Director of Product & Portfolio

WeComm and Retail Executive Search partners have been retained by a well-established retail brand known for quality, character, and a loyal global customer base in their search for a Director of Product & Portfolio. With a commitment to continually elevating the end-to-end shopping experience, the organisation is investing heavily in its digital, data, and technology capabilities. As the retail landscape evolves, the brand is focused on modernising its digital platforms, transforming its retail experiences, strengthening operational excellence, and embedding AI into how it serves customers and runs the business. The brand is committed to putting its customer at the centre of everything – and is now seeking a Director of Product & Portfolio who will help shape the next chapter of its digital and retail transformation.

Role

Our client are looking for an exceptional leader to join their technology leadership team as Director of Product & Portfolio. You’ll be the connector who brings together their business teams, technical experts, and strategic partners to enhance the customer’s shopping experience and drive real business value. Working directly with their CTOO, you’ll lead Product Management, IT Operations, and Portfolio Management – ensuring technology enables their business objectives. You will bring an energy that engages your team and business teams. They want you to build trust through being consistent, open-minded and honest. Building a positive team culture that brings out the best in people, you will use strong communication and organisational skills to continually deliver against the business targets.

Key Responsibilities

• Shaping Their Product Future with the Customer at the Centre – Engage with business functions to understand their target outcomes, collaborate on ideas and solutions that deliver those outcomes while keeping the customer at the heart, facilitate collaboration between business and technology, validate ideas against customer insights, and build a clear roadmap together with stakeholders that aligns with strategic objectives.
• Leading Portfolio & Investment Decisions – Help choose where to invest time, money, and talent – always asking "does this enable the business objectives?" Run governance processes with clarity, manage capacity planning, and keep everyone honest about delivery. Tell the story of where they’re winning, backed by data and insight.
• Keeping the Lights On – Ensure that service delivery is strong and consistent, their help desk supports users effectively, and their business applications work perfectly, every time. Act as a catalyst for improving how the business operates and bring best-practice thinking.
• Making Data Work Harder – Play a critical role in their AI, analytics and business intelligence capabilities, helping the business make the best use of available data in decision making. Define metrics that matter and help everyone become more data-savvy.
• Making Technology as Simple as Possible – Constantly challenge whether they are making their technology structure as simple as possible to support customer needs. Simplicity enables speed, reduces costs, and makes everyone's lives easier.
• Building & Inspiring Teams – Create a culture where customer-centricity is embedded in the planning and execution of their work. Partner brilliantly with the Director of Technology, communicate with clarity to executives, and develop future leaders.

Person Experience

• 5+ years in technology leadership which includes P&L accountability.
• Proven track record in product management, IT operations, and portfolio delivery across multiple teams.
• You’ve delivered real business value through technology, always with the customer at heart.

Communication

• You’re brilliant at explaining complex things simply. You translate between technical and business language effortlessly, create alignment across diverse groups, and build bridges naturally between business stakeholders, technical teams, and third-party partners.

Organisation

• Exceptional at juggling multiple complex initiatives, meticulous planning, and bringing structure to chaos. You’re systematic, disciplined about follow-through, and relentless about accountability. Simplicity and efficiency are your north stars.

Customer-Centric Mindset

• Our customer isn’t just a persona – she’s real, and you think about her constantly. Every decision is filtered through "how does this serve her?" You maintain this mindset in both planning and execution, and inspire your teams to do the same.

Leadership Style

• Strategic thinker with relentless execution. Exceptional at stakeholder management and influencing without authority. You build brilliant cross-functional teams, lead change with empathy, and are a catalyst for improving business efficiency.

Business Acumen

• Comfortable with budgets, forecasts, and ROI analysis. You understand how businesses create value, negotiate vendor contracts effectively, and make decisions based on what's right for customers and the business. Data informs your decisions.

Who You Are

• Results-oriented collaborator who reads people well. You make data-driven decisions, push for simplicity, believe reliability is key, and are passionate about using technology to enhance customer experiences and drive business success.

Seniority level Director

Employment type Full-time

Job function Product Management, Information Technology, and Project Management

Industries Retail Apparel and Fashion, Retail Luxury Goods and Jewelry, and Retail Application

If this role is of interest, and you have the relevant experience required and experience within the retail industry, please feel free to apply.