
The purpose of the first phase, Product Discovery is to prevent us chasing poor opportunities and to focus the team on good opportunities, understand what will be required to succeed and how we ought to define that success.
As an initiative moves from discovery to the second phase, Product Delivery, product managers work with technology to create an appropriate execution strategy.
They must be the voice of the user with the stakeholders and team; be the voice of the product within the business.
Key responsibilities
Product Discovery
Work within the company and with strategic partners to research, design, define and document solutions to meet defined business objectives and an aggressive growth strategy.
This includes:
- Collaboration with the Partners team, Head of Strategy and Planning, Head of Product and Customer Experience, and key members of staff to understand business needs and drivers and confirm objectives and priorities.
- Delivering crisp, clear and compelling statement of the exact problem to be solved and how we will solve it in the form of a product opportunity assessment.
- Ensure the products we propose to build are:
- Useful for the business (creates efficiency and/or builds revenue)
- Usable by existing customer segments while developing new ones
- Feasible to be built in terms of technology and with respect to budget, and are the kind of products we can execute well
- Manage relationships with stakeholders and other product managers across the business.
- Have, build, and maintain appropriate music and media production company knowledge and a smart understanding of the opportunities and challenges in this rapidly changing market.
Product Delivery
Collaborate with our Lead Developer, Head of UX/Design, an agile development team and a scrum master to deliver new products and services in a timely and lean manner.
This includes:
- Building and maintaining a product backlog in line with the Audio Network product roadmap, while keeping in mind the company’s strategy, wider product portfolio, and changing priorities.
- Work with Partners and employ user experience research to craft job stories and ensure stories are correctly prioritised.
- Work with UX & Design to ensure designs and UX requirements are known and ready.
- Lead refinement and planning of stories to ensure the team’s understanding of what is required is consistent, and that what is being built meets the need and is achievable.
- Work with Scrum Master and Delivery Managers to analyse and report on progress against agreed delivery goals.
- Be responsible for issue and bug triage, working with necessary parts of the business to assess, prioritise and resolve.
- Handle releases from a product perspective and contribute to the Go To Market strategy with marketing and sales.
Stakeholders
Internal
- Head of Product and Customer Experience
- SVP Business Development
- Head of Strategy and Planning
- Head of UX/Design
- Product and Development teams
- International Sales teams and key Sales Brand Initiative leads
External
- Strategic and Affiliate partners
- User Research and Testing partners
Required Skills/Knowledge/Competencies:
- Experience in a B2B Product Manager role – Proven and demonstrable skills in product or technology management and product lifecycle, especially with regard to B2B online eCommerce products. Experience with managing customer-facing APIs and external development teams is also highly valuable.
- User-Centric Design Thinking – Focused on solving challenges that delight users and solve both spoken and unspoken customer needs. Be a reasoned, critical and decisive thinker, able to weigh up options, understand different viewpoints and clearly communicate why a certain course is preferable.
- Design Communication – Proven ability to make complex business problems easily understandable. Ability to develop ideas and concepts into working product and design documentation in an agile environment, keeping internal stakeholders aware of the product strategy and evolution of our service design
- Agile/Lean Development Experience – Understand the core concepts behind agile development and lean start-up methodologies for building great products and services. Demonstrable skills in making data-informed product decisions.
- Project Management – demonstrable time management and organisation skills with a proven ability to manage multiple projects at the same time
Personal Qualities
- Inspiring – with the potential to lead and motivate others
- Strong Communicator – Approachable, enthusiastic and interpersonally warm. Actively listens & seeks to understand others point of view
- Team Player – Aware and supportive of other needs with good inter and intragroup teamwork & collaboration. Understands the larger whole of the business, willing to support, and seek to improve morale
- Takes Responsibility – Proactive / takes initiative and willing to go the extra mile. Takes ownership for one’s successes and failures and takes pride in all one delivers or is involved. Bold in making decisions.
- Solution Orientated – Brings solutions not problems. Constantly seeks to innovate and generate new ideas & approaches to improve things. The ability to challenge the status quo and other in a collaborative manner.
Applications
To apply for this position please submit your CV and covering letter to m.hawn@audionetwork.com with the job title as the subject line.