Are you looking for your next step in Product? One that gives you a chance to be part of a team building a genuine, customer facing, discovery led product function? At Thomas International we aim for a world of higher human achievement through a greater understanding of ourselves and each other. We are a leading talent assessment platform provider, underpinned by psychometric assessments. We help businesses across the world recruit, retain and develop the right people.
We are looking for a Director of Product with a strong product and research background to help us develop solutions that our clients love. Working as part of an agile, multi-disciplinary team of UX, Product, Psychology, Data Science, Engineering and Content experts, you’ll be leading the Product Team and helping us redefine the way organisations understand human potential.
This role blends external and external facing activity as an ambassador, building confidence in our strategy and approach with customers, partners, and internal stakeholders.
Responsibilities
- Support the Chief Digital Officer in developing our long-term product strategy.
- Lead, manage and mentor a team of product managers and UX professionals.
- Ownership over the design and management of our end-to-end Product Design and Delivery process, including introducing modern design thinking techniques.
- Work closely with your peers in Science and Engineering to bring together a fully multi-disciplinary team approach to product design and delivery.
- Instil a creative and modern product design process that is focussed on understanding, responding to and solving customer pains vs building “features”.
- Gain a deep understanding of the customer experience through spending time with our clients and others to understand the problems they are trying to solve.
- Engage, work closely, and build confidence with other key stakeholders around the business including Product Marketing, Sales and Customer Success.
- Build on and improve our ‘discovery’ methodologies to ensure we consistently identify the right opportunities around which we can shape our product roadmap.
- Act as a product evangelist to create buy-in for the product vision both internally and with key external partners.
- Work closely with Product Marketing and Sales Enablement to ensure we build compelling value propositions into our external communications.
- Evaluate marketing plans and initiatives to ensure that they are consistent with our product strategy.
- Build and own a prioritised product roadmap based on business and customer impact.
Requirements
We are very open minded so this could be your first step up into a ‘Director of’ role. You will have worked in a fast-paced technology business before and ideally will have exposure to the HR/Resourcing sector. Having made your mark, you are looking for the next step up and the chance to be part of a transformation agenda.
This is a complex business with multiple challenges and requires someone with significant levels of emotional intelligence and the ability to build strong relationships within the team and across the wider business.
In summary you:
- Are familiar with the discipline of modern product management including Jobs to be Done theory, continuous discovery, “opportunity” and theme-based road mapping.
- Can find the balance between user needs and business goals while questioning and validating assumptions.
- Are pragmatic enough to not get stuck on principles yet persistent enough to ensure we adhere to a world class product design approach.
- Can proactively build and manage relationships with key internal stakeholders across the entire business.
- Are a natural leader who focusses on outcomes not inputs, and who looks to empower your team rather than control them.
- Are someone who can instil in the organisation the value of research and evidence-based decision-making.
- Have demonstrable experience in SaaS product roles in enterprise software and you are familiar with the dynamics and customer journeys in enterprise B2B solutions.
- Have a proven track record of implementing progressive, multidisciplinary design processes and teams.
- Have empathy and can build relationships at all levels of the business.
- Have a solid understanding of technology – but not necessarily a technologist. Product management methodology is more important than technical experience in this role.
- Have strong problem-solving skills and willingness to roll up your sleeves to get the job done.
- Are a self-starter who can get things done and able to handle the ambiguity of working in a business that is going through a significant transformation.
Benefits
- Holiday – 25 days per annum, plus the opportunity to purchase up to an extra 5 days per annum through the salary sacrifice holiday buy scheme (plus an extra day off for moving house!)
- Early Finish Friday – Finish at 15:00 during the Summer months (June, July and August)
- Auto – enrolment pension – available through salary sacrifice
- Westfield Health – cash plan where members of Team Thomas can claim back for various healthcare appointments (including dental and optical), as well as a 24-hour counselling and advice line
- My Specialist GP – a private GP surgery located in Marlow, which is available for all members of Team Thomas to use for emergency on the day appointments, paid for by Thomas International
- Gym Membership – Thomas International will either pay up to £28 per month towards gym membership at any nationwide gym, or £28 per month towards membership at The Marlow Club (a gym and swimming pool located close to the Marlow office)
- My Thomas Advantage – a communication, health & wellbeing and discount portal, allowing members of Team Thomas to keep up to date with business news, access information on health & wellbeing offerings and access discounts on a wide range of retail products and leisure activities
- Dress down policy – other than for client facing meetings where appropriate
- Enhanced Maternity and Paternity Scheme
Location
Assumed to be aligned to our Marlow office however flexible re hybrid working principles. Can be based primarily remotely, but with ability to attend Marlow and London offices if desired. We require this person to hold the right to work in the UK and we do not offer any visa sponsorship or support towards relocation.
Our commitment to diversity and inclusion permeates throughout everything we do, from our products to our people.