Head of Product Innovation

This role is responsible for leading the development of new leadership and management products for a growing professional membership body. Sitting on the Senior Leadership Team, the Head of Product Innovation will identify new revenue opportunities, work closely with employers and training partners, and move quickly from idea to launch. The focus is on building customer centred products, using modern product practices and AI tools to accelerate development and bring new offers to market.

The client

This role sits within a well established UK professional membership body focused on developing the next generation of managers and leaders.

The organisation works closely with employers, universities and training providers to deliver leadership qualifications, accreditation services and professional development programmes.

Who are they?

They are a long standing organisation with a large and growing membership community of managers and leaders. The business has grown steadily over the past decade and now generates over £30m in annual revenue.

Their products sit at the intersection of education, professional development and employer needs, working through a network of training providers and university partners.

As the organisation continues to grow, the focus is shifting towards developing new product lines and modernising how products are designed and brought to market.

This role will sit on the Senior Leadership Team and play a key role in shaping the future product portfolio.

The role

What you’ll deliver

1. Identify and launch new product opportunities
– Identify opportunities to develop new leadership and management products that open up new revenue streams.

– Work closely with employers, universities and training providers to understand real market needs.

– Translate customer insight and market signals into clear product propositions and commercial business cases.

– Take ideas from early concept through to prototype, validation and launch.

2. Drive faster, more customer led product development
– Introduce modern product practices such as design thinking, rapid prototyping and iterative testing.

– Establish stronger voice of customer processes across the organisation.

– Work with research, marketing and policy teams to bring together insight and identify what should be built next.

– Move away from long development cycles towards faster experimentation and product validation.

3. Lead cross functional product delivery
– Work closely with marketing, partnerships, technology and digital teams to bring products to market.

– Shape go to market plans alongside marketing from the earliest stages of product development.

– Collaborate with the technology team to build and launch digital learning products and platforms.

– Ensure product development runs at pace while maintaining strong commercial focus.

4. Build a high impact product function
– Lead a small product development team and help shape how the product function operates going forward.

– Bring structure to product discovery, prioritisation and experimentation.

– Embed a culture of delivery where ideas are tested quickly and scaled when successful.

– Mentor and support product team members as the function evolves.

5. Use technology and AI to accelerate product development
– Use AI tools to speed up research, prototyping and product design.

– Identify opportunities to incorporate AI capabilities into future leadership and management products.

– Help the organisation experiment with new formats such as digital learning products, bootcamps and digital credentials.

What we’re looking for

Must have

– Strong end to end product leadership experience.

– A track record of launching new products that have generated commercial impact.

– Experience moving products from discovery through to launch.

– Comfortable working at pace and operating in a hands on product role.

– Strong stakeholder management across cross functional teams.

– Ability to translate customer insight into practical product solutions.

– Confidence operating at senior level while staying close to delivery.

Nice to have

– Experience in education, skills, professional development or membership organisations.

– Experience launching digital learning or education products.

– Experience working in regulated or policy influenced environments.

– Familiarity with AI tools used in product development.

The candidate

Why join them?

This is a rare opportunity for someone who wants to shape how a well established organisation develops and launches new products. As Head of Product Innovation, you will:

– Sit on the Senior Leadership Team and play a key role in shaping the future product portfolio.

– Lead the development of new leadership and management products that open up new revenue streams.

– Help the organisation move faster, introducing modern product practices such as design thinking, rapid experimentation and customer led development.

– Work closely with employers, universities and training providers to design products that genuinely meet market needs.

– Have the autonomy to take ideas from early concept through to launch and scale.

This is a permanent role with a strong benefits package including:

– £85,000 to £90,000 base salary
– Up to 15 percent bonus
– Private medical cover for you and your partner
– 25 days holiday plus Christmas closure
– Hybrid working with two days per week in the office

You’ll be joining an organisation that is ambitious about its next phase of growth and is looking for someone who can bring energy, pace and new thinking to how products are developed and delivered.