At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the future of AI-powered research and shape innovative product strategies.
- Company: Join a global leader in information and analytics, committed to advancing science.
- Benefits: Enjoy generous holidays, health benefits, flexible working, and professional development opportunities.
- Other info: Inclusive culture with a focus on well-being and career growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in AI and research while collaborating with passionate teams.
- Qualifications: 10+ years in AI or data-intensive products; strong product management skills required.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
Do you have 10+ years building and shipping complex AI or data-intensive products? Do you have a real passion for new ideas, techniques, and technologies? Join us and lead the future of AI-powered research at LeapSpace!
Location: UK
About our Team
We build LeapSpace, an AI-assisted workspace where researchers find scientific literature they can trust and do their best thinking and work in one place. It incorporates Scopus, peer-reviewed full-text articles, and a growing set of other sources. We're an international team and we work from evidence. We support science to help improve the world.
About the Role
We're looking for a Principal Product Manager to own agentic retrieval and orchestration for LeapSpace: the engine at the heart of the product. Every answer LeapSpace gives runs through this engine, from planning the research approach to orchestrating the tools and models that turn a question into a referenced answer. The next generation will plan its own research more deeply and reason over more kinds of sources. It will answer questions we cannot answer today. You will shape its direction and sequencing in partnership with the Senior Director of Product Management and Strategy, and carry those decisions across the teams that build it. That partnership will be close initially, with your ownership growing as delivery matures.
This is the most technical product role on LeapSpace. You will work with a dedicated team focused on shared GenAI capabilities, whose engineers and data scientists are drawn from multiple product squads and platform teams. The engine also spans an AI orchestration platform team and production UI teams, so most significant decisions cross at least one team boundary, and several involve dependencies you will manage rather than own: platform prerequisites, data access, and legal and privacy review. We are looking for someone who can frame the problem and make the call, and who holds the sequence together when priorities shift.
The engine's next generation already exists as a working, validated prototype. A large part of this role is leading its staged migration into production. You will decide what ships in each increment, set the interim targets that reduce the size of each subsequent step, and keep the engineering backlog defined well ahead of the team's capacity. This is hands-on delivery leadership, carried out in refinement with engineers and data scientists, rather than programme oversight at a distance.
The engine is also a shared service. Other LeapSpace squads build their agentic features on it, and part of the role is serving them well: gathering their requirements, recognising when several teams need the same capability, and consolidating that demand into shared platform work. You will also anticipate what the product roadmap will require of the system before the requirement arrives.
The engine is also how LeapSpace grows. New tools and skills extend the product to new user tasks, often built in partnership with other Elsevier teams. You will own that expansion: which capabilities come next, for which users, and with which partners.
You will report to the VP of Product Management and work closely, day to day, with the Senior Director of Product Management and Strategy for LeapSpace. We expect product managers to stay close to the technology: to understand how the AI behaves, how it is evaluated, and where the trade-offs lie. You will validate concepts by prototyping alongside engineers and data scientists, but the craft we hire for is product judgment.
This field moves quickly, and we expect genuine curiosity about it. The right person follows new ideas, techniques, and technologies as they emerge, tests them independently through their own research, and brings informed opinions to decisions rather than waiting for the team to evaluate everything first.
Responsibilities
- Own the product strategy, vision, and roadmap for agentic retrieval and orchestration. The near-term features are how that strategy shows up, not the strategy itself.
- Make the sequencing calls that span teams (what ships first, what waits on a dependency, what each answer costs) and carry them across the teams involved.
- Lead the migration of new engine capabilities from prototype to production: stage the releases, set interim targets, lock versions and route further experiments to the next one.
- Translate validated prototype behaviour into engineering-ready work: tickets with clear acceptance criteria and a technical approach, refined with the team until each increment can be built without further clarification.
- Keep the teams that build on the engine informed ahead of change. Engine changes affect every squad as well as UX, design, and data science. Brief each group early, in terms relevant to its work, so downstream teams can plan for changes rather than discover them.
- Support the other squads with their agentic requirements: bring their requests into the engine's backlog, and identify the common needs worth building once as platform capability rather than repeatedly as separate features. When a new request displaces committed work, make the trade-off explicit.
- Anticipate demand on the agentic system from the product roadmap (new sources, new output forms, new workflows) and position the engine ahead of what LeapSpace will need next.
- Expand LeapSpace's surface area through the engine. Grow its tools and skills, and consolidate the user tasks and personas they serve so the catalogue remains coherent as it grows. Collaborate with partner teams across Elsevier on capabilities that span products.
Requirements
- 10+ years building and shipping complex AI or data-intensive products, including sustained ownership of strategy, trade-offs, discovery, and delivery. At least three consecutive years at one employer. The substance of this experience matters more than the job title: strong candidates may come from product management, engineering leadership, or applied AI backgrounds.
- Deep expertise in generative AI products, including retrieval-augmented generation, agentic workflows, and how they are evaluated. This is central to the role.
- Proven ability to independently drive product strategy and execution across multiple engineering organisations and external dependencies.
- Strong go-to-market experience.
- Skilled at driving hypothesis-driven product evaluation, including A/B testing and experimentation frameworks; able to foster a data-driven culture across the team.
- Comfortable with AI coding tools and rapid prototyping; able to build proofs of concept and validate ideas alongside engineering and data science teams.
- Experience in customer discovery in academic, research, or professional information markets is highly desirable.
- Technically fluent, with sound architectural judgment. You can reason about system boundaries and trade-offs, contribute substantively to architecture discussions, and engage credibly with architects, AI researchers, engineers, and platform teams.
If you are interested in the role, please apply with a cover letter and CV.
Work in a way that works for you
We promote a healthy work/life balance across the organisation. With an average length of service of 9 years, we are confident that we offer an appealing working prospect for our people. With numerous wellbeing initiatives, shared parental leave, study assistance and sabbaticals, we will help you meet your immediate responsibilities and your long-term goals.
Working with us
We are an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to help you succeed. Here, you will find an inclusive, agile, collaborative, innovative and fun environment, where everyone has a part to play. Regardless of the team you join, we promote a diverse environment with co-workers who are passionate about what they do, and how they do it.
Working for you
At Elsevier, we know that your wellbeing and happiness are key to a long and successful career. These are some of the benefits we are delighted to offer:
- Generous holiday allowance with the option to buy additional days
- Health screening, eye care vouchers and private medical benefits
- Wellbeing programs
- Life assurance
- Access to a competitive contributory pension scheme
- Long service awards
- Save As You Earn share option scheme
- Travel Season ticket loan
- Maternity, paternity and shared parental leave
- Access to emergency care for both the elderly and children
- RE CARES days, giving you time to support the charities and causes that matter to you
- Access to employee resource groups with dedicated time to volunteer
- Access to extensive learning and development resources
- Access to employee discounts via Perks at Work
About Us
A global leader in information and analytics, we help researchers and healthcare professionals advance science and improve health outcomes for the benefit of society. Building on our publishing heritage, we combine quality information and vast data sets with analytics to support visionary science and research, health education and interactive learning, as well as exceptional healthcare and clinical practice. At Elsevier, your work contributes to the world’s grand challenges and a more sustainable future. We harness innovative technologies to support science and healthcare to partner for a better world.
Principal Product Mgr I in London employer: RELX
RELX is an excellent employer that values its employees by fostering a collaborative and inclusive work culture in the vibrant setting of Greater London. With generous holiday allowances, health screening benefits, and opportunities for professional growth, employees are encouraged to develop their skills while contributing to meaningful customer relationships in the SaaS industry.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Product Mgr I in London
✨Join Product Management Meetups
Get involved in local product management meetups or workshops. These events are perfect for meeting industry folks, sharing ideas, and staying updated on trends. Plus, you never know who might be hiring—it's a fantastic way to make connections that could lead to a job at places like RELX!
✨Show Off Your Product Sense
Create case studies or mini-projects showcasing your product management skills, and share them on platforms like Medium or LinkedIn. This not only puts your skills on display but also boosts your visibility in the product community. Imagine how impressed the hiring team at RELX would be by your initiative!
✨Utilise Online Communities
Dive into online product management communities like Product Coalition or Mind the Product. Engage in discussions, ask questions, and share your insights. These platforms are goldmines for networking and finding hidden job opportunities—many companies often scout talent from within these circles.
✨Leverage Your University Network
If you’ve recently graduated or are still in uni, tap into your alumni network for connections in product management. Many universities have their own job boards and affinity resources to help graduates land roles. Don't forget to keep an eye out for job openings at RELX through your school's career services!
We think you need these skills to ace Principal Product Mgr I in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Product Passion:When applying for a product management role like Principal Product Mgr I, let your passion for developing products shine through in your cover letter. Share specific examples of products you've managed, how you solved user needs, and any successful outcomes you've achieved. This is your chance to showcase your understanding of the product lifecycle!
Highlight Your Cross-Functional Skills:Product management isn't just about understanding the product; it’s about collaborating with different teams! Make sure to emphasise your experience working with developers, designers, and marketers. Use your CV to showcase your ability to bridge gaps between these areas, and include relevant experiences that demonstrate your communication and leadership skills!
Include Your Metrics and Achievements:In a full-time product management application, data speaks volumes! Quantify your achievements wherever possible. Did you increase user retention by a certain percentage? Launch a product ahead of schedule? Include these metrics in your CV to paint a picture of your impact and effectiveness in previous roles.
Tailor Your CV to the Role:Make sure your CV is tailored for the Principal Product Mgr I position at RELX. Use keywords from the job description and ensure your relevant experiences are front and centre. Highlight any certifications or relevant training you’ve completed that will make you stand out as a strong candidate for the role. And remember, we’re excited to see your application on our website!
How to prepare for a job interview at RELX
✨Understand the Product Life Cycle
As a product management candidate, we need to get our head around the complete product life cycle. Be prepared to discuss real-world examples of how you’ve managed product development from ideation to launch. Bring specific insights on tools like JIRA or Trello that can help streamline these processes.
✨Showcase Your Cross-Functional Skills
Product management is all about collaboration. We should be ready to highlight how we’ve worked across teams—think marketing, engineering, and design. Prepare to discuss scenarios where you had to mediate differing opinions and how you got everyone on board with a shared vision.
✨Prepare for Case Studies
In a full-time role, we can expect to encounter case study questions during our interviews. Practise solving hypothetical product problems on the spot, such as prioritising features for a new app or improving user engagement metrics. This will show our analytical thinking and decision-making skills.
✨Know Your Metrics
Let’s face it, numbers are our best friends in product management. We should prepare to discuss key performance indicators (KPIs) and how we've used analytics to inform product decisions. Dive into examples where data has driven our strategy for improvements or justified product changes.
