At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the transformation of our AI-native data automation platform and drive impactful change.
- Company: Join Xceptor, a leader in financial services data solutions with a collaborative culture.
- Benefits: Enjoy hybrid work, competitive salary, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Diverse and inclusive workplace committed to empowering all employees.
- Why this job: Shape the future of data automation and make a real impact in financial services.
- Qualifications: 10+ years in product management with expertise in AI and platform development.
The predicted salary is between 100000 - 130000 £ per year.
ABOUT XCEPTOR
Data is at the heart of everything we do: Xceptor has been designed around data manipulation in its broadest sense. We source data from wherever it flows. We curate, normalise, validate, repair, and enrich that data so it reaches its destination in a reliable and consistent format. Data coming out of Xceptor is data our clients can trust. We are recognised as an expert in the Financial Services vertical, which strongly aligns with Business Users in Middle and Back-Office teams. We enable these users to solve their data challenges by themselves, rather than through a technology-led project.
Our mission is to empower business users within financial institutions to build automated processes that deliver trusted data. Our values are:
- Client Centricity
- One Team
- Impactful
Your Role:
We are seeking a Senior Director, Platform in London (hybrid) to lead our platform product organisation through one of the most consequential chapters in Xceptor’s history. This role requires innovative thinking and the ability to deliver impactful change at pace - we are building the next generation of an AI-native data automation platform, transforming a proven financial services data platform into an intelligent, scalable foundation for mission critical operations that matter most.
You will own the platform product strategy end-to-end: driving the migration of our legacy capabilities into our new platform architecture, while simultaneously defining and delivering the AI and ML capabilities that will differentiate Xceptor for years to come. You will work at the intersection of product, engineering, and data science - translating deep domain expertise and proprietary insight into intelligent platform capabilities that no competitor can replicate. Equally, the platform you build has a direct line to commercial impact.
Our solution teams across tax, trading, and financial operations are internal clients of the platform - and the speed, quality, and intelligence of what they can bring to market depends on what you build. You will define the internal service model that governs how platform capabilities are consumed, prioritised, and evolved in response to their needs, creating a tight feedback loop between platform investment and commercial outcomes. This role requires someone who is AI-native by instinct - someone who treats AI as a high-trust collaborator in how they think, build, and lead, and who can bring that mindset to an organisation in transformation.
What You’ll Be Doing:
- Platform Strategy & AI Vision
- Define and own the platform product strategy and roadmap, spanning both the transformation of legacy capabilities and the build-out of next-generation AI and ML functionality.
- Establish a clear, differentiated vision for how Xceptor’s proprietary data and domain expertise becomes the foundation for intelligent, agentic workflows across trading, tax, and financial operations.
- Drive 0-to-1 execution on new AI/ML platform capabilities - from concept through to scalable, production-ready product.
- Continuously evolve the platform strategy in line with advances in AI, changing customer needs, and Xceptor’s expanding market position.
- Platform Transformation & Migration
- Own the product strategy for migrating legacy platform capabilities into Xceptor’s new platform architecture - sequencing, prioritising, and managing the complexity of transformation without disrupting existing customers.
- Define clear migration paths and deprecation strategies, working closely with engineering to de-risk delivery and maintain platform stability throughout.
- Embed platform transformation as a first-class product discipline, with the same rigour applied to new capability development.
- AI & ML Capability Development
- Lead the definition and delivery of Xceptor’s AI and ML platform capabilities - including intelligent data processing, predictive enrichment, agentic workflow automation, and model lifecycle management.
- Work directly with data science, engineering, and customer-facing teams to identify real enterprise use cases and abstract them into scalable, durable platform patterns.
- Drive a model-informed product approach - tracking key AI performance metrics (accuracy, latency, model reliability) and using data to continuously improve platform intelligence.
- Ensure AI capabilities are built with the governance, auditability, and explainability standards required by financial services clients.
- Prioritisation & Operating Model
- Own and drive the prioritisation of platform work across teams and domains.
- Establish and embed effective product operating models and governance for platform delivery in a complex, fast-moving environment.
- Balance competing demands across product, engineering, and business stakeholders.
- Cross-functional Leadership
- Partner closely with engineering leadership to ensure alignment on priorities, sequencing, and delivery.
- Drive coordination across multiple teams and tribes, managing complex cross-functional dependencies.
- Influence and align senior stakeholders across product, engineering, and business functions- including executive leadership.
- Define the platform's internal service model - SLAs, consumption patterns, prioritisation governance.
- Act as the product interface between platform and the solution teams.
- Build feedback loops so solution team needs shape the platform roadmap.
- Platform Delivery & Execution
- Act as the key interface between product and engineering at the platform level, ensuring platform investments are connected to product priorities and customer outcomes.
- Ensure delivery of high-quality, scalable platform capabilities that enable product and engineering teams to operate effectively.
- Enable consistent execution across teams through strong product leadership and clear direction.
- Champion strong API design, platform extensibility, and internal client service model to ensure both platform and solutions KPIs are successful.
- Organisational Leadership
- Lead, develop, and scale a team of product managers and leaders across platform domains.
- Establish clear standards for product management excellence within the platform function - including rigorous discovery, sharp prioritisation and outcome-driven delivery.
- Build a strong, collaborative culture across product, engineering and data.
- Continuous Improvement & Scalability
- Drive improvements in platform capabilities, processes, and performance.
- Identify opportunities to increase efficiency, reduce duplication, and improve developer productivity.
- Ensure the platform evolves to support future growth and complexity.
Who we're looking for:
We’re looking for a senior technical product leader who combines deep platform expertise with genuine AI technical fluency - someone who has built and scaled complex data or AI platforms, and who brings the strategic ambition and executional rigour to lead Xceptor’s platform into its next era. A Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field is required.
- AI-Native Product Leadership
- Demonstrable AI fluency - you use AI tools natively in how you work, think, and build; you understand LLMs, ML model lifecycles, and agentic systems well enough to drive meaningful product decisions.
- Experience defining and delivering AI or ML platform capabilities in production environments, ideally within enterprise SaaS or data platform companies.
- Ability to work across the full AI product lifecycle - from identifying use cases and defining requirements through to model performance monitoring and iterative improvement.
- Comfort with AI infrastructure concepts: model serving, inference performance, feature engineering, and data pipelines.
- Platform & Technical Expertise
- Deep understanding of modern platform architecture, APIs, data and integration layers, and scalable cloud-native infrastructure.
- Experience leading platform transformation or migration programmes - moving from legacy architectures to modern, scalable platforms while managing continuity for existing products and customers.
- Ability to operate effectively in highly technical, engineering-led environments and earn credibility with senior engineers and architects.
- Familiarity with data governance, lineage, and auditability - particularly in regulated industries.
- Product Leadership & Operating Model Design
- Minimum 10 years of product management experience, including leadership of platform, infrastructure, or technical product organisations.
- Proven track record of launching new platform capabilities from vision through to scale.
- Experience establishing and scaling product operating models for platform teams, including prioritisation frameworks and governance approaches.
- Ability to balance long-term platform strategy with near-term transformation and delivery demands.
- Cross-functional Influence & Stakeholder Management
- Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders across product, engineering, data science, and business leadership - including the executive team and board.
- Strong stakeholder management in environments with high complexity, multiple competing priorities, and fast-changing requirements.
- Experience aligning multiple teams and domains around shared goals and sequenced delivery plans.
- Commercial & Strategic Awareness
- Strong understanding of how platform capabilities underpin product outcomes, customer value, and commercial growth.
- Ability to connect platform investment decisions to customer impact, competitive differentiation, and business strategy.
- Experience in financial services, fintech, or regulated data-intensive industries is a strong advantage.
- Leadership & Team Development
- Experience leading and developing high-performing product teams, including coaching senior PMs and building team capability.
- Ability to build clarity, alignment, and accountability across teams in ambiguous, fast-evolving environments.
Diversity & Inclusion at Xceptor
We believe great ideas come from everywhere — and that the best teams are made up of people with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. At Xceptor, we’re committed to building a workplace where everyone feels welcome, valued, and empowered to be themselves. We know that not everyone ticks every single box in a job description — and that’s okay. If you’re excited about this role and think you could make a difference, we’d love to hear from you. Your unique skills and experiences might be just what we need, even if you don’t meet every requirement. We celebrate diversity and are dedicated to creating an inclusive environment for all employees — regardless of race, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or background.
Hybrid at Xceptor
We love the buzz of the office and the flexibility of home—so at Xceptor, you get the best of both. Our people spend 2-3 days per week in the office collaborating, brainstorming, and connecting in person. The rest is up to you. It’s all about great teamwork, balanced with the freedom to work your way.
Please note: Xceptor works with clients in financial services and our offers of employment are subject to the satisfactory completion of background checks, which includes criminal record checks, and credit reference checks. If you have any employment gaps exceeding three months within the last six years, we will request additional information and evidence to clarify those periods.
Senior Product Director, Platform in London employer: Xceptor
Xceptor is an exceptional employer that prioritises innovation and collaboration, offering a hybrid work environment in London that fosters both teamwork and flexibility. With a strong commitment to employee growth, Xceptor provides opportunities for professional development within a diverse and inclusive culture, empowering individuals to lead transformative projects in the financial services sector. Join us to be part of a mission-driven team that values client centricity and impactful contributions, while working on cutting-edge AI-native data automation solutions.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Product Director, Platform 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 Xceptor!
✨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 Xceptor 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 Xceptor through your school's career services!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Product Director, Platform in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Product Passion:When applying for a product management role like Senior Product Director, Platform, 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 Senior Product Director, Platform position at Xceptor. 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 Xceptor
✨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.