Head of Product Management
Maidstone
£65-70k
VR/02849R

Our client is part of a global group, a long-established and highly respected provider of solutions to the accounting and audit professionals, and they’ve embarked on their cloud transformation. The UK office is looking for an experienced, motivated and proactive Head of Product Management to lead the talented and creative team building their product suite for the future.

This is a significant position within the business, and requires a range of technical and interpersonal skills, working across all departments in the UK business, and closely with colleagues across the world creating similar local products.

You will have proven experience in a B2B technology product leadership role, generally as a Product Owner/Manager or Head of Product within a technology business. The development team use elements of the Agile process, so experience of that environment is important.

Knowledge of the accounting and audit software market would be an advantage, but they’re looking, primarily, for an experienced and skilled product leader capable of building a modern product management function.

Core skills and competencies
Previous experience as a senior product manager or head of product management in a technology business
· Understanding the software engineering process, and familiarity with Agile methodology
· Client-focussed
· Project management
· Creativity
· Strong interpersonal skills
· Team leadership and line management
· Experience of mentoring and training

About the products
The product portfolio is extremely broad, covering a significant existing user base on the desktop estate and expanding cloud product lines. The products cover all of the core fee-earning functions of a professional accounting practice or corporate financial reporting team;
· Accounts & financial reporting
· Audit
· Tax
· Practice Management

You will be managing a team of 5 Product Managers, some of whom in turn manage their own small teams, and they expect this group to continue to grow and change. As the leader of this group you will also be a key part of the decision-making team of the UK business, providing senior management with information and creative ideas for innovation.

Functions & responsibilities
Lead the product management team in the following;

· Development of product and pricing strategies, supported by the senior management team
· Challenge and enhance current processes
· Product definition and version planning
· Roadmap building, publication and maintenance
· Management of delivery schedules, in collaboration with all stakeholders
· Competitive analysis
· Product lifecycle management and planning for decommissioning of old product lines
· Departmental KPIs
· Manage the maintenance of the technical documents and product vision statements produced by the product managers

Roadmap management

· Managing the roadmap building processes delegated to product managers
· Creation and maintenance of higher-level strategic roadmaps for senior management and other internal stakeholders
· Managing constraints arising from International projects

Marketing & sales collaboration

· Preparing supporting material and progress updates
· Release planning
· Delivery management
· Monitoring product performance
· Working with sales on
o product positioning
o market analysis
o setting sales targets
o KPIs for success

3rd Party collaboration

· Assist in identifying suitable business partners
· Build working relationships with 3rd party vendors for data sharing and similar collaborative projects
· Act as primary contact point for 3rd party/joint API/data projects

Client collaboration
They expect all product managers to have close contact with the client base, as part of reviewing their performance as a business and for market awareness.
· Attendance at client conferences
· Client service visits
· 3rd party conferences
· User and focus groups
· Creation of an active user-acceptance testing and beta testing group

Line management

· Training and mentoring
· Recruitment
· Appraisals
· Continuous review

Company specific
Our client’s international group are a significant part of the product landscape, and positive collaboration with them is a key part of the role
· Ensure UK requirements are given suitable priority at International level
· Communicate UK strategic roadmaps to International
· Communicate International roadmaps to the UK business
· Ensure UK projects align with key constraints arising from International work
· Assist International in identifying the key constraints for the UK