Head of Product

Are you a visionary leader with a passion for driving innovation in the legal industry? Mishcon De Reya is seeking a Head of Product to join our team and lead our transformation into a product-focused organisation. In this critical role, you will define and execute our product strategy, oversee a diverse portfolio of products, and foster a culture of innovation and collaboration. Working closely with cross-functional teams, you'll shape the future of our legal services, enhancing fee earner and client experiences and positioning us at the forefront of the industry. If you're excited about making a significant impact and have a proven track record in product leadership, we invite you to apply and help us redefine excellence in the legal sector.

The Department

Our Technology team continues to go from strength to strength, playing a vital role in firm-wide innovation and strategy. Far from being a support function, Technology is integral to the firm's growth agenda, backed by strong leadership engagement and sustained investment.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Develop and Implement Product Vision: Craft and articulate a clear product vision and strategy that aligns with the firm's overall objectives and market opportunities. This includes improving the fee earner experience and reducing fee earner admin time, developing and adopting technologies which transform the way we service our clients and the types of products and services we offer, and executing a global technology strategy ensuring offices and branches abroad have the right products.
• Organisational Transformation: Drive cultural change towards a product-centric mindset, fostering innovation and collaboration. Oversee the maturity and scaling of product services required to support the firm's growth.
• Oversee Product Roadmaps: Develop and manage comprehensive product roadmaps that outline the evolution of products and services. Lead the approach and response to strategic architectural and roadmap questions including whether we should re-platform products, build vs buy and what products should form the basis of an enterprise architecture. Prioritise product initiatives/backlog based on strategic value, customer needs, and resource availability. Implementation of metrics and reporting to demonstrate value delivery and usage.
• Optimise Product Portfolio: Analyse and adjust the product portfolio to maximise return on investment and align with market demands. Identify opportunities for new products or enhancements to existing offerings.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with senior leadership to ensure alignment and support for product initiatives. Engage with fee earners, partners, and clients to gather insights and feedback on existing product landscape and new investments.
• Team Leadership: Foster a high-performance culture that encourages professional growth and development. Encourage collaboration, knowledge sharing and a strong partnership across other technology pillars (Platforms, Data, Architecture).
• Governance and Compliance: Establish and enforce product governance frameworks, including policies, standards, and committees. Ensure all products comply with legal, regulatory, and security requirements, such as GDPR and other relevant laws.
• Process Improvement: Implement best practices in product development methodologies, such as Agile and Lean principles including user focus groups, testing methodologies and feedback loops. Optimise product delivery processes to enhance efficiency, quality, and speed to market.
• Budget Oversight: Develop and manage the product development and management budget. Monitor financial performance, including revenue, costs, and profitability of products.
• Investment Decisions: Evaluate and approve investment proposals for new product initiatives. Assess potential risks and returns to inform strategic decisions.
• Drive Innovation: Cultivate an environment that encourages innovative thinking and the exploration of new technologies and business models. Lead the firm's innovation initiatives, integrating them into the product strategy and roadmap.
• Market Analysis: Stay abreast of industry trends, competitive landscape, and emerging technologies in the legal sector. Utilise market insights to inform product strategies and identify growth opportunities.
• Executive Reporting: Provide regular updates to the board on product performance, strategic initiatives, and progress against goals. Prepare and present business cases, strategic plans, and post-implementation reviews.
• Internal Communication: Ensure transparent and effective communication across all levels of the organisation regarding product initiatives and changes.

Skills/Experience

• Executive Leadership: Minimum of 10 years of experience in product management or related roles, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership position. Proven track record of leading large-scale organisational transformations, preferably within a professional services or legal environment.
• Product Management Expertise: Extensive experience in developing and executing product strategies that drive business growth. Demonstrated success in managing a diverse product portfolio and leading cross-functional teams.
• Strategic and Analytical Skills: Ability to develop and communicate a compelling vision for the organisation's products and services. Strong strategic planning skills to align product initiatives with business objectives. Proficiency in utilising data analytics to inform product strategies and measure performance. Experience with market research, competitive analysis, and customer insights.
• Technical Knowledge: Deep understanding of the legal industry's dynamics, challenges, and opportunities. Familiarity with legal technologies, digital transformation, and innovation trends in professional services. Expertise in Waterfall, Agile, Lean, and other modern product development frameworks. Knowledge of software development processes and lifecycle management. Understanding of product development metrics and their implementation.
• Leadership and Interpersonal Skills: Proven ability to build, lead, and inspire high-performing teams. Commitment to mentoring and developing talent within the organisation. Strong influencing skills to gain buy-in from stakeholders at all levels. Ability to navigate complex organisational dynamics and drive consensus.
• Communication Skills: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present complex ideas clearly and persuasively. Experience in presenting to boards, executive committees, and large audiences. Skilled in building and maintaining relationships with clients, partners, and internal stakeholders.
• Change Management: Expertise in leading organisational change initiatives, including cultural shifts and process reengineering. Familiarity with change management methodologies and best practices.
• Financial Acumen: Experience in developing and managing significant budgets and financial plans. Understanding of financial metrics related to product performance, ROI, and profitability.
• Personal Attributes: Passionate about innovation and driving change to enhance business outcomes. Open-minded and adaptable to new ideas and technologies. Strong focus on achieving goals and delivering measurable results. Ability to prioritise and manage multiple initiatives effectively. Commitment to the highest ethical standards and professional integrity.

Please note that this job profile is not an exhaustive list of duties but merely an outline of the key components of the role. You may be required by your line manager to take on additional responsibilities when requested.

About The Mishcon de Reya Group

The Mishcon de Reya Group is an independent, international professional services business with law at its heart, employing over 1400 people with over 650 lawyers. It includes the law firm Mishcon de Reya LLP and a collection of leading consultancy businesses that complement the firm's legal services. Mishcon de Reya LLP is based in London, Oxford, Cambridge, Singapore, Hong Kong and UAE. The firm services an international community of clients and provides advice in situations where the constraints of geography often do not apply. The work the firm undertakes is cross-border, multi-jurisdictional and complex, centred around three increasingly entwined and connected sectors: the Innovation Economy, Private Wealth and Capital, and Real Estate. The firm is known as a disputes powerhouse with a formidable capacity firmwide for dispute resolution. The Mishcon de Reya Group includes consultancy businesses MDR Discover, MDR Mayfair (in London, Singapore and Dubai), MDR ONE, and MDRi (in Hong Kong). The Group also includes MDR Lab, which invests in the most promising early-stage legaltech companies as well as the Mishcon Academy, its in-house place of learning and platform for thought leadership. In 2024, the Group announced its first strategic acquisition in the alternative legal services market, flexible legal resourcing business Flex Legal. It also acquired a majority stake in Somos, a global group actions management business. We strive to create a fully diverse and inclusive workplace where all our people are empowered to fulfil their potential. We are proud of our agile working culture and are always happy to talk flexible working.