Head of Technology & Product

Head of Technology & Product

Location: Birmingham

Salary: £90,000 - £105,000 + performance related bonus

Full Time Permanent

We are recruiting for a Head of Technology & Product to take ownership of an exciting new software vertical within an established and growing technology business.

This is a unique opportunity for a senior product and technology leader who wants genuine ownership. You will be responsible for taking a new software product from the early stages of development through to launch and beyond, setting the vision, shaping the roadmap and leading the technical delivery.

The business already has an established position in the fleet safety and vehicle technology market and is now investing in a new software platform focused on connected vehicles, video and fleet data. This is effectively a start up within an established business, giving you the opportunity to build something new while having the support, customers and industry expertise of an established organisation behind you.

The Role

As Head of Technology & Product, you will have end to end responsibility for the new software vertical.

You will own the product vision and roadmap, translating customer and commercial requirements into a clear product strategy and then leading its delivery.

You will work closely with an external software development partner, providing the technical direction, setting standards and ensuring the product is delivered to the required quality and timescales. You will also have the opportunity to influence the technology platform, architecture and development approach as the product evolves.

This is not a role where you will simply be handed a roadmap to deliver. You will be expected to challenge, recommend and make decisions, working closely with the wider leadership team while taking clear accountability for the success of the product.

Key responsibilities

• Own the vision, roadmap and ongoing development of the new software product
• Take end to end accountability for establishing and delivering the new software vertical
• Translate customer, market and commercial requirements into a clear product direction
• Set the technical direction and make recommendations around architecture, platforms and technology
• Lead and manage the relationship with the external software development partner
• Define requirements, priorities, technical standards and delivery expectations
• Ensure software development is delivered effectively, with appropriate quality, scalability and security
• Work closely with hardware and technology partners to integrate connected devices into the software platform
• Lead product development from early concept and MVP through to a commercially successful product
• Work closely with customers and internal stakeholders to understand requirements and continually improve the product
• Build and lead the internal software and product capability as the business grows
• Keep up to date with developments in software development and AI assisted development tools
• Provide clear technical and product leadership to the wider business and senior leadership team

About You

We are looking for someone who combines strong product leadership with credible technical knowledge.

You may come from a Head of Product, Product & Technology, CTO, Product Engineering or similar background. More important than your job title is your experience of taking ownership of a software product and actually delivering it.

You will ideally have:

• Significant experience leading software product development
• A strong track record of owning product vision, roadmap and delivery
• Experience taking a software product from concept or early stage through to launch
• A good understanding of software architecture, development and modern SaaS platforms
• The technical credibility to work effectively with software developers and development partners
• Experience leading software development teams, whether directly or through external partners
• Strong commercial and customer awareness, with the ability to understand why a product should be built as well as how
• Excellent decision making and stakeholder management skills
• The confidence to work autonomously and take ownership in an entrepreneurial environment
• An understanding of how AI is increasingly being used within software development and product delivery

You do not need to be a hands on developer or coding every day. However, you will need enough technical understanding to set direction, challenge technical decisions, work effectively with developers and understand the implications of the technology choices being made.

Experience within SaaS, IoT, connected devices, telematics, video, streaming or other real time data environments would be advantageous, particularly where hardware and software need to work together, but direct fleet or telematics experience is not essential.

Why this opportunity?

This is an opportunity to take genuine ownership of something new.

You will have the autonomy to shape the product, influence the technology choices, establish the development approach and ultimately build a new software business within an established and successful organisation.

For the right person, this could be an opportunity to take a product from idea vision development launch growth, with genuine accountability for the outcome.