At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead product strategy and drive digital transformation for a major retail client.
- Company: Join VML, a top creative company known for innovative work with global brands.
- Benefits: Career development, hybrid work model, and a culture that values empathy and innovation.
- Other info: Embrace a dynamic environment that champions creativity and collaboration.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on e-commerce transformations while working with exciting brands.
- Qualifications: Experience in e-commerce and digital transformation, with strong leadership skills.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
VML is a leading creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce, creating connected brands to drive growth. VML is celebrated for its innovative and award-winning human-first work for clients including AstraZeneca, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and Wendy's.
Lead Product Manager needed to own the product strategy, discovery, delivery and adoption of one of our key clients' digital transformations.
The opportunity:
- We are seeking an experienced and commercially minded Lead Product Manager to drive product strategy, discovery, design, delivery and adoption for one of our key retail clients’ Ecommerce transformation programmes.
- As Lead Product Manager, you will be working within the client’s Product team with accountability for translating business and customer needs into a clear product strategy and measurable outcomes.
- You will lead cross-functional teams through discovery, design, development, launch and continuous improvement, while building alignment across senior stakeholders, programme and delivery teams.
This is a strategic leadership role, not solely a backlog-management position. You will be embedded within the client’s Product team, alongside agency colleagues and client staff. We are looking for someone who can operate confidently from product vision and commercial strategy through to detailed execution.
What you’ll be doing:
- Own the product Vision: Define, communicate, and drive the product strategy and roadmap for your product scope, ensuring alignment with programme direction and wider business objectives.
- Lead Cross-Functional Delivery: Lead multidisciplinary squads across Product, UX/UI, Delivery and Optimisation, making pragmatic trade-offs to balance rapid delivery with long-term objectives.
- Drive Customer-Centric Discovery: Champion user research, journey mapping, and problem validation, ensuring that every platform feature solves genuine customer problems and enhances the digital shopping experience.
- Stakeholder Alignment & Strategy: Act as a strategic product voice for senior executives and business leaders, translating complex technical and commercial trade-offs into clear, actionable roadmaps.
- Champion Modern Product Practices: Embed Agile, Lean, and continuous discovery methodologies into the team’s DNA, fostering a culture of high performance, accountability, and customer empathy.
- Deliver Measurable Commercial Value: Focus relentlessly on strategic outcomes, connecting product decisions directly to revenue growth, operational efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
What we want from you:
- E-commerce & Digital Transformation Expertise: Extensive experience as a Lead/Senior Product Manager within Retail e-commerce, with a proven track record of driving large-scale digital transformation projects.
- Platform migration: Demonstrable experience in managing the complex transition from legacy systems to modern architectures.
- Cross-Functional Leadership: A deep understanding of how to seamlessly integrate Engineering and UX/UI disciplines, motivating teams without necessarily having direct line-management authority.
- Strategic & Commercial Acumen: The ability to pivot effortlessly between high-level commercial strategy and detailed technical execution, making confident decisions in complex, ambiguous enterprise environments.
- Agile Mastery: Strong practical knowledge of modern product management frameworks (Scrum, Kanban, outcome-based planning) and proficiency with tools like Jira and Confluence.
- Omnichannel Retail Insight: A strong grasp of the modern retail ecosystem, understanding how a cutting-edge online customer experience integrates.
- You: Self-starter, decisive, able to deal with ambiguity and to influence wider stakeholders within a large programme of work.
If you have some of this, even better:
- A recognised Product Management or Agile Product Owner certification is desirable.
What we can offer you:
Alongside the opportunity to work with some of the most exciting brands around the world, we’ll also prioritise your career development and help you grow your skills. We’ll empower you to make a difference, allow you to be yourself, and respect who you are.
Our culture thrives on our core values, designed for impact-driven individuals: Heart, Brains and Courage.
We lead with Heart, fostering empathy and trust where genuine connections and human-centric work flourish. We empower your Brains for innovation, valuing relentless curiosity and collaborative intelligence to solve complex challenges. And we champion Courage, inspiring you to speak up, embrace experimentation, and advocate for bold solutions that push our thinking to be better than yesterday.
WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.
Lead Product Manager - Contract in London employer: Visa Hunt
VML is an exceptional employer that prioritises your career development while allowing you to work with some of the most exciting global brands. Our vibrant culture, rooted in our core values of Heart, Brains, and Courage, fosters a collaborative environment where innovation thrives and every voice is valued. With a hybrid work model and a commitment to inclusivity, VML empowers you to make a meaningful impact in your role as Lead Product Manager.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Product Manager - Contract 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 Visa Hunt!
✨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 Visa Hunt 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 Visa Hunt through your school's career services!
We think you need these skills to ace Lead Product Manager - Contract in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Product Passion:When applying for a product management role like Lead Product Manager - Contract, 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 Lead Product Manager - Contract position at Visa Hunt. 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 Visa Hunt
✨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.
