Transform world-class innovation into a scalable technology business
Chief Product Officer | Createc | Cockermouth, Cumbria
REPORTING TO: Chief Executive Officer
LOCATION: Cockermouth Cumbria, hybrid
WORKING PATTERN: Full-time
Rullion Executive Search is working in partnership with Createc to appoint a Chief Product Officer. Createc has spent the last 15 years developing advanced technologies across robotics, AI, sensing, imaging and complex engineering. With multiple King's and Queen's Awards, world-first innovations and sustained growth, the business is ready for its next chapter.
Rullion Executive Search has been exclusively retained to seek for a commercially minded Chief Product Officer to help Createc move from a consultancy and project-led technology business towards a product-led company built around scalable solutions, commercially exploited IP and recurring revenue.
This is not a traditional CTO role.
It is a rare opportunity to shape the direction of an award-winning technology company and determine how exceptional innovation becomes sustainable commercial success.
The opportunity
Reporting directly to the CEO and operating as part of Createc's senior leadership team, you will own the technology and product portfolio strategy. You will help determine where the business invests its time, capability and capital, balancing market opportunity with evidence, risk, funding and delivery capacity.
You will work across four major technology initiatives: Radiation Intelligence, Mobile Robotics, Manipulation and Digitised Environments. The technology and talent already exist. The challenge is to turn those capabilities into scalable products, repeatable services and long-term commercial growth.
The questions you will answer
• Which technologies should Createc invest in?
• Which customer problems are worth solving?
• Which ideas should become products?
• Which initiatives should be accelerated, reshaped or stopped?
• How can Createc create recurring revenue from its technology portfolio?
What you'll be doing
• Define and communicate Createc's company-wide technology and product strategy.
• Bring multiple initiative roadmaps together into one coherent portfolio and technical vision.
• Lead investment prioritisation, portfolio governance and evidence-based stop, start and continue decisions.
• Commercialise intellectual property, products and services through credible routes to market.
• Drive the transition from bespoke project work towards differentiated, repeatable and scalable offerings.
• Build the product maturity, infrastructure and commercial discipline required to scale.
• Coach senior leaders across Software & AI, Robotics, Product & Design and Physics.
• Work closely with Commercial, Operations, Finance and the Board to align market pull with technical opportunity.
• Create a culture of accountability, constructive challenge and confident decision-making.
Who Rullion Executive Search and Createc are looking for
The search is focused on a leader with a proven ability to commercialise innovation, rather than simply invent it. You may currently be a Chief Product Officer, VP Product, Product Portfolio Director, Technology Strategy Director, Product Commercialisation Director or Head of Product & Technology.
What matters most is a demonstrable record of turning strong technical capability into products and services that customers repeatedly buy.
Your experience may include
• Taking R&D outputs from customer need to commercial product.
• Scaling B2B software, industrial technology, hardware or multidisciplinary deep-tech products.
• Building recurring revenue through product, service, subscription or licensing models.
• Commercialising intellectual property and improving routes to market.
• Managing a portfolio of competing technology opportunities and making difficult investment choices.
• Leading senior technical specialists through clear outcomes, coaching, influence and constructive challenge.
• Working in robotics, autonomous systems, industrial automation, AI, sensing, advanced manufacturing, defence technology or another regulated environment.
Technical credibility, without needing to be the deepest expert
You will be credible enough to understand and challenge evidence across multiple technical disciplines, but you will not need to be the foremost specialist in every field. Your value will come from asking the right questions, connecting technical choices to customer value and helping experienced leaders make better commercial decisions.
The leadership challenge
Createc already has experienced technical and initiative leaders. They need an executive who can bring them together, clarify decision rights and help them grow. Your style should be coaching-led rather than command-and-control: able to challenge confidently, handle difficult conversations and make explicit choices while bringing people with you.
What success will look like
During your first 12 to 24 months, success will include:
• A coherent company-wide technology and product roadmap with clear priorities, owners and investment cases.
• A balanced portfolio spanning near-term revenue, recurring services, scalable products and longer-term opportunities.
• Stronger commercial performance, including revenue, margin, qualified pipeline and recurring income.
• Faster maturity and clearer routes to market for the strongest products and services.
• A more self-sustaining technical leadership team, requiring strategic rather than day-to-day intervention.
• More disciplined decisions about where to invest, continue, consolidate or stop.
• A stronger product-led identity that protects Createc from becoming driven only by bespoke project demand.
Why join Createc?
Createc is at an inflection point. Few roles offer the opportunity to influence an entire portfolio spanning robotics, AI, sensing and advanced engineering while shaping the future of an established, award-winning and independent technology business.
If you have helped turn innovation into scalable commercial success and want the opportunity to do it again within a company with exceptional technical capability and significant potential, Rullion Executive Search would like to hear from you.
Search managed by Practice Director James Chamberlain - Rullion Executive Search
