Head of Product

Full-Time UK Salary: 58000

About you

This is a great opportunity for someone who is forward thinking and bold – you will have the confidence to challenge what we do and why we do it, and in return the role will offer you the freedom to try different approaches and methodologies to create successful outcomes. And at the heart of all it is our commitment to providing our users a world class experience.

We know that sometimes people can be put off from applying for a job if they think they can’t tick every box. But we realise the ‘perfect candidate’ doesn’t exist. So, if you can do most of what we are looking for, go ahead and apply. You could be exactly what we need!

We’re ideally looking for someone with experience in the following:

• Building and leading a strong team in previous roles
• Working in an Agile development environment
• Experience of product lifecycle management
• Experience with products in the growth stage of their lifecycle
• Design and user research focus – applying user-centred design and design thinking frameworks
• Strong influencing and negotiating skills
• Using the group dynamics to help the team achieve a great outcome in a as little time as possible

About the role

The role of the head of product is to lead the product vision and strategy of the OpenAthens portfolio, of products and services, as it increases its global reach amongst information professionals working in and for libraries, publishers and learners and researchers.

The head of product collaborates with stakeholders across the wider team to deliver product and service improvements at the scale needed to support our ambitious growth plans. A user-centred design approach will be applied to the definition and orchestration of products, communications, interactions, operations, culture and structure of the OpenAthens team. This position will be a key leader in our drive for continuous improvement and innovation within the products and services we develop and the tools, skills and strategies we adopt.

The head of product will lead a team of product managers, data analyst and UX designer by offering support and developing their skills and expertise. Together they craft the product and service vision around the user needs, manage competing priorities and implement process improvements where relevant.

Key accountabilities and role outputs:

• Lead the service and product portfolio vision and strategy
• Facilitate and coordinate the work of different teams in their effort to provide delightful experience for our customers.
• Proactively encourage the team to explore and peruse new opportunities to innovate and improve the existing service and product portfolio.
• Have an overall perspective on business issues, events, activities and an understanding of their wider implications and long-term impact.
• Recognize constraints and challenge their validity.
• Run collaborative design activities, influence others and build consensus.
• Create a mechanism for regular user research.
• Is responsible for the product team budget, which includes cost of tools, training and other.
• Support the implementation of the Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) framework.
• Provide expert advice, guidance and support to other teams and individuals across the Jisc group on the development and implementation of best practices and trends in product management.
• Promote synergy with those working in similar or complementary areas across the organisation.
• Work closely with the the product managers and the agile team leads to ensure product releases occur at an appropriate cadence and meet the needs of the product roadmap

Tagged as: Flexible hours, Remote