Head of Product

What you will be doing:

• Develop and maintain the Digital Product Strategy and portfolio roadmap.
• Champion the responsible and ethical adoption of AI into the WMCA's product portfolio and business processes.
• Establish WMCA's product management framework.
• Set and uphold engineering and DevOps standards.
• Ensure cross-organisational and matrix-based product teams engage closely with sponsors, senior users, and stakeholders.
• Lead, coach and develop Product Managers, BAs, Engineers, UX/Service Designers, and DevOps enablement leads.
• Own relevant Opex/Capex budgets.
• Embed sustainability in all aspects of corporate IT operations.
• Own release readiness and service transition in partnership with the Head of Corporate IT and the Head of Technology Systems & Infrastructure.
• Lead the Solution Development capability.

What's essential:

• Senior leadership of digital product portfolios with measurable outcomes in complex public sector or multistakeholder environments.
• Proven introduction and scaling of Product Management and Development.
• Experience leading Solution Development teams covering Microsoft, AWS and/or bespoke App-based solutions.
• Experience working with Enterprise Architecture guardrails, Solution Architects, and Product Leads to assure design.
• Experience collaborating with operational environments to enable effective service transition.
• Experience of relevant standards compliance (e.g. WCAG).
• Experience of managing projects and or programmes in a complex Digital, Data & Technology environment.
• Experience in solution design literacy, API-led integration, and platform governance.
• Outstanding communication (technical and non-technical), stakeholder engagement and influence.

Location:

The location for this role is 16 Summer Lane, Birmingham, B19 3SD, with at least 2-3 days a week spent in the office.

Salary and benefits:

• We advertise salary ranges, with new appointments typically starting at the lowest salary point. In exceptional cases, the salary point may be adjusted to secure the best candidate.
• This approach allows for potential year-on-year salary increases, offering progression and appropriate rewards to employees.
• Requests for salaries above the maximum advertised range will not be considered.
• Local Government Pension Scheme (one of the most generous pension schemes in the UK).
• Shared Cost Additional Voluntary Contributions scheme where you can build an additional pot of money alongside your pension with contributions exempt from Income Tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs).
• 28 days paid annual leave (with an option to purchase more) + Statutory days.
• EV car benefit scheme.
• Healthcare plans.
• Discounted gym membership, will writing and mortgage advice.
• An option to buy a bicycle, including e-bikes and adapted pedal cycles, at a discounted rate.
• 3 days of paid leave each year to volunteer.
• Interest-free financing through SmartTech to buy the latest technology.
• Discounted shopping with over 2,000 big-name retailers, and more.
• You can now also obtain a Costco membership through the WMCA.
• Boundless unlocks unlimited entry to top-rated UK attractions and loads of extra benefits and discounts.
• Eye Care Scheme, offering a free eye test and a financial contribution towards your glasses.

Reasonable adjustments:

You can request reasonable adjustments by contacting our Recruitment Team (careers@wmca.org.uk).

Right to Work in the UK:

Proof of Right to Work in the UK will be required for all applicants in accordance with UK Home Office requirements, before any employment offer can be confirmed. Non-UK applicants (excluding Ireland) would be required to hold a relevant Visa from the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).