A leading UK professional services organisation is undertaking a significant evolution in how it conceives, builds, and scales digital products across the firm. As part of this journey, the business is establishing a central Product Management capability to underpin future growth, operational efficiency, and client impact.
We are partnering with the organisation to appoint a Head of Product — a senior, foundational leadership role responsible for defining product management as a discipline and embedding it across a complex, partner-led environment.
This role offers a rare opportunity to build product capability from the ground up, combining strategic leadership with hands-on delivery in the early stages.
The Strategic Challenge
The organisation is transitioning from a historically project- and programme-led delivery model toward a more sustainable, outcome-driven, product-led approach.
Product Management is still an emerging capability internally. The successful candidate will be required to:
* Introduce structure, governance, and clarity without unnecessary disruption
* Balance modern product practices with the realities of risk, compliance, and commercial accountability
This is a role for someone comfortable operating in a low product-maturity environment, where influence and credibility are as important as frameworks and tooling.
Role Responsibilities
The Head of Product will be accountable for:
Defining Firmwide Product Governance
* Designing and owning a pragmatic product management operating model
* Establishing product lifecycle standards, decision rights, and investment governance
* Aligning product delivery with existing financial, risk, and compliance controls
* Acting as the organisation’s authority on effective product management practices
Providing Initial Product Management Capacity
* Operating as the first senior product practitioner, leading discovery, prioritisation, and roadmapping
* Leading as a player–coach, combining hands-on product leadership with strategic oversight
* Shaping the future product function, including role design and hiring roadmap
Building and Leading a Product Team & Community
* Recruiting, mentoring, and leading a growing team of Product Managers
* Creating a product community of practice across technology and business teams
* Uplifting product capability across the wider organisation, not just within a central function
Driving Product Adoption and Ownership
* Taking full accountability for product success, adoption, and outcomes
* Driving behavioural and operational change across federated business units
* Partnering with senior stakeholders to ensure products deliver sustained value
Delivering Measurable Business Outcomes
* Translating product initiatives into clear commercial and operational benefits
* Embedding outcome-based roadmaps, OKRs, and value measurement
* Ensuring product investment decisions are evidence-led and value-focused
This role is suited to either:
* A Senior Product Manager ready to step into their first Head of Product role, or
* An experienced Head of Product seeking a lateral move into a complex professional services environment
The successful candidate will bring:
* Significant experience in digital product leadership within enterprise, or professional services contexts
* A proven track record of introducing product management in low-maturity environments
* Strong commercial awareness and comfort owning outcomes, not just delivery
* The ability to influence senior stakeholders, including partners and executive leadership
* A pragmatic, non-dogmatic approach to product transformation
Experience within regulated, partnership-led, or federated organisations will be highly advantageous.
Why This Role Stands Out
This is not a role maintaining an established product function. It is a foundational leadership opportunity with genuine scope to shape how products are defined, governed, delivered, and measured across a major UK organisation.
For the right individual, this role offers long-term influence, senior visibility, and the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy in how product management is practiced at scale.
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