Head of Product (Data)

Head of Product (Data)

Head of Product (Data)

British Council

11 hours ago

No application

About

  • Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries. They will oversee the end-to-end lifecycle of multiple data products — from discovery and development through to delivery, support, and continuous improvement — while maintaining a high-level roadmap that supports both current business needs and future growth. The role is accountable for ensuring that all data products maximise business value, enhance decision-making, and improve operational efficiency. This position provides visible leadership across the data product management function, fostering best practices, coaching product managers, and building a strong community of practice. The role involves close collaboration with business owners, analytics service owners, and D&T teams to ensure seamless, integrated product delivery that meets technical standards and organisational goals. Agile and Lean Practices (Expert): Coaches and leads teams in Agile and Lean methods, tailoring approaches to context, iterating continuously, and promoting innovation to enhance delivery. Applying User-Centred Insights (Expert): Champions user research and evidence-based decisions to ensure data products meet user needs and guide strategic direction. Creating Value for Money (Practitioner): Balances user needs, organisational priorities, and costs; makes data-driven decisions and builds strong business cases to support commercial outcomes. Life Cycle Management (Expert): Leads and coaches teams through all product lifecycle stages, managing risks and driving continuous improvement. Managing Product Outcomes (Practitioner): Establishes performance measures, uses data for continuous improvement, and helps teams prioritise high-impact activities. Product Leadership (Practitioner): Represents product management to senior stakeholders, promotes reuse of best practices, and develops the internal product community. Product Management (Expert): Defines strategy and vision, maintains prioritised roadmaps, supports scaled delivery, and mentors others in best practices. Stakeholder Relationship Management (Expert): Develops stakeholder management strategy; negotiates and influences senior leaders to align priorities and drive progress on strategic goals. Minimum/essential Proven experience managing data-focused product portfolios in a complex organisation, ideally in the education, assessment, or commercial sectors. Significant experience working with data professionals, including data engineers, analysts, and data scientists. Track record of delivering products that drive commercial and strategic outcomes. Strong leadership skills, including line management and coaching of product managers. Ability to engage and influence senior stakeholders and translate strategic goals into actionable product roadmaps. Deep understanding of Agile and Lean product management practices Experience with enterprise-level data platforms, APIs, and AI applications. Experience of leading data product teams in a commercially focused organisation Degree, preferably in a relevant field such as data science, computer science, information systems, business, or a related discipline, e.g. a STEM subject or a finance-related subject. Equivalent professional experience will be considered where a degree is not held Written and verbal proficiency in English is required.