At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead product strategy and delivery for financial services in the UK.
- Company: Join Xero, a company dedicated to empowering small businesses.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, career growth, and a vibrant work culture.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with opportunities for international engagement.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on small businesses and shape the future of finance.
- Qualifications: Proven leadership experience and a passion for innovative product development.
The predicted salary is between 100000 - 150000 £ per year.
Our Purpose At Xero, we’re here to make running a business beautiful. By making small businesses more efficient every day, connecting them with big business technology and empowering a community behind them, their potential is limitless. When that happens, we’re not only helping small businesses, we’ll be building a stronger economy that can change the world.
How you’ll make an impact As the VP/GM of Product UK, you will own the vision, strategy, and product delivery for our financial services/payroll product and act as the regional product leader for the EMEA/UK region. You will provide oversight across your portfolio, ensuring the right things are built at the right time and through doing so you’ll contribute to Xero achieving its goals. You will identify and execute on key opportunities for your portfolio that will add more value to our customers, ultimately generating a competitive advantage and enabling the company to grow faster. You will lead a large multidisciplinary and cross functional team with high levels of complexity, ambiguity, dependencies and/or stakeholder management. People leadership of experienced product leaders and their teams is a significant part of the role.
What you’ll do Product strategy Work with the portfolio leadership team and regional Go-to-market Managing Directors to advance and evolve portfolio strategy. Regularly review this strategy, updating it to reflect changes in Xero’s strategy, market changes, and lessons learned from customers and initiatives. Be accountable for the commercial success of the products you and your team create and manage. Define, own and communicate the product roadmap and prioritization (including development of business cases) to best determine how to service customer needs. Ensure the roadmaps produced by your product leaders are data-informed, based on customer research, have clear objectives and KPIs, balance functional and nonfunctional work and are realistic.
Product delivery In collaboration with design and engineering teams, transform product ideas into actionable concepts, timelines, projects, and ultimately - launches - while maintaining a serious consideration of the financial implications, marketing needs, and the overall objectives of the business. Support product leaders in, and engage with, major commercial stakeholders as appropriate. Work with strategy, product marketing, data, and research teams and drive user and competitive research to uncover customer needs and new product value propositions in line with Xero’s vision and commercial goals. Establish and maintain good working relationships throughout the wider organisation, particularly Engineering & Architecture, Design, Marketing, Regions, Sales and Customer Experience. Work with local go-to-market teams to ensure they understand the product strategy, the team understands their challenges and there is clear messaging in place for all product launches.
People leadership Provide team leadership, shaping the team vision, culture, product team scope and ways of working. Coach and lead a number of individual contributors and people leaders, ensuring high performance and high engagement. Effectively communicate and cascade information appropriately to ensure teams are engaged and are connected to strategy. Enable and empower people to work autonomously where appropriate, providing guidance, coaching and mentorship. Actively engage with your team members about their careers, manage performance and support their growth and development. Recruit new Xero's as required, ensuring team members are high quality, contribute to Xero's culture, and are on-boarded effectively. Manage team compliance with Xero policies, processes and requirements. Role model exemplary leadership by developing leadership capabilities and upholding our Xero values. Foster a safe environment for people to experiment and learn.
Success looks like Continuous delivery of industry-leading products for Xero partners and customers. Creation, communication, and constant evolution of a roadmap that supports growth of the products and reflects the changing needs of customers. You have strong relationships with your stakeholders who are engaged and have a thorough understanding of your vision, strategy and roadmap. You lead and enable your product leadership team to produce accessible, transparent, prioritised and well executed roadmap across a portfolio / sub-portfolio which focuses on value to Xero and the customer. Your team members are able to see the big picture and connect their work and their teams to strategy. You are an effective coach, asking the important questions, listening and having the real conversations. Support your team to remove barriers. You build inclusive, resilient and psychologically safe teams. Collaborate internationally to create horizontal alignment across Xero. You demonstrate and amplify Xero’s Values.
What you’ll bring with you
- Critical competencies Experience Ownership and ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment Building effective relationships across all levels of the business Advocate for building quality software that are customer centric Ability to break down complex problems, deliver pragmatic solutions and able to manage changing priorities Strong understanding of business software solutions Broad knowledge of technology and software development Ability to assess commercial viability of products to either introduce, grow, mature or retire products and to either build, buy or partner on solutions. Significant people leadership experience, with the ability to successfully motivate individuals and teams and develop individuals capabilities. Proven experience collaborating with a diverse stakeholder group to realise commercial outcomes Proven ability to influence outcomes at all levels Demonstrated experience in defining product roadmaps and planning Previous experience in leading people leaders and forming high-performing teams.
VP/GM UK Products in City of London employer: Xero
At Xero, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that champions innovation and collaboration in the heart of the UK. Our vibrant work culture fosters creativity and inclusivity, empowering employees to take ownership of their roles while providing ample opportunities for professional growth and development. With a commitment to making a meaningful impact on small businesses and the economy, joining our team means being part of a purpose-driven organisation that values your contributions and supports your career aspirations.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land VP/GM UK Products in City of 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 Xero!
✨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 Xero 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 Xero through your school's career services!
We think you need these skills to ace VP/GM UK Products in City of London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Product Passion:When applying for a product management role like VP/GM UK Products, 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 VP/GM UK Products position at Xero. 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 Xero
✨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.
